As a native of the suburbs of Buffalo, N.Y., Thomas was the only player from the Empire State. So he wasn’t just making the adjustment to the additional burdens of college life, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound senior from Orchard Park took on the challenge of a completely different lifestyle.
Four-plus years later, Thomas considers the decision to move worth it.
“It was definitely an adjustment at first. Everyone here was different to me, which was kind of hard to accept at first,” says Thomas. “But really, I was the one who was different, so I had to learn to fit in.
“It’s a faster way of life back home, everything moves quicker. Down here it’s slower, people are more relaxed and not uptight. I’ve learned to like that people aren’t pressing all the time.
“When I go home I enjoy seeing my family and friends, but there are definitely things that I don’t miss.”
Hilltopper head coach David Elson has seen the transformation, the ability to adapt, in Thomas, although he says that it was a difficult challenge at first.
“I think the adjustment from the East Coast lifestyle to good-ol’ Kentucky was one of the things he struggled with early on. East Coast people typically are a little more outspoken and have a little more personality, and that was probably Ryan in those first couple of years.”
Thomas’ situation on the field didn‘t allow for a lot of time to make the adjustment, either. He had played in just one of Western’s two shutouts to open the 2000 campaign, but starting center Joe Guinane — a junior-college transfer expected to handle the duties all season — was injured at Southeast Missouri Sept. 23, leaving the true freshman to handle the duties the rest of the way.
“One of the big reasons I came to Western was that (former) coach (Jack) Harbaugh said I would have an opportunity to start if I made an impact in camp,” says Thomas. “The biggest challenge was learning the offense fast enough — going from high school to college and having only three to four weeks of camp to accomplish that was real difficult.
“When Joe went down, it was time to go. I felt like I learned everything, so I wasn’t even scared. It was just another game to me, even though my heart was racing and I was excited.”
A chance to play as a true freshman wasn’t the only thing that attracted Thomas to the Hill. Harbaugh’s name caught his attention when former defensive coordinator — and New York native — Andy Hendel visited Orchard Park High School.
That, as well as the fact that he would get a chance to compete in track as well. Not only was Thomas a first-team all-state selection in football, he was twice chosen a NIKE All-American in track, a sport he had earned five letters in. In fact, he was ranked fifth in the nation in both the hammer and weight throws his senior year.
“I had never even heard of Western Kentucky until coach Hendel visited and asked me to come to campus. I had offers from Connecticut and Pittsburgh in football, but they weren’t going to let me compete in track,” Thomas recalls. “He told me that coach Harbaugh loves guys who do both sports.
“I said, ‘Coach Harbaugh? Jim’s dad?’ He said that was the case, so I decided to take a visit to Western.
“It was the last visit that I took. When I came down I was kind of set on either Pitt or New Hampshire, but I really liked the people here. I figured that I liked Bowling Green, so I would come here, compete in football and track, and get a good education.”
Guinane’s injury left Thomas entrenched as a starter — that is, until he suffered an injury himself. As a sophomore, he started the first six games and saw action in nine contests until appendicitis sidelined him for the rest of the 2001 campaign. A year later, with the depth on Western’s front line, he actually sat out as a redshirt as the Hilltoppers went on to win the national championship.
He was still an integral part of the scout team that fall, and would go on in the winter to earn all-Sun Belt Conference honors in the weight throw at the indoor championships.
“It was pretty difficult, sitting there watching everyone contribute to a national championship when you were the one who was used to playing,” says Thomas, who would also go on to qualify for the NCAA Mideast Regional in the hammer throw during the 2003 outdoor season. “But I knew my role was to prepare the defense week in and week out, so I accepted it and actually found that I enjoyed it. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays the defense knew I was coming to play — that was my game, my time to go all out.”
One advantage to sitting out the year for Thomas was that it gave him the ability to learn multiple positions, serving mostly as a tackle on the scout team that fall. Even though he started all 13 games at center in 2003, when Erik Losey transferred to the Hill following the season it was Thomas who made a move — to right guard. And, Thomas has taken a snap at tackle in a game this season serving as a temporary fill-in for an injured teammate.
“When I was redshirting, coach Harbaugh told me that it would be a good opportunity to learn other team’s schemes and to learn the other line positions, so I took advantage of that,” he says. “It still probably took two or three games this year to get used to playing guard in a game.”
Offensive line coach Walter Wells has Thomas prepared to play anywhere on the line for several reasons. “Ryan is so smart and he studies the game, he is always coming in and watching video. He is not afraid to ask questions, either. It hasn’t been a problem knowing his assignments, he has just had to get used to the different techniques at each of the positions.”
“He was already a talented lineman when he came here,” adds Elson. “Anytime you can play effectively as a freshman, like he did as a true freshman, it tells you that he came with a lot of ability. The biggest thing I’ve seen regarding Ryan is his maturity level — he has really grown in that area since his first year when he was young and full of energy. He was always a team player who has done what we have asked him to do.”
Thomas’ growth has led to his role as one of the leaders on the Hilltoppers’ 2004 squad. It’s a role that he had no problem accepting, although he is more comfortable leading by example than he is as a cheerleader.
“He is a voice of reason with our younger guys,” Elson says. “He probably does more behind the scenes sharing his experiences and what he has been through.”
Adds Wells: “Ryan leads with his toughness. Every day is a tough day for him physically, but he doesn’t gripe or moan about it. He just comes out and goes to work — Ryan does more than he probably should at times.
“He is also so good encouraging the guys. When I have to get into somebody a little bit, he’s there to pick them up.”
One thing that Thomas’ origins have done for Western football off the field, though, is add a new element to the locker room.
“He likes to talk and he has a good sense of humor,” says Elson. “Ryan has a variety of different interests — he is the team’s meteorologist — who is a well-rounded kid. He can relate to a lot of different guys on our team.”
“Ryan hasn’t met a stranger, I will say that,” Wells says. “When it’s time to poke fun and have fun, he is one of the first guys to dish it out. But, he hasn’t been teased too much about being from New York.”
Thomas has adjusted so well to the slower-paced way of life that he has an interest in remaining in this part of the country following his graduation in May. Life in Bowling Green has been so good that he’s torn between finding a job in the Southeast or returning to New York to be close to his family. The only thing that he is sure of is that he would like to work in a field that involves competition.
“Once I got injured, it was a wake-up call. All of your time revolves around school and football,” he says. “I thought, ‘What am I going to do when I‘m finished with football?’ I’m a competitive person, I need to do something along the line of sales management.”
That time will have to wait for Thomas, though, as the Hilltoppers enter tonight’s game against Illinois State in second place in the Gateway Football Conference standings with a chance to advance to the NCAA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.
Whether it’s on the field or in the community, Thomas has proven that he has the ability to adapt to any situation.
