Tom Sofa
 Sofa his senior season at UK | |
| No. 2 – Retired | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 31, 2014 (aged 46) Hyden, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 222 lb (101 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Leslie County High School |
| College: | University of Kentucky |
| DSFL Draft: | 2036 (S21) / Round: 34 / Pick: 271 |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Retired |
Tom Sofa (born July 31, 2014) was an American football quarterback for the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers of the Developmental Simulation Football League (DSFL).
Early years
His father worked the coal mines as just about everyone in eastern Kentucky does. Even though many of these people are descendants of the not ever heard of coal wars they still have this odd loyalty and sense of pride in what many consider to be a dying business. Like many of the mines in the Hyden area, the coal just wasn't fetching the same price it used to and it caused many people to be laid off including the elder Sofa. The years spent in the mines did no good for his health, and while he was able to make a living working job to job as a contractor he was not able to provide for his family like he would have wanted. He would not survive to see his son's 16th birthday, nor his rise to DSFL fame.
Tom's mother was devastated, how was she as a teacher supposed to support a family on her one check? The severance pension from the coal company was not enough and eve though everyone knew Mr. Sofa died from the poor health conditions there she would never have enough money to fight them in court. She did what any mother would do in this situation, she pinched pennies, she saved, and she went nights hungry without dinner; she refused to allow borderline poverty to effect her son.
When Tom turned 17 he began to understand more about the world and the true situation he was in, no longer was he blissfully ignorant of the situation. He knew he had to get out but the thought of affording college was miles away. How could he come up with the money? How will he avoid falling in the same pitfalls so many in his community had? how will he avoid being forced a career at the ""totally new no ties to the old coal company"" coal company? All of these questions circled in his head nearly constantly before he realized his answer, sports. He had been on the high school basketball and football teams, but he never truly gave it his all. Now realizing that this is is only chance at a scholarship and education he would put more time into the gym and more time studying, memorizing and perfecting the playbooks. By the time he became a senior he was a budding star in both sports.
His senior season is when he really started to lift off. He set a number of records in football, becoming the greatest high school Quarterback the state of Kentucky had ever seen. Thanks to his coach, George Sizemore, he was able to unleash an entire new level of his game that not many people would have been able to see within him. He also would continue his stardom his senior year in basketball, averaging nearly 36 points per game. ESPN would rank him as the 6th greatest high school athlete of all time, he was given both the title of ""Mr. Football"" and ""Mr. Basketball"" of Kentucky and he received numerous Division 1 scholarships for both sports, but ultimately he would decide to play football for the University of Kentucky even though he knew that his chances of awards and championships would be greater at other schools. Like mentioned before, eastern Kentucky people are loyal to a fault sometimes, but this decision allowed him to still be close with his mother who he loved so dearly and who he knew made great sacrifices to get him where he was going.
College career
Going to the University of Kentucky also made him an instant celebrity. Everyone on campus knew his name and occasionally he would receive free meals just for being who he was. Unfortunately for both him and his team, the coach would not recognize his celebrity or his talent playing a different quarterback ahead of him instead. Because of this decision he would be fired at the conclusion of the season, and another coach who would play Tom was hired instead. This coach, Chad Mummy, would earn fame as a guy who ran an Air Raid offense, really allowing Sofa to shine. In fact he was so determined on offense, Mummy would frequently go for it on 4th down, electing to hardly ever punt. The scheme worked well for Sofa and the University of Kentucky as in his sophomore season the team improved 4 more wins on the previous season and Sofa would set several school passing records, and finished in the nation as one of the top passers in the league.
His Junior season, which would be his last, saw Tom improve even more. He would throw and incredible 76.2% completion rate and over 4200 yards to end the season. Throughout the season he would give glimpses of greatness as he crushed previous conference records. He would improve the team's record to 8-3 and earn them their first bowl appearance in nearly a decade as the University of Kentucky would play Penn State in the Outback bowl. Unfortunately his college career would end on a loss as after that game he announce his intention to enter the NSFL and DSFL draft. He would finish 2nd in Heisman voting and as an All-American.
College career statistics
| Career statistics | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2033 | University of Kentucky | 4 | 32 | 84 | 38.1% | 276 | 3.3 | 1 | 1 | 46.5 | 24 | -26 | -0.9 | 0 |
| 2034 | University of Kentucky | 11 | 363 | 547 | 66.4% | 3,884 | 7.1 | 37 | 19 | 95 | 66 | -125 | -0.5 | 3 |
| 2035 | Univeristy of Kentucky | 11 | 400 | 525 | 76.2% | 4,275 | 8.1 | 36 | 15 | 105 | 64 | -124 | -0.5 | 1 |
