Gary Thomas, who had one of the biggest runs in Ashland Tomcat football history in 1975 against Paducah Tilghman and gained more than 3,000 yards rushing in two memorable seasons, was one of the most best athletes in school history. He died on Sept. 29, 2023 at the age of 64.
Thomas’ 85-yard run against Paducah Tilghman in the Class AAAA State At-Large Championship game broke a 7-7 tie with less than four minutes to play led to a 13-7 victory. It was a third road playoff win for a team that was ranked No. 1 in the Class AAAA At-Large classification most of the season.
Paducah had bottled up Ashland’s vaunted running attack and had the Tomcats deep in their own territory when Thomas got loose. The JAWS defense, where Thomas was a hard-hitting cornerback, kept the game at 7 apiece in a defensive struggle. Thomas darted off-tackle, found a seam and followed some good downfield blocking to outrace Tilghman defenders to the end zone.
The Paducah crowd was stunned, and the small Tomcat faithful were cheering wildly with hundreds more listening intently on the radio broadcast in Ashland, hanging onto every word from Dick Martin Sr. and Pete Wonn. The Tomcats were the first high school team in state history to take an airplane flight to a game. The Tomcat Boosters raised enough money in three days to charter a flight across the state for the beloved team.
The 1975 JAWS team is one of the most memorable in Tomcat history and Thomas was a good reason why. He rushed for 1,754 yards and 20 touchdowns by using his quickness and speed and a tremendous offensive line to help deliver one of the best seasons in Ashland history. He was a second-team All-State running back.
Ashland fell to Louisville St. Xavier 20-0 in the overall Class AAAA championship game played in Louisville. Thomas carried for 107 yards in the team’s only loss in a 14-1 season. He ran for more than 100 yards in 10 of 15 games, including a career-high 222 yards against Belfry in a 47-6 rout.
That was his junior year and he came back the next season and led Ashland to a 9-3 record and the Class AAAA State At-Large semifinals where a heartbreaking 14-13 loss to Tates Creek ended the season in Putnam Stadium. Thomas gained 1,393 yards with 16 touchdowns with six 100-yard rushing games. He was a first-team All-State defensive back as a senior.
Thomas put his stamp on a great career, finishing with 3,147 yards and 36 touchdowns. His career rushing record stood for more than 10 years.
Anyone who watched Thomas run with the football would not forget it. It was like watching a great artist paint a picture. He was quick, fast and powerful all at the same time. Just give him the football and watch him go. Coach Herb Conley did that a lot in 1975 and 1976 in his vaunted wishbone offense that took opponents apart, not knowing who to take away. There was no better option than Thomas, whose quickness and running IQ made him one of the state’s most dangerous weapons.
As good as Thomas was on defense, he was a hard-hitting player with natural instincts on defense and that’s what Eastern Kentucky University liked him most. He went to EKU on scholarship after his senior season.
Thomas was the father to some athletic sons in Marcus and Matt and a third son, Hayden, who came along later in life. Thomas coached in Ashland’s youth leagues for many years. He was a good man with a deep love of football who wanted to give back. He lived his life in the Ashland community.
Gary Thomas will be remembered as one of the greatest players on one of Ashland’s greatest teams in 1975 along with being one of the best players to wear maroon and white. And that touchdown run in Paducah will be regarded as one of the biggest in Tomcat history because of what was at stake.
MARK MY WORDS 2 