Sports
Richards Grad Shoots for the Moon in Bid to Honor Astronaut Neil Armstrong
Richards grad Tommie Thomas was inspired. He requested that Purdue do something to honor the first man to walk on the moon. And now the Boilermakers will be wearing stickers on their helmets.
Every once in a blue moon, somebody you know comes up with a really great idea.
Take the example of Richards High School graduate Tommie Thomas.
He is a fifth-year senior wide receiver at Purdue. Thomas was so moved after hearing Boilermaker coach Danny Hope share stories with the football team about Purdue grad Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon, he came up with one of those ideas.
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Thomas requested that Purdue do something to honor Armstrong, according to Graham Watson’s Dr. Saturday report on YahooSports.com.
The Boilermakers will honor the first man to walk on the moon with a helmet sticker of Armstrong in a space suit planting a Purdue flag. The stickers will be affixed to the Boilermakers’ helmets before Saturday’s game at Notre Dame (2:30 p.m. CDT). Both teams are 1-0.
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The stickers will remain in place for the rest of the season. Armstrong graduated from Purdue in 1955 with a B.S. degree in aeronautical engineering. He played the baritone horn in the Purdue marching band.
Thomas, a 6-1, 195-pounder, is an organizational leadership and supervision major. He appeared in 10 games as a reserve in 2011. At Richards, he was a football standout and starter on the Bulldogs’ 2008 state championship basketball team.
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