26S | SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2023 | THE REPOSITORY

PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2023

Joe Thomas them, Joe could handle all of them.”

Continued from Page 25S
that I’ll remember till the day I die.
“Knowing that there’s going to be a
lot of Browns fans in Canton in August
(who are) proud of what I did and me be-
ing able to be up on stage and represent
the values that the city of Cleveland has
and the people that are Browns fans
throughout the state of Ohio just makes
me beam with pride.”
What made Thomas an
excellent left tackle in the
eyes of Browns legend Dieken?
Dieken, who retired from his broad-
casting career after the 2021 season,
spent more than a decade watching
Thomas practice and play.
“He had just unbelievable tech-
nique,” Dieken said. “He was just solid
Class of 2023 enshrinee Joe Thomas answers a question at the Pro Football Hall
of Fame during a March 6 visit to Canton. JULIE VENNITTI BOTOS/REPOSITORY
all in all aspects — the run game, the
pass game and the intelligence game.
“There’s speed rushers. There’s
power rushers. There’s guys who will
line up wide. There are guys who will
line up on your head. Wherever they put
Thomas explained a “servant
mindset” motivated him as a player. He
epitomized the selfless nature of the of-
fensive line “in every way,” Dieken said.
“If I was playing for my own individ-
ual accolades as a receiver or quarter-
back or running back or something like
that, I think the ceiling is kind of [lim-
ited],” Thomas said. “But when you’re
doing it for your teammates and you’re
doing it for your city and you’re doing it
for your franchise and the fans, and
you’re doing it for your wife and your
kids, you find a different gear that you’re
able to play and give more than you ever
realized was even possible.”
Thomas also did it for another No. 73
whose friendship and mentorship he
cherished. He gave everything he had,
and it proved to be enough for him to be
immortalized in Canton.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at
nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On
Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

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