The secret of his success

  DANIEL WONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Senior linebacker
Robert Thomas prepares for the games by studying a
video of the opponents’ offenses ““ a practice instilled in
Thomas by his older brother, Stan Thomas.

By Adam Karon
Daily Bruin Staff

Last weekend Stan Thomas, a former professional football player,
spent over $400 on Bruin garb at the UCLA store. He had never
bought football apparel in his life, but this was his way of
showing how proud he is of his baby brother Robert.

Stan has good reason to wear a little blue and gold these days,
because he played a huge role in making Robert one of the best
linebackers in college football.

It is hard to think of Robert Thomas as a baby in any sense of
the word, but he is the youngest of five children and the smallest
of four brothers. Two brothers in particular, Todd and Stan, are
partially responsible for molding Robert from a bustling bundle of
talent into this year’s favorite to win the Butkus Award,
given annually to the best linebacker in college football.

Todd and Stan are very different, and each contributes in his
own way to Robert’s success. Stan handles football issues,
while Todd takes care of the more cerebral aspects of life.

It is almost as if Robert has a personal coach and advisor with
him at all times.

“All my brothers have always been there for me,”
says Robert, who is twelve years younger than Todd and ten years
younger than Stan.

Todd was the first to get his hands on the talented Robert,
coaching him from the time he was seven in Pop Warner football. In
seven straight years their team did not lose a game.

“When he was nine or ten years old, playing Pop Warner, he
told us he was going to the NFL,” Todd said.

That’s where Stan steps in.

“It’s one thing to win an award, to be an
all-American,” said Stan, a former standout tackle for the
Chicago Bears and Houston Oilers. “It’s another to know
what the NFL wants.”

Stan knows exactly what NFL scouts look for. As an offensive
tackle at the University of Texas, he was a first-round draft
choice of the Bears. But he has even bigger plans for Robert.

“From what I’ve seen, he is at this point the best
linebacker in college football and the best linebacker for the
draft if it was held today,” Stan said.

Stan’s main contribution comes off the field when he and
Robert meet to watch film on Monday evenings. The two sit together
for hours, analyzing single plays 20 to 30 times.

“We’re critical of everything he does,” Stan
said. “If he’s doing something wrong, I let him know
from the NFL point of view. One thing about Robert is that he can
take criticism.”

It also helps that Stan was an offensive player because he is
able to give Robert the perspective from the other side of the
ball. With Stan’s guidance, Robert has learned to read the
stance and angle of opposing linemen, diagnosing plays before they
unfold.

Harnessing the ability to focus on such minute details does not
come without its consequences. When Robert makes a mistake, Stan
tells him he might as well get his college degree because he will
never have a career on the field.

“Sometimes when we’re going over films I’ll
want to pick up a chair and hit him with it,” Robert said of
his brother’s ability to criticize any fault visible on
tape.

“I’m going to tell it like it is,” Stan said.
“Once we walk out of the film room it’s
over.”

Robert’s relationship with Todd is on the other side of
the support spectrum. While Stan is quick to criticize, Todd is the
one who keeps Robert upbeat.

Even during the down years for the UCLA defense, Todd stood by
Robert’s side.

“He’s been down,” Todd said of the last three
years. “It got to the point when he questioned his ability. I
told him he was playing great, told him to get his confidence back.
It’s been tough watching him lose and get critiqued so much.
He was taking the whole weight of the team.”

The tough days have turned around for Robert and the
Bruins’ defense. They are now the toast of the town, giving
up an average of 12 points a game, down from over 30 a year ago.
Thomas is just six tackles away from breaking the UCLA record of 22
tackles for a loss. This year he leads the team in tackles, solo
tackles, tackles for a loss and sacks.

Perhaps even more impressive, he will graduate early this winter
with a degree in history, becoming one of the few football players
in school history to graduate in less than four years.

Between the two of them, Todd and Stan have helped create one of
the best defensive football players in Bruin history. But they both
know who the real hero is.

“In reality he’s my baby brother,” Todd said.
“But the fact is, I’m the one who is lucky to be his
brother.”