Suburban Supreme Court justice makes sports hall of fame

Posted by Mike Riopell on Wed, 09/19/2012 - 16:20

From my office mate Josh Weinhold of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, we learn today that Illinois Supreme Court Justice Robert Thomas of Glen Ellyn is to be inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame today.

Thomas was a one-time kicker for the Chicago Bears and the University of Notre Dame, even kicking the game-winning field goal for the Irish in their 1973 Sugar Bowl, clinching the national championship.

Josh's story has good background about Thomas' life, but we wanted to share this memory Thomas shared about playing for the emotional Mike Ditka.

In a game against Tampa Bay, Thomas said, he missed a field goal — which Ditka believed happened because Thomas didn't keep his eye on the ball.

As he came off the field, Ditka began yelling, emphasizing his point by pulling on Thomas' facemask. He stopped his diatribe only because the defense forced a turnover, putting the Bears in field goal range again.

So Thomas — with a very sore neck — ran out and hit a 49-yard field goal.

"I come to the sidelines and now he's lifting me in the air like I just won a Super Bowl," Thomas said. "That was the gamut of emotions with him."

Now, we'll envision that's how the justices all act after oral arguments.

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