Titans surprise Vietnam veteran with new high-end motorized wheelchair

The day before Veterans Day, stadium roars as 72-year-old George Thomas chokes up when the Titans and Permobil present him with the wheelchair on the field

Brad Schmitt
The Tennessean

Vietnam War veteran George Thomas, mouth wide open, leaned forward with emotion when the Tennessee Titans and a Lebanon mobility company surprised him on the field with a new $44,000 motorized wheelchair. 

More than 50,000 fans rose as one and roared their approval as the presentation was made toward the end of the first quarter of the Titans-Chiefs game Sunday at Nissan Stadium.

The 72-year-old Memphian said he was thrilled just to be recognized on the field for his service, let alone get a new wheelchair.

“I’m ecstatic, you just don’t know. It’s a once in a lifetime. I just can’t believe I’m on the field. It’s a dream come true,” Thomas told the Tennessean. “You just don’t know. I just can’t even put that in words.”

George Thomas reacts to receiving a custom motorized wheelchair from Permobile of Lebanon during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn. His daughter Joye applauds behind him.

A lifelong NFL fan, Thomas said he pulled for the San Francisco 49ers in the Jerry Rice and Joe Montana days. But when the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997 and played the first season in Memphis, “I just fell right to supporting my home team,” Thomas said.

He went to several home games at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, and watched the Titans on TV every week after the team moved to Nashville.

His health started to deteriorate after that, likely tied to exposure to the toxic Agent Orange herbicide while Thomas served in the Army in Vietnam as a combat engineer, he said.

Thomas, who started using a wheelchair, didn’t feel able to make regular trips to Nissan Stadium to see his beloved Titans.

Military veteran and super Titans fan George Thomas, 72, at his home in Memphis before getting presented with a new wheelchair from the Titans and Permobil

But Thomas — wearing Titans gear from head to toe — ran into a Permobil mobility company executive during a visit to the VA hospital in Memphis, and that’s how he scored an invitation to Sunday’s game.

The new wheelchair, customized for Thomas, is the best souvenir he could get.

“Nobody wants to be in a wheelchair. Being confined to a wheelchair after walking most of your life, it kind of throws you for a loop,” Thomas said.

“But I’ve prayed about it. And I’m all right with it.”

George Thomas gets emotional as he receives a custom motorized wheelchair from Permobile of Lebanon during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn.

Thomas' daughter, Joye, said she is thrilled the new chair will make her father's life easier.

"I'm so very very grateful, to Permobil and to the Titans," Joye Thomas said.

Reach Brad Schmitt at brad@tennessean.com or 615-259-8384 or on Twitter @bradschmitt.