As men and women who knew Demaryius Thomas best gathered at Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion Monday afternoon for a celebration of his life and legacy, they carried with them heavy hearts but also the memories of an inimitable figure.
“More special than you could imagine,” former Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said of Thomas, the Tech All-American and NFL great who died Dec. 9 at the age of 33.
The memorial was held by the Denver Broncos and Thomas’ family, following a funeral service Saturday at West Laurens High in middle Georgia, Thomas’ alma mater. A party of about 40 flew from Denver Monday, including Hall of Famer John Elway, team president Joe Ellis and Broncos legend Rod Smith.
“You get close to some guys, some guys you don’t get close to,” Gailey said. Though they were together for only two seasons, Gailey and Thomas drew close. “He was a unique guy. When we met each other on the field in the NFL in years after that, he hugged me like we were long-lost friends. It was amazing.”
Numerous Yellow Jackets teammates, coaches and staff paid their respects, including coach Geoff Collins, former coach Paul Johnson, athletic director Todd Stansbury, former assistant coaches Buzz Preston and Mike Sewak, former teammates Tashard Choice, Morgan Burnett, Derrick Morgan, Kevin Cone, Jonathan Dwyer, Roddy Jones and Sean Bedford and former Tech chaplain Derrick Moore. Former Yellow Jackets basketball star Iman Shumpert, a contemporary of Thomas’ at Tech, also attended.
Johnson was one of several who attended both the service in Laurens County on Saturday and also Monday’s.
“I learned a few more relationships that he had, but I think he was kind of the same to everybody,” Johnson said. “He was just the kind of guy that everybody wanted to be around. He would light up the place.”
Burnett was one of four people who shared their reflections in the service, along with Paul Williams, a basketball coach of Thomas’ at West Laurens, and two Broncos teammates – Georgia great Champ Bailey and Eric Decker.
The ceremony also included a video celebrating Thomas’ life, a video of personal remembrances, a video about Thomas’ impact on the Boys & Girls Club (to which Thomas gave his time while in Denver), as well as a closing song (Bob Marley’s “One Love”) and a closing prayer from pastor Carlos Jones, who was a coach of Thomas’ at West Laurens.
After his All-American career at Tech, Thomas played for the Broncos for the first nine of his 10 seasons in the NFL, earning five Pro Bowl trips and finishing his Denver career as the second-leading receiver in team history in receiving yards and touchdown catches. He helped the Broncos make two Super Bowl trips, winning Super Bowl 50 in February 2016.
But he became one of the most beloved figures in team history for his work in the community, including with the Boys and Girls Club and in visits to area hospitals.
“It’s hard to find one thing to say about Demaryius and what he meant to you,” Moore said. “He was just full of joy. A smile that you had to be there to see it, to know it and to understand it. One of the most genuine people I’ve ever met who just happened to be an extraordinary athlete. But who he was was so far greater than what he did. And that’s hard to do. But he achieved it. He absolutely achieved it. I miss him dearly.”
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