Thomas Specia is a name most familiar to the Cardinals football faithful. He first came to UIW in the fall of 2008 as the University was getting its new program off the ground. He then played quarterback during the first two years of actual competition, 2009 and 2010.
Now, he is returning on the coaching side of things as a graduate assistant for offense.
Back in 2009, in the very first game ever played by the Cardinals, he threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more as Incarnate Word won that inaugural game by 42-39 over Mexican national champion Monterrey Tech.
The atmosphere was electric in the overflow crowd at Benson Stadium and that charge came almost immediately as Specia scored the first-ever Cardinals touchdown by completely fooling everyone on the field with a naked bootleg, 52-yard run for the six points.
After his two years his name is all over the Cardinals record book for both game and season and career.
A native of San Antonio and a graduate of Reagan High School, Specia played at College of DuPage in Illinois before transferring back home to UIW. In his two years, he had a 59% completion rate throwing nearly 300 passes, accounting for 16 passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns on his way to earning All-American honors in 2007.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in December of 2010.
