He readily admits a lot of work is ahead of him if wants to get to his 10.3 (100) and under 21 (200) goals. He also wants to make the U.S. National Junior team and run in France in August.
Thomas Tyner was named Oregon's topfootball player from large schools.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Tyner
"I've got to keep my form, and not get lazy with my upper body," said Tyner, who squats 475 pounds and regularly benches 295. "Coach (Bill Volk) is keeping us working hard. I need to build endurance and learn to finish races."
"Tyner's a very diligent and smart-working kid. He gives good verbal feedback as to how he's feeling and what's on his mind. Though he's shy and quiet, we communicate well," said Volk. "He's deep thinking, very reflective.
"He (Tyner) wants to work smarter, not harder. He wants to work more efficient. He has great turnover, great power, but needs more endurance. He'll work until he gets it. He comes from a solid family. He has good character skills and carries them over on and off the field. He's probably not considered the toughest kid on the team, but is certainly the most loyal."
Tyner said Volk is like a "second father" to him. "He's inspired me. He noticed me in eighth grade. He helps me do things right, makes me improve, pushes me."
Volk said caution is a major issue with Tyner.
"Because he's powerful and explosive. We need to be careful with young ligaments, tendons, joints. We need to bring him on gradually," said Volk. "He's exceeding some people's expectations, but has yet to peak."
Volk said that a teammate couldn't afford track shoes, so Tyner gave him a pair of his.
"Thomas has a heart of gold. Those shoes had been worn only in meets," said Volk. "The teammate might want to hang on to them ... he might want Thomas to sign them some day. Thomas is something special."
While he has lofty track goals, football might be his best sport. He is the only sophomore to be honored as Oregon's Large Schools Player of the Year. He lead Aloha to the state title last fall rushing for more than 1,800 yards, averaging 9.2 yards per carry and scoring 19 touchdowns.
His size and raw speed has D-1 coaches from coast to coast drooling. His 40-yard dash is 4.38 and he expects to improve on that. He also expects to grow to 6-2 and 225 pounds.
Did someone just say "bigger and faster?"
Tyner did.
"I have ability to run away from and run over people. Bigger and faster makes that happen more often.
"Other than knowing I will run track and play football in college, I haven't given college much of a thought," said Tyner, who carries a 3.0 GPA. "It's a long way away and I'm not satisfied. Got a lot of goals in the near future."
Among those are two more state titles in football.
"Though I'm very pleased, I still haven't gotten my goals so I'm not satisfied," Tyner said. "Key to my success is the quote I live by - ‘Never be satisfied.' Coach is always telling me to ‘Don't just finish it to finish it, finish it to get the best out of yourself.'"
Tyner's best football game came against state power Jesuit when he rushed for 291 yards and two touchdowns and caught an 80-yard scoring pass. He said he was surprised by the Player of Year honor. He thought Jesuit's Jordan Talley, who rushed for 2,856 yards and 36 scores, should have been honored. The 5-10, 185-pound Talley signed with Eastern Washington.
"I wasn't expecting the hype," said Tyner, who believes he will one day play in the NFL and hopes to run in the Olympics. "My goal is to do both."
Away from sports, Tyner says he enjoys playing the piano, mostly modern songs. Today, his favorite is "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco.
For Thomas Tyner, be it track or football, the show is just beginning.
