PONTIAC, Mich. -- Russ Thomas, the former vice president and general manager of the Detroit Lions, died in his sleep early Tuesday at his winter home in Naples, Fla. He was 66.
The Lions said the cause of death was undetermined. Jim Thomas said his father had been in good health.
'He had a physical a few months ago and told us the doctors couldn't believe what good shape he was in,' he said. 'That's why this was such a shock.'
Russ Thomas spent 43 years in the Lions organization as a player, assistant coach, scout, director of player personnel and broadcaster in addition to vice president and general manager.
'He was greatly respected within the NFL,' Chuck Schmidt, the Lions executive vice president and chief operating officer, said by telephone conference call from Hawaii, site of the NFL meetings. 'He seldom spoke at the league meetings, but when he did he had everyone's attention.'
Thomas was instrumental in the 1982 Super Bowl coming to the Silverdome, the first time the game was played in a cold-weather site.
Many perceived Thomas as a gruff, hard-nosed negotiator, but those close to him saw a different side.
'He had a tender side,' Schmidt said. 'There were a few players who found that side.'
One of those was Charlie Sanders, once a Lions tight end and now an assistant coach with the club.
'I had some rough times in business a few years ago and I stopped by to see Russ about applying for workman's compensation,' Sanders said. 'It was around Christmas time and the first thing he asked me about was my kids. He literally emptied his pockets and told me, 'Buy the kids a Christmas.' He was a special person.'
However, Thomas' tough stance at the negotiating table, made him unpopular with fans. He was blamed for the club's mediocrity since he became general manager in 1972.
'He was strongin his convictions and that style left people with the impression he was a lot tougher than he was,' Schmidt said. 'He always said he had a thick skin, but I know the criticism hurt him.'
Thomas disagreed with Lions coaches through the years. Monte Clark blasted him following his dismissal after the 1984 season. Wayne Fontes, the team's current coach, had no real problems.
'Before I came to work here, I had the image of him as a czar that everyone was afraid of, but I got along with him well,' Fontes said. 'I understood that he was the boss and maybe that's why we got along.
A native of West Virginia, Russ Thomas starred for Paul Brown at Ohio State and was a key player on the Buckeyes' national championship team in 1944.
Thomas, a two-way tackle, was drafted by the Lions in 1946 and earned All-Pro honors his first season. A knee injury forced his retirement in 1949. He returned to the Lions as an assistant coach in 1952 and remained with the club until 1989, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65.
He is survived by his wife Dorothy, sons John and Jim and a granddaughter.
