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University of Minnesota Athletics
Blog: A Visit To Thomas Town
10/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
It all started at a garage sale a couple years ago. At about the same time as Jay Thomas was getting his Gopher Football career started, one of his step-father's brothers found a bunch of old Gopher practice jerseys at a garage sale.
Rory Sanders, Jay's step-dad, remembers he and his brothers having a conversation about what to do with the jerseys. They wanted to do something different for their pre-game tailgate and do something to honor Jay at the same time.
"Jay really loves kids, so we thought we could give these jerseys away to kids as a way to create a fun atmosphere for them before the game," Rory Sanders said. "We wanted to do sometihng where we could get a lot of kids interested in coming to the games."
That was the beginning of Thomas Town, which has grown into a tradition for numerous kids and their families every Saturday when the Gophers play at home. Thomas Town is located in the main parking lot to the east of the Metrodome at parking spot 447. Thomas Town is usually up and running three to four hours prior to kickoff.
Children ages 1 day to 15 years old are encouraged to stop by the Thomas Town tent and pick up a free drawing ticket to win a Gopher practice jersey. This week, the jerseys have been autographed. The jerseys up for grabs this week are Eric Decker, Adam Weber, Tony Mortensen, Jay Thomas, Justin Kucek, Deon Hightower and Steve Davis. This week's drawing will take place at 9:30 a.m.
"The best part about this is that is all free," said Rory's brother, Jason. "At 9 o'clock, people are going to the Victory Walk. From there, people are saying 'We gotta get over to Thomas Town by 9:30 to see if we won a jersey.' It continues to grow every week. We've gotten great feedback and we have some families that stop by every week."
Jason Sanders estimates Thomas Town is registering 75-100 kids for the jersey drawing at every home game.
In addition to the practice jersey giveaways, Thomas Town has games for the children that help them learn Gopher players' names. They have a number of games, including a spinning wheel with player jersey numbers on them. If children can name the player whose number pops up on the spinning wheel, they receive a handful of free candy.
While Thomas Town has a fixture in the parking lot east of the Metrodome for the past two seasons, there are plans to continue the tradition when the Gophers move into TCF Bank Stadium on campus next season. Rory and Jason Sanders aren't sure exactly where Thomas Town will be next year, but they do plan to keep the tradition alive.
Below is the Mission Statement of Thomas Town:
"Our Mission is to provide a fun and safe environment for our youngest Gopher Fans. We hope they develop a deep and lasting passion for Minnesota Golden Gopher Athletics.
"This is our way of showing our appreciation for the wonderful opportunity and education that Jay has been given.
"We are committed to supporting Gopher Athletics through our efforts. We hope that some of these young fans will ultimately be given the same opportunity that Jay has been given, and that they decide to 'stay home' and become Golden Gophers.
"The family of Jay Thomas enjoys every smile, every cheer, every happy memory that we help create. Thanks for joining us at Thomas Town!"
-AS
