Zach Thomas' junior high coach surprises the NFL Hall of Fame inductee ahead of ceremony
MIAMI - If you want to see the game's greatest players at a loss for words, put them all together.
Friday morning's Hall of Fame Team photo included Dolphins legends like Larry Little and Larry Csonka, University of Miami Hurricane greats Edgerrin James and Warren Sapp
The 2023 class, including Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas, were front and center.
And in the crowd, was a familiar face, his junior high coach Terry Cox and his family all the way from Texas.
"Zach and his whole family are great people. Zach is just a wonderful guy even if he wasn't an NFL Hall of Famer, but it means a whole bunch to white deer and to Pampa and Texas Tech, Texas panhandle, the state of Texas for that matter."
"Have you been able to touch base with him since he's been here?" asked CBS News Miami's Mike Cugno.
"Oh, not here. I'll see him this afternoon and tonight," said Cox.
"What are you going to say to him?" asked Cugno.
"Oh, just give him a big hug," said Cox.
After the event, these football legends went on with their day, but there was Zach Thomas, the last guy to leave, hanging back for about 15 minutes to say hello to the Miami Dolphin fans that made the trip.
He signed just about everything, including a Pokemon before hopping in a golf cart.
But then, he noticed someone in the crowd.
Thomas wasn't about to leave before saying hello to the folks that helped launch his passion for the game.
"My coach right here, I learned a lot from this guy. It's awesome. I appreciate you, coach," said Thomas.
"He was on the golf cart driving by, he saw your face and he's like, "No, no, I'm not leaving until I, until I say hi to Coach Cox.," said Cugno.
Oh, yeah, he's just that kind of guy. Once he's your friend, he's your friend forever," said Cox.
