LAKE CHARLES – Fred Thomas, a long-time McNeese Football volunteer equipment manager who passed last summer, had his memory honored on Monday evening when the athletic department introduced the naming of the Fred Thomas Equipment Room.
 
In attendance at the invitation-only ceremony were members of Thomas' family, former head coaches and equipment managers that he served with, close friends and other athletic department personnel.
 
"Mr. Fred was like a grandfather to me," said McNeese equipment manager Matt Saucier before revealing the named plaque that will be positioned outside the entrance of the equipment room. "I lost both of my grandparents several years ago so I kind of adopted him as my grandfather.
 
"He helped out so much. He had so much knowledge of the job and was tremendous in helping me when I took over as the equipment manager a few years ago.
 
"This will forever be the Fred Thomas Equipment Room, for as long as eternity," said Saucier to Mr. Fred's family members. "This is your equipment room too, although I doubt it'll be a place where you would want to hang out," he said drawing a laugh.
 
Called "Mr. Fred" by coaches and players alike, had an immediate impact on everyone who came in contact with him. He had been a member of the Cowboy Football program as an equipment manager since 1990 on a volunteer basis.
       
He began his tenure when Bobby Keasler was head coach and would go on and work when Kirby Bruchhaus, Tommy Tate, Matt Viator, Lance Guidry and Sterlin Gilbert were the leaders.
 
Keasler and Gilbert as well as former coaches Ernie Duplechin and Hubert Boales were in attendance.
 
"I want to thank the family for sharing Fred with us," said director of athletics Bruce Hemphill. "His legacy will live on."
       
A McNeese athletic supporter since the 1970s, Thomas had become a booster when Jack Doland took over as athletic director and head football coach.  He served as president of the university's Cowboy Club (1978 and 1979) and was a regular at home and away games for both football and basketball.
       
His association as a member of the football equipment management staff began, he would say later, when "Bobby (Keasler) said he needed someone to drive the equipment truck for football.  I told him I would do it because I needed something to do."
       
Thomas, who had retired in 1988 from running a furniture business, said that he played golf for most of 1989 before getting tired of playing the game.
       
He then became a permanent member of the Cowboy football program in 1990 after Keasler told him he was looking for a driver for the equipment truck.
       
"All one needed back then to drive a truck was a chauffer's license and I had one," Thomas had once said.
       
At the time Thomas also told then-athletic director Bob Hayes that he would handle the job for $1 a year.  But, he never did receive the salary.
       
During his time with the Cowboys, he was mainly an assistant equipment manager but he also several years as the head equipment manager.
       
Communications for the Cowboy coaches from the sidelines to the press box for football games became a priority with Thomas with him setting up the equipment and spending game time in the press box to make sure things ran smoothly.
       
In his later years, he had to cut back on travel and the trips but he retained a press box seat at home games through the 2018 season.  At one time he had been on the sidelines or in the press box for 265 straight McNeese football games.
       
He assisted seven different equipment managers in his 30 years beginning with Bernie Burns then Ronny Breaux, C.J. Hernandez, Nick Boudreaux, Drew Smith, Jimmy Waltman, and Matt Saucier, as well as countless team managers that he made an impact on their lives.
     
Thomas, who was elected to the McNeese Hall of Honor in 1991, passed away at the age of 87 last August 26.