As a four-year starting linebacker at Northwestern, the only direction Thomas Homco headed was toward the football. Totaling 73 tackles, seven sacks, two fumble recoveries, and an interception during his senior season.
But when the NFL held its draft in 1992, his name wasn't called.
"I thought if I wasn't drafted, I would be best served to go as a free agent and be able to maybe have a little influence on what team I go to that might need help at linebacker," Homco said. "And so once I wasn't drafted, just looking at the roster, I loved the Rams. I remember I was also looking at New Orleans and Detroit, and just thought it was the best fit. But I knew I was going to be kind of a long shot."
A long shot? Perhaps. However, Homco's odds got better when he was taken under the wing of one of the Rams' big shots, veteran Pro Bowl linebacker Kevin Greene.
"We both really liked to work out in the weight room and push each other pretty hard," Homco said. "I really didn't have any friends. I was a single guy and he had a fiancé at the time, and they'd always have me over for dinner. We'd talk about football. We'd talk about outworking our opponents. And we'd talk about intensity in practice. You know, don't play brother-in-law and take it easy on our offense because that's how we get better.
"I kind of liked his attitude towards football, which was the same as mine. Which was I may not be the biggest or the fastest or the strongest guy on the field, but the thing I can control is, I could outwork anybody on the team if that's what I wanted to do. That's one thing I have control over. Kevin had that same mindset, and he and I became good friends."
While Homco didn't make the team that first year, he accomplished the next best thing when Head Coach Chuck Knox placed him on the practice squad.
"The unique thing about the practice squad in '92 was it wasn't a whole squad. There were only five players," Homco said. "Almost every team always had an inside linebacker, almost always had a quarterback, and almost always had a safety. And then the two other positions were kind of wild cards.
"It really gave me the opportunity to get used to the speed and the intensity of the NFL and prepare myself to be able to play at that level. So although I wanted to dress on game day and I wanted to play, I thought it was kind of like the necessary evil in my career."
After paying his dues practicing but not playing for a year, Homco earned a spot on the Rams' roster in 1993, and made his NFL debut in the season-opener in Green Bay.
Homco' performance was one of Los Angeles' few bright spots in the 36-6 loss. He posted nine tackles, with four solo stops, including one which drew the attention of ESPN's Chris Berman. And in turn, Homco's friends who were watching the network's highlights show that evening.
"It was on a punt, and was one of those hits where I was able to time it perfectly and just unload into their returner," Homco said. "I ended up just sticking him and doing a somersault over the top. And Chris Berman said, 'Remember this name! This is an unknown guy with the Rams, and just watch this hit. His name is Tim Honqu.'
"He got both my names wrong! My first and last name! So all my buddies started calling me Honqu or Tim. They were making fun of me for about two months after that. Yeah, I remember that game pretty well."
A week later against Pittsburgh was memorable for Homco, too. The second game of his career was also the first start of his career.
"Shane Conlan, who was starting, might have been a little banged up. So I got to start, and I welcomed the opportunity," Homco said. "I was nervous, but I was so excited and felt so blessed to be able to be playing at this level in my second year, my first real year on the active squad, and starting in my second game, it was quite an honor.
"In the NFL, it's a series of what ifs. I got into a position where I felt really comfortable with the defense. I was able to understand the X's and O's. I was able to compete and I was a decent run-stopper. And they had Barry Foster at the time, who was a heck of a runner, and that brought some weight. I just got the opportunity to play and we won, 27-0."
Besides it being his first start, Homco reached another personal milestone in the game against the Steelers – his first interception, when he picked off Neil O'Donnell.
"It was a screen pass to Barry Foster in the flat. It tipped off his finger, and I went up and got it. And as I got it, Barry Foster grabbed my jersey around my waist. It was on about the 10-yard line and I thought it was going to be a pick six," Homco said.
"I saw the end zone, and I'm dying to get in there. But he slowed me up so much, I think their center, Dermontti Dawson, drilled me and I got tackled on the 2-yard line. That's another one I've never heard the end of. 'You got caught by an offensive lineman?' He had me. He had my damn jersey."
Becoming a standout on special teams, a knee injury led Homco to retire in 1998. And though he left the game sooner than he would have liked, he did so with fond memories.
"At one point, I was the seventh- or eighth-longest tenured guy on the team. Once I felt like I deserved and earned a spot, it made me feel really comfortable," Homco said. "The memories of just the locker room, the camaraderie, training with the guys, the move to St. Louis and how much the fans supported us. I could single out a million plays or million games, but if I really take it to a higher level, it's the relationships that are created through blood, sweat, and tears."
Although the Rams left St. Louis and returned to Los Angeles, Homco hasn't. He and his wife, Joy, have made their home in St. Charles, MO. They have three children: Matthew, Max, and Karina; and three grandchildren.
Shortly after his playing days, Homco joined a new team, CB Richard Allison, a commercial real estate firm. And after learning the business for six years, he and some partners founded their own company in St. Louis, Lee & Associates.
"I am in a different niche. I'm in industrial commercial real estate acquisitions. So I buy and own big, boring warehouses around the country, focusing primarily on the Midwest. And I don't always buy them myself, I have other investors involved," Homco said.
"It's kind of like going for a win in football. I like finding great deals, putting the deal together and knowing the right time to sell and make nice returns for myself and my investors. It gives me a sense of pride and being good at something that I want to do.
"And I'm certainly modest about it. I'm certainly not very materialistic. The only measurement stick in my world is, 'What was your return on that one?' When I could show investors a 2x or 3x return in three or four years, I feel that's a win. And I like to win."
