The best measure of Miamian Derrick Thomas' life is that the athletic greatness that puts him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday isn't what was most remarkable. He earned a legacy more important than NFL immortality. Four children attending the ceremonies will be from Derrick Thomas Academy, a charter elementary in Kansas City and the only school in America bearing the name of an NFL player. Four other kids will represent Thomas' Third and Long Foundation, a pioneering, enduring initiative to bring literacy to that city's disadvantaged youth. What is truly special, though, is that Thomas overcame his own hardships, thanks to helping hands reaching out to him, and that he said thanks back so profoundly that he is still giving troubled kids a reason to believe and hope nearly a decade after succumbing to injuries sustained in an auto accident.Thomas' legacy includes a boy named Michael DePriest, 15, who will be in Canton after winning an essay contest. He recently graduated from Derrick Thomas Academy.``They did him a world of good,'' said his father, also Michael. ``Taught him leadership, a sense of community, caring. Overall, he's a better kid and a better student.''To some, Thomas might be an unlikely hero, a flawed role model. Those are often the best kind, though, because they are human. They can relate in a way that resonates.
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