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Wake-Up Call: 'Magical' Fran Thomas left unique impact

Photo from Teresa Silva

Fran Thomas used baseball to teach life lessons to generations of young people.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 28, 2009

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

If you played youth or high-school baseball in Brandon, you probably knew Fran Thomas.

And you undoubtedly remembered his lessons.

His 6-foot-6 presence might have seemed intimidating. But it belied the gentle heart and giving spirit of Thomas, who died last Friday after a bout with lung cancer. He was 74.

What did he do for Brandon area baseball?

A more appropriate question: What didn't he do?

He was "Coach T." He helped establish the first youth baseball league in Brandon. He founded the American Legion Post 278 team. For nearly three decades, he was the volunteer pitching coach for the Brandon Eagles, then the Durant Cougars.

Typical Fran Thomas story:

He's pitching batting practice. He puts one right down the middle, room service, but the player doesn't swing. The next pitch is scary fast, high and tight. The shaken-up player dusts himself off, then looks toward the mound.

"That's a lot like life, isn't it?" Fran would say. "Sometimes in life, you only get one chance at something. You've got to take your swing at it. You can't let that chance pass you by."

Typical Fran Thomas story:

After a practice, perhaps a few days before the school prom, he would call the players together for a talk.

"It's important to conduct yourselves in the right way," Fran would say. "You don't want to embarrass yourself or your family. It's important to respect the young ladies and be safe on the road."

He wasn't the head coach. He wasn't a teacher at the school.

But everyone listened and did as he said.

Typical Fran Thomas story:

He and his wife, Phyllis, had five children. In reality, through baseball, Fran had hundreds and hundreds of children, many of whom never forgot him.

Some of them experienced tough times as adults. When Fran heard about it, as he always did, he worked the phones, roamed the community, asked everyone to pitch in.

The money was always delivered anonymously.

"Fran was just magical," said former Brandon baseball coach Joe Perez, now a human resources manager with Hillsborough County Public Schools. "He had the special ability to communicate with young people.

"He was demanding, no question about that. Old school, all the way. Every pitch had a purpose for him. He taught them to be pitchers, not throwers. But even more, he got between the ears of those kids, got them to listen, got them on the right track."

The life of Fran Thomas will be remembered on Saturday afternoon, 2 p.m., at Faith Baptist Church, 1118 N. Parsons Ave., in Brandon. Conducting the service is Pastor Gene Reynolds, one of Thomas' former Colt League and American Legion players.

Of course.

"I think Fran knew everyone around here," Reynolds said. "You can't really replace someone like that in a community. We all need a mentor - and he was a mentor to a countless number of people.

"He worked with some kids who made it to professional baseball. But you know what he was proudest of? When he'd see a former player who was raising a family, starting a career, being a good citizen, doing the right things. He would take great pride in that. The baseball was just part of it."

Fran Thomas was a farm boy from Central Illinois, one of 11 children, who grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. He took his work ethic into baseball, first with Illinois State University, then during seven seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization.

By then, he was married and starting his own family. He gave up on the fleeting dream, moved to Florida and worked as an electrical estimator. There wasn't much baseball around for kids, so he decided to create some opportunities.

And he never left.

Curiously, Thomas' obituary in the Tampa Tribune didn't mention baseball - not one word.

"Fran was humble," said Perez, who shared a weekly coffee-and-visit session with Thomas, long after he left coaching for an administrative position. "He wasn't one to talk about his accomplishments. But when he did talk, he had a lot to say."

Sometimes, a player needed a kick in the pants.

Sometimes, he needed a shoulder to cry on.

Thomas knew the difference.

"My dad always appreciated the players who gave maximum effort and played with heart," said Thomas' son, Tim. "Heart mattered more to him than pure talent.

"I played for him, too, and I was probably the worst baseball player who ever walked on the face of the earth. I had zero talent - none. But he taught me how to throw a curveball. He taught me how to pitch. He taught me a little bit about how to believe in myself. He did that for so many guys."

Those lessons won't be forgotten - how to compete in baseball, how to succeed in life.

