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The Southwest Florida monitor and subject group suffered an enormous loss Tuesday as Dunbar coach Man Thomas died from problems with COVID-19.
The 51-year-old had been hospitalized for greater than a month as a result of coronavirus and handed somewhat after 10 a.m. He leaves behind his spouse India and 4 kids. Dunbar Excessive principal Carl Burnside mentioned no plans have been made but for companies or a memorial.
Thomas, an Distinctive Scholar Schooling trainer at Dunbar, is a fixture within the Southwest Florida operating group by his work with the Tigers monitor and subject and cross nation groups in addition to his AAU Olympia Observe Membership.
Thomas was named the 2021 The Information-Press/Naples Day by day Information’ Jeff Sommer Memorial Coach of the 12 months Award winner, named after Thomas’ pal and the late corridor of fame Estero monitor and subject/cross nation coach, two weeks in the past.
Sommer tried to rent Thomas at Estero in 2010, however Thomas noticed a possibility to “turn Dunbar into a track mecca.”
“When he first got here to me and needed to teach monitor, he had a imaginative and prescient of wanting Dunbar to turn into a monitor powerhouse and he felt prefer it was there and he checked out it as one thing that greater than being a powerhouse, he might assist youngsters happening to subsequent degree and use highschool monitor to go to varsity,” Burnside mentioned Tuesday.
Burnside mentioned Thomas had a “laser concentrate on bettering youngsters, not simply youngsters with apparent expertise, however he might encourage youngsters to push themselves.” As a coach he was additionally versatile, not specializing in sprints, or jumps or center distance, however he coached all occasions which allowed him to work straight with all athletes.
“In an period of specialists, his focus was on the child and determining which path would assist that child have the best degree of success,” Burnside mentioned. “Generally he’d have sprinters are available pondering they have been sprinters and he’d make them center distance. So many coaches coach the game, he coached the child.”
John Rinkenbaugh, the proprietor of Run Florida on McGregor, known as Sommer and Thomas “twin stars” locally.
“(Thomas is) the type of individual you need teaching your youngsters as a result of he is a job mannequin,” Rinkenbaugh mentioned. “He is easy, he is pleased with the group and needs to lift it up.”
Along with the Tigers profitable a number of Lee County Athletic Convention, district and regional championships, Thomas has coached quite a few state champions like hurdlers Lucheyona Weaver and Leonard Mustari and sprinter Seneca Milledge, amongst others.
In 2016:Thomas paving the way for Dunbar cross country to thrive
This season, Thomas’ boys squad completed third within the state with two gold medals and two silver medals, three courtesy of Mustari. Dunbar’s ladies completed sixth in Class 3A with Weaver profitable two particular person titles and the 4X100 relay group profitable silver.
It was notably particular when Dunbar swept the regional meet for each girls and boys at Charlotte Excessive this 12 months, in line with the Tigers cross nation coach Ray Romero.
“It was fairly superb,” he mentioned. “It was an all-around effort.”
Thomas additionally helped construct the cross nation program in a group that had as few as three runners into one which certified for state three straight years.
Within the fall, the cross nation group will put on patches on their uniforms to commemorate Thomas, Romero mentioned.
“You take a look at what he is carried out with this system there, how he is constructed this system over the past 10 years, it is superb,” Rinkenbaugh mentioned. “I feel it is a energy for the group.”
Because the group realized of Thomas’ hospitalization, a number of monitor coaches have been into Rinkenbaugh’s retailer with Thomas on their thoughts. He has by no means heard a cross phrase from one other coach about Thomas.
Romero has recognized Thomas for a few decade earlier than they began teaching collectively the previous two years.
Romero known as him a “good pal,” including that they might speak on a close to every day foundation in regards to the newest in operating. Romero has missed these conversations since Thomas was hospitalized.
He described Tuesday’s losses of each Thomas and longtime Collier County cross nation coach Mark McGarity, who died of cancer, as “two pillars of our group passing in someday.”
“I used to be floored, actually floored to my knees,” he mentioned.
Romero mentioned he’ll miss Thomas’ “infectious” character and the loss will notably be felt by the athletes he coached.
“We misplaced somebody that helped kids, and that is all the time one thing that is arduous to come back again from,” he mentioned.
Yancey Palmer, the cross nation coach at Fort Myers, mentioned the teaching group appreciated how arduous Thomas labored — and never simply on the issues that straight led to his athletes’ success.
“He created satisfaction of their program,” Palmer mentioned. “As a coach, I actually respect that.”
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Cory Mull, the affiliate supervisor at MileSplit USA who coated highschool sports activities for The Information-Press in 2015-16 and constructed shut a friendship with Thomas, was amazed by what the Dunbar coach completed.
“Man Thomas was a particular coach in that he noticed past the town limits of Fort Myers and infrequently inspired his monitor and subject athletes to pursue excellence wherever they desired. Lately, they have been doing simply that.
“Dunbar’s monitor and hurdle program was slowly changing into a power inside and outdoors Florida.”
Burnside mentioned Thomas will likely be missed as a mentor, even by his personal son, Carl Burnside Jr.
“He served as a mentor and served as a listener to youngsters,” Burnside mentioned. “My son ran for him for 4 years and I can recall when my son known as me on Father’s Day this 12 months, the very first thing he mentioned was, ‘How is coach Thomas doing?’ Each dialog, that was the very first thing on his thoughts. That is the influence he had on these youngsters.”
