On February 19, 1981, the St. Louis Cardinals hired Emmitt Thomas as the team’s wide receivers coach.

The NFL Hall of Famer played cornerback for 13 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (1966-78). He finished his career with a franchise-record 58 interceptions.

At the time, Thomas was the youngest member of the Big Red coaching staff and just the second black coach in the team’s history.

“We’ve been trying to encourage the situation (hiring black coaches) for years,” team owner Bill Bidwill told the St. Louis Post Dispatch. “We’ve made some offers to people over the years. If we can find qualified people to coach, people who are good teachers, we’re going to hire them.”

“If the individual is a damn good coach,” said Jim Hanifan, who recommended Thomas to Bidwill, “I don’t care if he’s orange or green, or black or white, I want him.”

“I think the profession I’m in doesn’t have any color lines,” Thomas said. “Athletics is a great linkage between the races, and it cuts out all prejudices. Most athletes don’t even consider what color the next guy is; they don’t care about that. All they care about is how he does on the field. Maybe people on the outside look at us as black and white (players and coaches), but we don’t look at each other that way.”

Thomas retired as a player after the 1978 season and reached out to his former coach and mentor, Tom Bettis, who was the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator.

Bettis was the Chiefs’ secondary coach in 1966 when the rookie free agent out of small Bishop College in Dallas was trying out as a wide receiver. The Chiefs were already stocked at that position, so head coach Hank Stram gave Bettis permission to take Thomas under his wing and convert him to a defensive back.

“We had some need at corner, and with Emmitt’s height and size and speed, I thought it might be a good idea to get him on defense,” Bettis said.

He made the team as a backup corner and played in Super Bowl I against Green Bay. By the following season, he was the starter, a position he would not relinquish until he retired.

“He (Bettis) steered my career and molded it,” Thomas told the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Bettis gave Thomas some good advice in 1978.

“I told him I wanted to coach,” recalled Thomas. “He told me he thought I had what it takes and said to get a job with a small college or high school.”

Thomas heeded his former coach’s advice and took a job for a couple of years as a secondary coach at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg.

In 1981, the Cardinals wanted to add a ninth assistant to the coaching staff. Bettis mentioned Thomas to Jim Hanifan, and the Cardinals brought him in for a visit.

“I got to know him,” said Hanifan, “and he impressed me as a sharp, dedicated guy, and I knew he was a hard worker. Everything just kind of fell in place.”

“I believe Thomas is a tremendous asset to our overall program, and in particular, our receivers,” Hanifan said. “The same dedication and desire for excellence he showed as a player are the same qualities he brings to us as a coach.”

Thomas said that he had never coached receivers, but thought his experience of having taunted them for years would help him.

“I think I’ll be able to tell receivers what the defensive back is anticipating and what they can expect him to do,” he said.

“I know I won’t be as polished as a receivers coach, but I expect to learn a lot from Harry Gilmer, and I think he’s been coaching for 30 years in the NFL. He’ll be my teacher for a year, and I hope to blend in and gain the respect of the whole staff.”

The hiring of Thomas paid immediate dividends for the Cardinals. The rookie coach personally tutored Roy Green in his transition from defensive back to one of the top receiving threats in the NFL. Green averaged 21.5 yards per catch and scored four touchdowns in 1981, playing both offense and defense. He would earn All-Pro honors in 1983 and 1984.

Thomas was asked what it would be like to cover Green.

“I think it would be pretty much hell,” he said. “It’s trouble. “It’s tough duty.”

“Roy can beat you with his quickness, his speed and knowledge. He’s so fast, he makes great cuts and he’s so intelligent. He draws on his knowledge as a defensive back to beat you.”

Thomas also worked with others such as Mel Gray, Pat Tilley and Doug Marsh. He helped O.J. Anderson set career highs in receptions in 1981, 1983, and 1984.

Gray recently told me how much he admired Thomas. The veteran joked about one of their first conversations in St. Louis.

“He told me, ‘Mel, you used to run by me back in the day. I don’t have anything to tell you. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”

Marsh credited Thomas with his development as an NFL player.

“He keeps me moving in the right direction,” he told the St. Louis Post Dispatch in 1983. “When things aren’t going my way, he always finds another approach to make the situation seem a whole lot better.”

Former Cardinals defensive back Jeff Griffin recently called Thomas “the coolest coach ever.”

Thomas coached for the Cardinals for five seasons. He was let go, along with the rest of the assistants, after Hanifan was fired in 1985.

He was immediately hired by the Washington Redskins, where he was part of two Super Bowl-winning teams.

“We just felt we couldn’t let a person and coach of the high calibre of Emmitt pass us by,” Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs said. “I’ve had great respect for him since his days at Kansas City, and we’ve certainly seen first-hand the success he’s had the last few years at St. Louis.”

Thomas later coached at Philadelphia, Green Bay, Minnesota, and Atlanta. He served as interim head coach for three games in Atlanta. He finished his coaching career with the Chiefs. He retired in 2019.

“I’ve been blessed and honored for the last 51 years,” Thomas said. My journey started in Kansas City, and by the grace of God, I am able to end my NFL career here as well.”

“It was an honor to have Emmitt on our coaching staff,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “Having a Pro Football Hall of Famer lead that room and share his experiences as a player and a coach has been incredible for our guys. Beyond football, he’s a tremendous person, and I’ve enjoyed working with him and getting to know him. I wish him the best in retirement.”

Thomas also expressed gratitude to the Bidwill family and Jim Hanifan for giving him his first NFL coaching opportunity in St. Louis. Though not explicitly acknowledged, it’s possible that opportunity would not have come without the quiet support of his friend and mentor, Tom Bettis.

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EMMITT THOMAS FILE

• Born: June 3, 1943 in Angleton, Texas
• Playing Career: Played quarterback and wide receiver at Bishop College from 1963-1965. Signed as a rookie free agent in 1966 by the Kansas City Chiefs and converted to defensive back. He retired after the 1978 season as the Chiefs’ all-time leader in interceptions.
• Coaching Career: Defensive backs coach at Central Missouri State in 1979-1980. Receivers coach with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1981-1985. Receivers coach with the Washington Redskins in 1986 and secondary coach from 1987-1994. Defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1995-1998. Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator 1999. Defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings from 2000-2001. Assistant head coach and secondary coach with the Atlanta Falcons 2002-2009. Interim head coach with Atlanta in 2007. Defensive backs coach with the Kansas City Chiefs 2010-2018.