Darrell Davis: From Tom to Thomas to the Super Bowl

When he worked for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he was Tom Dimitroff Jr. He sometimes rode a bicycle through the snow to Taylor Field, where he spent two seasons as the CFL team’s low-paid, Canadian scouting co-ordinator.

The job didn’t last long. Incoming head coach Don Matthews revamped the Riders’ football operations department, so Dimitroff moved to scouting jobs with the World League of American Football, the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. Dimitroff’s father, Tom Sr., coached three CFL teams and raised his family in Canada, where his sons played football for the University of Guelph.

Football was in his blood and, truth be told, young Tom Dimitroff Jr. was a bit crazy in his younger years. He’s still friendly and he still snowboards! After spending six seasons as the New England Patriots’ national scout, he was hired in 2008 to be the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons. Now Thomas Dimitroff has gotten his team into Super Bowl 51. Recalling the road he travelled, it’s tough not to cheer for him.