Central State University's Thomas living up to the family name

ZACH THOMAS
Courtesy: CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
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WILBERFORCE, Ohio — The uninitiated might think that when Zach Thomas showed up at the annual Thomas Family Reunion this past July 4th weekend at a Gahanna park just outside Columbus, he had headline status because of his sports resume.

After all, the Central State senior tight end will become a four-year starter when he takes the field in the Marauders’ season opener Sept. 5 at Alderson Broaddus. After each of his three previous seasons he has received some kind of all-conference honors and this year he’s been named the preseason All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) first team tight end.

But anyone who's ever sat beneath the Thomas family tree knows the shade it can throw when it comes to sporting accomplishment.

"Everybody in the family has a story to tell and they're all great ones," Vaughn Thomas, Zach's dad and a former Wisconsin Badgers defensive back, said with a laugh Wednesday afternoon as he spoke by phone from Honolulu, Hawaii where he works for the federal government.

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