Before I talk about football, I want to start with something much more important.

Former Washington High School and Notre Dame football standout Travis Thomas is battling brain cancer.

So before we talk about touchdowns, championships, Notre Dame or anything else he accomplished on a football field, keep Travis and his family in your prayers.

Football is a game. This is real life.

And anybody who remembers Travis Thomas playing at Wash High knows one thing about him: He was a fighter long before this fight ever came his way.

If You Saw Him at Wash High, You Remember

Some players have statistics that tell you they were good. Other players had to be seen.

Travis Thomas was one of those guys.

If you watched WPIAL football in the early 2000s, especially Class AA football, you knew exactly who he was. He had that combination you wanted in a running back — speed, size, toughness and the ability to make something happen once he got into the open field.

And he wasn’t just a running back. He could play linebacker. He could run track. He could do a little bit of everything athletically.

Years later, a writer who covered the area ranked Thomas among the best Washington-Greene County football players of his era and described him as having that rare combination of size, speed and power, a back capable of breaking a long run or getting the tough yards when everybody in the stadium knew the ball was coming his way.

That sounds about right.

Because Travis Thomas was that dude.

The 2001 Prexies Were Special

Thomas was part of one of the greatest teams in Washington High School history. The 2001 Prexies went 15-0 and won the PIAA Class AA state championship.

Think about that.

Fifteen games. Fifteen wins. Nobody beat them.

In the state championship game against Pen Argyl, Washington went into halftime trailing 12-6.

Then the Prexies responded. Thomas scored on a five-yard run in the third quarter to tie the game at 12. J.R. Ward eventually scored from one yard out to put Washington ahead, and the Prexies held on for a 19-12 victory.

State champions.

Thomas was only part of a loaded team, and that’s important because those great Wash High teams weren’t built around one player.

But he was already showing everybody what was coming.

Then He Became One of the Best Players in Western Pennsylvania

Over the next couple of years, Thomas’ reputation exploded.

He became Washington’s rushing and scoring leader. He was a team captain. He earned first-team All-State honors. He made the Post-Gazette Fabulous 22. He made the Tribune-Review Terrific 25. He was named the Observer-Reporter Offensive Player of the Year. He played in the Big 33 Football Classic. He was selected for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. PrepStar and Rivals recognized him as a first-team All-American.

This wasn’t simply a good Class AA running back getting local attention.

Thomas became a legitimate national recruit. Notre Dame wanted him.

That tells you everything you need to know.

And Don’t Forget — He Could Run Track Too

Sometimes we forget how complete some of these older athletes were because today everybody specializes so early.

Thomas wasn’t simply putting on pads in August and playing football.

He was a legitimate track athlete. He was part of a WPIAL Class AA championship 1,600-meter relay team and a PIAA place-winning relay. Notre Dame’s own bio noted that he competed in the 100, 200 and 400 meters as well as the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.

That speed showed up on Friday nights.

Once Thomas got into space, he wasn’t moving like a traditional power back. He could go.

From Washington, Pennsylvania, to Notre Dame

I always think it’s special when a Western Pennsylvania kid reaches one of the biggest stages in college football.

Notre Dame is Notre Dame. The gold helmets. Touchdown Jesus. National television. One of the most recognizable programs in the history of college football.

And there was a kid from Washington, Pennsylvania, right in the middle of it.

Thomas signed with Notre Dame as part of its 2003 recruiting class alongside names like Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, Tom Zbikowski, John Sullivan and others.

Think about that class.

And Thomas belonged there.

What I Respect Most About His Notre Dame Career

His college career also showed what kind of football player he was.

Thomas arrived as a running back, but when Notre Dame needed help elsewhere, he moved to linebacker. Then he eventually moved back to running back.

That’s football.

Everybody wants the ball. Everybody wants the touchdowns. Not everybody is willing to change positions and do whatever the team needs.

Thomas was.

And his teammates and coaches obviously respected him. He was selected as a Notre Dame captain in consecutive seasons.

He received the Nick Pietrosante Award, an honor associated with courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication and pride.

Those words hit differently today. Courage. Loyalty. Teamwork. Dedication. Pride.

Football awards are supposed to tell you something about the person receiving them.

Looking at the fight Thomas is facing today, that particular award seems even more meaningful.

From Wash High to the NFL Opportunity

Thomas’ football journey eventually gave him an opportunity with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2008.

Just think about the entire road.

Washington High School. PIAA champion. All-State. Big 33. Army All-American. Notre Dame. Captain. NFL opportunity.

That’s one hell of a football journey for a kid from Washington, Pennsylvania.

And in 2015, Thomas was inducted into the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Deservedly so.

But This Isn’t Really About Football Anymore

We love sports because sports give us memories.

If you grew up around Western Pennsylvania football, you probably remember Travis Thomas carrying the football for Wash High. You remember the speed. You remember the physical running style. You remember the championships.

Notre Dame fans remember No. 26. His former teammates remember their captain.

His family knows him as something much bigger than any of those things. And right now, that’s what matters.

The football resume is already written.

Nobody can take away the state championship. Nobody can take away Notre Dame. Nobody can take away the All-American honors, the captaincy or all those Friday nights when people came to watch him play.

But Travis Thomas is in a different fight now. A much more important one.

So Western Pennsylvania, Washington County, Wash High, Notre Dame and everybody who remembers watching this dude play — send some love his way.

Keep Travis Thomas and his family in your prayers.

Because long before specialized trainers, recruiting rankings and social media highlights became what they are today, Travis Thomas was doing it the old-fashioned way.

He lined up. They knew he was getting the football. And he still made plays.

Travis Thomas was that dude.

And now we’re all rooting for him in the biggest fight of his life.