know was that several times wehad to take Tremain to the hospitalright after the game because he wascompletely exhausted and dehy-drated,” recalled Andrews, whocoached Tremain in basketball injunior high. “He left everything onthe field. He gave it 110 percent onthe field and by the end of the gamehe had nothing left to give. Some-times we had to give him IVs hewas so dehydrated.”

Former EC head coach and ath-letic director Tony Valastro said hefollowed Tremain’s college careerclosely.

“When he made a good play (forArkansas) I would text him andcongratulate him – sometimes

while he was still on the field,” saidValastro, who is now the athleticdirector and head football coach atGalveston Ball. “He deserves thisrecognition. He’s earned it. He’sworked hard for it.”

Tramain is the first athlete from

the Stowell community to bedrafted into NFL, as well as thefirst African American student ath-lete from East Chambers to bedrafted into the NFL, said familyfriend Jesse Evans.

“Glenn Gaspard was drafted by

the San Francisco 49ers, butelected to play in the World Foot-ball League,” Evans said. “AllenKoch was drafted by the ChicagoBears but gave up the opportunityto play in the NFL, so, generallyspeaking, history was made withTremain being drafted and playingin the elite National FootballLeague as he is the first from theWinnie-Stowell communities.”

Some of the outstanding accom-plishments of Tremains highschool years was being the winnerof the Willie Ray Smith Award asthe top Defensive Player in theGolden Triangle, the DefensivePlayer of theYear of the BeaumontEnterprise Super Gold Footballteam, the Port Arthur News MVPof Football, being selected to the2AA All State football team, andthe District 24AA MVP.

Tremain could not only playfootball but he was very good inbasketball as well, Coach Andrewsrecalled.

“He had a vertical leap of 39inches,” Andrews said.

Tremain was selected as the dis-trict Most Valuable Player, selectedto the All Region Team, selected asa member to the Beaumont Enter-prise Super Gold Basketball teamand named Mr. Outside in theGolden Triangle and SoutheastTexas.

“Lets not forget that at the age of10, he set and it still stands todayas the Little Dribblers nationalrecord holder for most pointsscored in a single game (64) in theJr Division,” Evans recalled.

“The entire Winnie Stowell, EastChambers community is proud ofwhat Tremain has accomplishedand made the community andschool proud to know that he willplay in the National FootballLeague.”

Tremain’s mom, Cathy, blinkedback tears at her son’s NFL draftparty on Saturday.

“I am so proud of you and allyou’ve accomplished in life, ” shetold him. “And I know you will al-ways make your family, friendsand community proud.”

SportsSportsPAGE 9 - THE HOMETOWN PRESS May 3, 2012

Tremain Thomas to play for Tampa Bay Buccaneers

BACK TO BEING A BUC!

DAILEY, MONTEAU, PHELPS,WILRCX FAMILY REUNION

Saturday, May 12thWinnie Park Pavilion

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3.6 Miles North of I-10 on FM 1406

Scott Reese Willey photo

East Chambers High School graduate Tremain Thomas, who went on to play football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, signed afree agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last weekend. He is the son of Billy and Carla Thomas of Stowell. Hisfriends and family threw him an NFL draft party on Saturday. Hundreds of former classmates, coaches and friends and familyshowed up to congratulate him on an incredible college career and wish him well in the NFL draft.

SCOTT REESE WILLEYHometown Press

When Tremain Thomas of Stow-ell was in grade school, his fatherhad to drive him all the way toBeaumont each week to play after-school football.

There was no league or team inthe Winnie-Stowell area back then,Billy Thomas recalled.

By the time Tremain was readyto play junior high football inschool, he was head and shouldersbetter than all the other players.

The expense and time of drivingTremain to practice in Beaumontpaid off big time for the Thomasfamily.

Tremain earned all-district andall-state honors in high school, andwent on to have a successful foot-ball career with the Arkansas Ra-zorbacks.

And, on Saturday, he signed afree agent contract to play for theTampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I knew I would be playing forsome team I just didn’t knowwhich one,” Tremain said as hewanted the NFL draft on a bigscreen television inside the EastChambers High School gymna-sium. “I knew several teams wereinterested in me, and I knew Iwould get a call. I just didn’t knowwho or when. I just knew I wouldbe putting on pads somewhere thissummer.”

Tremain said scouts sought himout after the much-hyped, much-watched bowl game between hisRazorbacks and the LSU Tigerslast season. Arkansas lost thematch-up, but Tremain caused onefumble that was run back for atouchdown and had one intercep-tion.

“It was the high-point of my col-lege career,” he said.

The Thomas, Leday, George andGuillory families hosted the draftparty and served up steaming hotplates of barbecue and boiled craw-fish.

What must have been the entirepopulation of Stowell showed upto support Tremain. Winnie fansshowed up in force as well, includ-ing most if not all of his formerhigh school coaches.

EC coach Daniel Andrews re-memered coaching Tremain inhigh school football.

“What a lot of people didn’t

*HTP PAGE 09 5-3-12_Layout 1 5/2/12 12:08 PM Page 1