"It didn't matter if you were the least player or the best player," Reynolds said. "If Fran was coaching you, you knew you had somebody there who really cared."

Lightning delay nothing new

Thursday night's 45-minute lightning delay during the Bucs-Miami Dolphins exhibition at Raymond James Stadium will join these other weather-related episodes in Tampa Bay's history of full-price practice games:

* 1985: Hurricane Elena was churning in the Gulf of Mexico when the Redskins defeated the Bucs. The Redskins' charter was the last flight out of Tampa International Airport, which then was closed for two days.
* 1986: The start of Bucs-Cardinals was delayed 50 minutes by thunderstorms. There was no National Anthem or player introductions.
* 1992: Lightning struck a Tampa Stadium generator, nearly postponing Bucs-Browns before power was restored.
* 1997: Heavy lightning caused a 55-minute delay to the start of Bucs-Dolphins. Then this strange sight - Bucs defensive back LaCurtis Jones, undaunted and obviously determined to make an impression, warming up by himself on a barren, flooded field.

Redmond gets World Cup spot

Right-handed pitcher Todd Redmond (Northside Christian), who plays for Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta Braves' organization, for the International Baseball Federation World Cup, scheduled Sept. 9-27 in Europe. The U.S. team, representing one of the 20 countries in the field, begins pool play on Sept. 10 in Regensburg, Germany. The U.S. team is in Pool E, along with China, Germany and Venezuela.

Wilson on the run

Center fielder Kenny Wilson (Sickles), playing with the Class A Lansing Lugnuts in the Toronto Blue Jays' organization, stole his 33rd base in Thursday night's 3-1 victory against West Michigan. That is only eighth-best in the Midwest League, where Great Lakes shortstop Dee Gordon leads the league with 69 steals.

Diaz tearing it up

Atlanta Braves left fielder Matt Diaz (Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic) is batting .319 after going 3-for-6 in Thursday night's 9-1 win against the San Diego Padres. In the last four games, Diaz has raised his average by a whopping 20 points. That's what happens when you go 11-for-19.

Two homers for Coghlan

Florida Marlins rookie left fielder Chris Coghlan (East Lake) had his first two-homer game in the big leagues on Thursday, going 3-for-4 overall in a 10-3 loss to the New York Mets. Coghlan, batting a season-high .293, is 38-for-102 (.373) in August.

McCutchen streaking again

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie center fielder Andrew McCutchen (Fort Meade) was 2-for-4 with his ninth home run in Thursday night's 3-2 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. McCutchen has a nine-game hitting streak (behind the 13-game hitting streak he had in June, shortly after his call-up from Triple-A).

Cercone enters U.S. Open juniors

Seminole's Alexandra Cercone, 17, has received a wild-card main-draw entry into next week's U.S. Open juniors event. Cercone recently reached the quarterfinals of the USTA Girls 18s National Championships at Berkeley, Calif.

Bradenton's Victoria Duval, 13, received a wild-card entry into the qualifying round.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to former Bucs quarterback Chris Simms, who is now backing up Kyle Orton with the Denver Broncos. Simms was having an excellent exhibition season, but is out 2-4 weeks with a high ankle sprain. Saturday, Simms turns 29.

The Answer Man

Troy Aikman, who played twice against the Bucs in Tampa, threw only one touchdown pass in those games. But it was a big one.

Aikman led a seven-play, 80-yard drive, culminating with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Michael Irvin with 23 seconds to play as Dallas beat the Bucs 17-13 on Oct. 21, 1990. Coach Jimmy Johnson, whose Cowboys were coming off a 1-15 season, credited that game with turning around the franchise's fortunes.

The Cowboys had a fast-finishing 7-9 season, made the NFC playoffs the following year, then proceeded to capture three of the next four Super Bowl championships.

Friday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.
The Bucs lost 10-6 to the Miami Dolphins in Thursday night's exhibition game at Raymond James Stadium. When was the last time the Bucs failed to score a touchdown in a home exhibition game?

Check for the answer in Monday's Wake-Up Call.

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