As probably the most highly-respected highschool and AAU monitor coaches within the nation, Thomas served as an intern for Adidas’ coaching program final summer season the place he labored with a number of the prime monitor athletes on the earth together with world-class sprinter Noah Lyles, who will compete on the Tokyo Olympics within the 200 meters. He was so near Lyles that the Olympian introduced his girlfriend and fogeys to the Dunbar Observe Meet this spring to observe and meet native athletes.
“You concentrate on an athlete of that nature, it normally takes a sponsor to have them come to an occasion, however he felt so near Man he got here for him simply to satisfy his youngsters,” Burnside mentioned.
Thomas additionally made his mark by dedicating himself to his college students outdoors the standard observe hours, which Burnside famous in his Sommer Award nomination letter.
“Due to the socio-economic scenario of a lot of our athletes, Coach Thomas has needed to decide up athletes from deep in Lehigh Acres in addition to Fort Myers and transport them to the Edison Bridge in addition to Fort Myers Seashore for operating exercises. As a way to guarantee that all of them might work out, he would schedule two exercises in the identical day in order that he would have room to have everybody get an excellent exercise in,” Burnside wrote.
Thomas’ coronary heart and thirst for data made him stand out, Romero mentioned.
“He simply cared for these youngsters like only a few coaches do,” he mentioned.
It has been a troublesome 12 months for the Dunbar Excessive College group as Thomas is the third member of its college to move abruptly for the reason that starting of the 2020-21 together with Kim Ward and soccer coach Mario Henderson.
“It’ll be a problem, however I feel the losses are evident by how shut we’re, however it may take that closeness to maneuver ahead,” Burnside mentioned.
Man Thomas commonly a Coach of the 12 months
Man Thomas was a six-time The Information-Press Coach of the 12 months, 5 instances for monitor and as soon as for cross nation. Here’s what The Information-Press wrote about him every time he received the award.
►Observe Coach of the 12 months
2021: Thomas’ squad captured the Class 3A-District 11 championship, producing seven particular person titles. On the 3A-Area 3 meet, Dunbar received the boys group title with 5 particular person champions, qualifying 13 boys for states. On the state meet, Thomas coached the Dunbar boys to 3rd place total with two gold medals and two silver medals, three courtesy of Leonard Mustari.
2019: Thomas’ Tigers cruised by LCACs and Class 2A-District 12 with profitable group totals of 170 and 224 factors. Dunbar received a 2A regional with 98 factors earlier than posting 49 factors to complete third at state. Alongside the best way, Thomas coached Seneca Milledge to a state title within the 100 meters and the 4×100 relay group set a state report. Caleb Snowden additionally received the 2A excessive soar title on Thomas’ watch.
2018: Thomas guided Dunbar to Lee County Athletic Convention, District 2A-12 and Area 2A-3 titles whereas qualifying 22 of his athletes for the state meet the place the Tigers completed sixth as a group.
2017: Thomas continues to place a top-tier program out on the monitor. After narrowly falling to Fort Myers on the Lee County Athletic Convention championships, the Dunbar boys scored 204 factors to win the District 2A-12 title and 117 factors to win a 2A regional title. The Tigers took eleventh at state.
2014: The Tigers received a district championship and positioned second within the Area 2A-3 meet. 9 Dunbar rivals superior to 6 totally different occasions within the Class 2A state meet. The Dunbar boys group completed twenty sixth within the Class 2A state meet, the next end than every other boys group from Lee County.
► Cross Nation Coach of the 12 months
2016: Thomas’ work with the Tigers epitomized enchancment. He coached the Tigers to their first Class 2A championship look in class historical past after a runner-up end in Area 2A-3. It got here after a fourth-place end at District 2A-12 and a string of different performances: fourth at LCAC, fourth at Lely, fifth on the Mariner Invite, tenth on the DDD Invite and sixteenth on the Hoptar Invitational.
Jeff Sommer Memorial Coach of the 12 months Award
Thomas was named a finalist for the Jeff Sommer Memorial Coach of the 12 months for the third time in 2021 and at last received the award, which was introduced June 28. The award was created to honor the legacy of Sommer, the long-respected Estero Excessive College cross nation coach, monitor coach and athletic director, after his sudden passing in Might 2015. The award acknowledges different coaches who present the same ardour for his or her athletes, sport, college and group.
Here’s what The Information-Press needed to say about Thomas in his earlier two finalist nominations:
2017: Thomas’ boys cross nation group completed second in its Class 2A regional meet to qualify for the FHSAA state championship meet for the primary time in class historical past. Throughout the monitor season, the Tigers girls and boys groups received district titles, the boys received their regional title and the ladies completed second as 21 Dunbar athletes certified for the state meet. Numerous that success on the monitor and subject was constructed by Thomas’ outreach locally. He volunteered for the Olympic Observe Membership, an area youth program. He’s been a mentor and father determine for a lot of of his athletes and has taken his time and funds to boost Dunbar’s sports activities applications.
2019: Thomas can be up for this award for the second time and for good cause. Dunbar principal Carl Burnside remembers introducing Thomas to Coach Sommer and Thomas selecting his mind any probability he acquired. Thomas requested to turn into the Tigers cross nation coach with a purpose to turn into a extra well-rounded monitor coach and has led the cross nation group to state the final three years. In monitor, his boys group received the LCAC championship by scoring 170 factors and the district championship by scoring 220 factors. His ladies received the convention with 9 particular person champions and certified 16 ladies for regionals in profitable a district championship. Numerous that success on the monitor and subject was constructed by Thomas’ outreach locally. He volunteered for the Olympic Observe Membership, an area youth program. He’s been a mentor and father determine for a lot of of his athletes and has taken his time and funds to boost Dunbar’s sports activities applications.
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