Thomas watched from bed as the Saints hosted the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC Championship game in the Louisiana Superdome, a familiar setting for the Crowley native. He helped Crowley High to the Class 3A state championship in the Superdome in 1989 and was a member of the UL Ragin’ Cajuns squad that beat Tulane in the Dome in 1993.

He also played in the NFC Championship Game as a member of the Vikings after the 1998 season, falling one step shy in an upset loss to visiting Atlanta. Thomas won two of three career meetings against the Saints, falling in his final season 28-15 in the Superdome in 2001.

"I remember winning the state championship at Crowley, because it took a lot of hard work," Thomas said with Demetra’s assistance. "I remember the first practice I had. I weighed 95 pounds, soaking wet, and I was so weak I couldn’t bench press the bar. By the time I was a senior, I was twice the size and was able to bench press over 300 pounds."

"While I accomplished many things on the football field at UL, my greatest accomplishment was getting my degree. (Academic counselor) Danny Cottonham had a lot do with me accomplishing that. "With the Vikings, the greatest part was leading NFL in interceptions as a rookie, and to play for 7 years. There are many great moments that I can recall. The best one was winning the state championship, and getting drafted."

Thomas took the NFL by storm as a rookie in 1995, leading the league with nine interceptions and being named to the Pro Bowl. The second-round draft choice had led the nation in his All-American junior season at UL with nine in 1993, and the transition proved to be a smooth one. The 1998 Vikings lost just one game, finishing 15-1, and scored 556 points. If ever there was a team poised for the Super Bowl, they were it. But they were upended by a Morten Andersen field goal, after Minnesota kicker Gary Anderson suffered his only miss of the season.

Thomas played through 2001, and by then elements of ALS were in place. "He has a young, strong mind trapped in a cage," said Comeaux High assistantcoach Ronald ³Big Cheese² Gunner, a UL teammate and longtime friend from Franklin. "When he found out he had ALS, he said he just wanted to see his son reach 5, and he’s already past that.

"He’s a great person. We started our friendship at UL.  We studied for the ACT together at Declouet Hall. He was my roommate for the All-Star Game, and I remember he stayed up later than me. He’s so outgoing. We stayed together (at UL) the first couple of weeks, then roomed with our own position.
"Even in the bad years, Orlando was a bright spot. He talked a whole lot of noise, but he always backed it up."

The Cajuns went 2-8-1 and 2-9 in Thomas’s first two years, but posted an 8-3 record and won the Big West Conference behind his nation-leading nine interceptions in 1993. They then won the BWC again in 1994.

Thomas’s jersey No. 42 has been retired by the school, and coincidentally he was picked with the overall 42nd choice in the NFL Draft by the Vikings in the second round. "He is the same person as he was then," Gunner said, "since he became a millionaire and when he coached at Comeaux. He’s still an honorary coach here. I’m glad he’s my friend."

Thomas, too, cherishes that friendship, as well as the chance to coach with Gunner before illness took that away. "It was a dream come true," Thomas said. "I always wanted to coach and when I coached with Cheese I had the time of my life."

Lewis Cook has been by Thoomas’ side for much of his career, coaching him at Crowley High, serving on the UL staff for three of Thomas’s years there and even helping him settle on Mark Bartelstein as his agent. "I got to know him when he was in the eighth grade, and he seems like a son to me," Cook said. "It’s hard to see him going through that (ALS). The drive and the pride that he had is what made him succeed. He always wanted to prove himself to everybody else. "Whatever you told him he needed to do to help himself, he would do it. And, if he did something wrong and you told him about it, he wouldn’t do it again. He was such a competitive person, with a lot of pride. He always wanted to be a champion. That’s why he’s still alive today. He¹s not letting go."

Thomas would not claim to be perfect, Incidents in his past include disturbing the peace in Crowley in 1997 and assaulting Demetra in 1999. But he has grown into a role model for his family. "Overcomer, that’s what Orlando’s legacy will be," Demetra said. "He is a great example of what it means to live life. He represents life and life’s energy. A lot of people don’t understand life. He somehow understood that
every day is an opportunity to live life, to overcome obstacles. He once told me, "Some people climb mountains. I was created to move mountains."

I’ve always seen him overcome whatever situation he’s had. "He is still able to light up the room. It’s just who he is. He’s taught me how to live life. All the things that consumed my time and energy really
weren’t that important. You don’t have to do things by the book, how you’re taught."

Thomas was asked what his legacy will be. "I would like to think I played every play like it was my last play, and that my teammates enjoyed playing with me," Thomas said. "As a husband and father, I want my legacy to be that of being a fighter, of my faith and the importance of having a relationship with God."