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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Thurman Thomas stood at his father-in-law's hospital bedside, whispering the best words of encouragement he could muster.
"I said, 'Hey, you can't quit on me now because we have one more thing to do,"' the former Buffalo Bills star running back said this week. "'We have to go to the Hall of Fame."'
Perhaps Bob Mariacher was listening.
He woke from a coma Tuesday at a Buffalo hospital after a weeklong bout with encephalitis, a potentially life-threatening brain inflammation. And Mariacher has a good chance of being well enough for a transfer out of intensive care by the end of this week.
That's important to Thomas, a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame who couldn't imagine being inducted without his father-in-law around.
"I've grown to love him very, very much," Thomas said. "And it would be special if he can be there."
Mariacher won't be healthy enough to travel to Miami on Feb. 3, when the 2007 Hall of Fame class will be announced a day before the Super Bowl. But if all goes well in his recovery, and Thomas -- a finalist for the second consecutive year -- is selected, there's a good chance Mariacher would attend the induction ceremonies in Canton, Ohio, in August.
"This has really taken the Hall of Fame off my mind," said Thomas, who left his wife, Patti, behind in Buffalo while he returned home to Orlando, Fla., because his three daughters needed to go back to school. "I've spent more time praying for my father-in-law to get well."
Thomas' chances of being inducted this year are strong
"I said, 'Hey, you can't quit on me now because we have one more thing to do,"' the former Buffalo Bills star running back said this week. "'We have to go to the Hall of Fame."'
Perhaps Bob Mariacher was listening.
| “ | This has really taken the Hall of Fame off my mind. I've spent more time praying for my father-in-law to get well. ” | |
| — Thurman Thomas |
He woke from a coma Tuesday at a Buffalo hospital after a weeklong bout with encephalitis, a potentially life-threatening brain inflammation. And Mariacher has a good chance of being well enough for a transfer out of intensive care by the end of this week.
That's important to Thomas, a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame who couldn't imagine being inducted without his father-in-law around.
"I've grown to love him very, very much," Thomas said. "And it would be special if he can be there."
Mariacher won't be healthy enough to travel to Miami on Feb. 3, when the 2007 Hall of Fame class will be announced a day before the Super Bowl. But if all goes well in his recovery, and Thomas -- a finalist for the second consecutive year -- is selected, there's a good chance Mariacher would attend the induction ceremonies in Canton, Ohio, in August.
"This has really taken the Hall of Fame off my mind," said Thomas, who left his wife, Patti, behind in Buffalo while he returned home to Orlando, Fla., because his three daughters needed to go back to school. "I've spent more time praying for my father-in-law to get well."
Thomas' chances of being inducted this year are strong
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