Thanos gave Trojans more than stats

Chesterton's John Thanos is the Post-Tribune 2008 defensive football player of the year.
(Michael McArdle/Post-Tribune)

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Yes, the numbers are pretty darn good. The linebacker had four fumble recoveries, 81 solo tackles and one interception that was returned for a touchdown.

But it's not about stats on a spreadsheet when you're talking how what John Thanos meant to Chesterton's defense this past season.

It was a campaign that saw the Trojans earn a share of the Duneland Conference title. They also shut down a very good Valparaiso offense twice -- the only team to have any success against the rival Vikings.

If you ask coach John Snyder what Thanos is all about, it goes way deeper than numbers.

"The heart and soul of our defense is probably is as head-on as you can get," Snyder said. "He is the smartest kid I've ever coached."

Snyder clarified that statement by including every Pop Warner, middle school and high school player he's ever had the pleasure of introducing himself to as coach.

How smart was Thanos? Well, he wasn't always a linebacker.

"He was the quarterback on the freshman team," Snyder said. "Because of his intelligence, desire and passion, I told him, 'We feel like we need you there, but I don't intend you to be our quarterback in the future.' He was one of those sophomores who we felt could help us right away on defense."

Thanos' football acumen carries over to Saturdays when he's sitting at home watching more football after watching game film.

"I watch college games on Saturday and I know I don't watch it the way others do," he said. "I break down what they're doing. If they make a big play, I think about why they made that play and how it happened."

So how did the 18-year-old develop this football intelligence? It came from someone who could be an inspiration to anyone -- his father, Mark Thanos.

Mark and his father, John (grandfather to John the football player), died while valiantly trying to rescue a young boy in a flooded drainage ditch on Sept. 14 during the flood that ravaged much of Northwest Indiana. The boy survived, but both men drowned.

"My dad had a big effect on me, coaching in basketball and football,"?Thanos said. "Once you learn you need to have that knowledge you start to look at everything (in life) that way. I've been blessed to have a lot of good coaches."

It was more than intelligence that led to Thanos' inspired play on the field, especially the first game after his father and grandfather died. It was a toughness many kids would have trouble finding.

"They would have wanted me to go on with my life and celebrate theirs,"?he said after the 12-10 victory at Valparaiso. "I had to be tough for my family."

Yes, he's tough, but not too tough to realize when it's time to stop playing football. He's smart enough to know his body can only take so much.

"I'm 18 years old and when I wake up it's sometimes hard to get out of bed," he said. "I've been doing this as long as I can remember, playing three sports (football, basketball and baseball) and I'm past the point that I can go physically."

Instead his goal is to be a teacher and possibly coach football. Who knows … maybe he'll be part of Snyder's staff in the near future, displaying that intelligence the head coach knows so well.