Editor's note: Mike Thomas was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.
CHICAGO — With every spectacular catch, Mike Thomas moves closer to his dream.
And while the DuSable High School graduate and Grand Boulevard native seeks to make the NFL — a distinct possibility with the yardage, touchdowns and incredible receptions he's accrued as a senior at Southern Mississippi — his real goal through football is far more profound.
"I just want to move my family out of Chicago," the wide receiver from the South Side said. "It's not safe. It's not safe. They can stay in Illinois; I just don't want them in that dangerous area. I want to move them out and move them into a safer place."
Since 2010, there have been at least six shootings within a few blocks of Thomas' immediate family's home. He also has cousins who live in South Chicago, where there have been 10-plus shootings since 2010, including four fatal incidents since May 31, 2014.
"Just a lot of bad situations," Thomas said. "You have to observe and be wary where you're at at all times. My little cousins like to play outside, but they can't even play outside."
Thomas is the youngest of four boys, but he feels most responsible for earning enough income to help his family.
"My family wants the best for me, but at the end of the day, I want the best for them," he said. "I can't let them be out" in Chicago.
Thomas said he's felt this way since seventh grade, when he realized he had a gift for catching passes. At DuSable, he scored 29 touchdowns in his final two seasons, including six in one game against Carver High School.
And that's continued as he's hopped from College of DuPage and Dodge City (Kan.) Community College to Southern Miss. He was named all-Conference USA honorable mention as a junior last season before really breaking out this year. Heading into Dec. 26's Heart of Dallas Bowl against Washington, Thomas has a team-high 62 receptions for a single-season school record of 1,201 yards and 12 scores.
"Mike had a great year starting with the offseason," Southern Miss wide receivers coach John Wozniak said. "We sort of threw him to the wolves. ... He's done a good job and had a great year. I'm happy for him."
Thomas called his collegiate journey from Chicago's western suburbs to central Kansas to Hattiesburg, Miss. — where he said he was getting attacked by an "army of mosquitoes" during a phone interview with DNAinfo — "a grind."
Nothing's come easy at the Division I level, either. On Dec. 5, he took a hit from a Western Kentucky defender, threw up on the field, and then caught a touchdown pass four plays later. "I look at the touchdown as more important than the throw up," Thomas said, laughing.
Reminder: THIS is the Mike Thomas I'm tweeting about today. https://t.co/rE1ilK8sSA
— Jared Stanger (@JaredStanger) December 5, 2015Mike Thomas' one-handed Southern Miss TD was great, but he had others on Saturday. I set them to Christmas music. pic.twitter.com/gukctZCSUM
— Fa-La-La-La-Landon (@landonhowell) November 29, 2015Against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 28, Thomas made an epic, Odell Beckham Jr.-like catch with his right hand in the end zone. Called by many as one of the top catches this season, it was no fluke: Thomas said he practices one-handed grabs with each hand 20 times a day.
"A lot of muscle memory went into that catch," he said.
Thomas is the first person in his family to go to college. He's also the only one of his football friends from high school to reach Division I. Thomas knows he's fortunate.
He wants to prove he can make a 53-man NFL roster, inking enough cash to assist his family's move out of the big city.
And when his football playing days conclude, Thomas said he'll serve as a probation officer, likely back in Chicago.
"I want to help people change their lives around," Thomas said. "I want to show my city you can make a path instead of all this killing. I just want to make a way. I'm very determined."
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