SWAC Q&A: First-year commissioner Duer Sharp talks league's future
July 22, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
As the Southwestern Athletic Conference holds football media day, we check in with first-year commissioner Duer Sharp. A former interim athletic director at Grambling, Sharp previously served as the SWAC's assistant commissioner and had a previous tenure in the Big Ten Conference. He replaced Robert Vowels in January:
Question: Any surprises so far?
Answer: Coming from the Big Ten to the SWAC, you see that we have a long way to go. You are in here early, and you work late. But we feel like we've made a lot of advances. It took some time, but we're partnered with corporate sponsors now like Russell and State Farm. If we continue to work with member institutions as a team, and the conference office stays ahead of the curve, we can continue to have a voice.
Question: One of the more significant moves during your first months in office involved scrapping the old nine-game mandate for football.
Answer: The schools were saying: 'We need a seven-game conference schedule.' In the past, there was an issue of finding those additional games. There was a need then. Now, the schools are asking for relief. More and more, non-conference programs want to play SWAC schools, and this allows them to schedule more of those type games. We're still fine-tuning for the long term, but I think it's a good thing.
Question: Do you credit the improved play of programs that have more recently struggled — like, say, Prairie View?
Answer: People looked at SWAC football and thought it wasn't where it used to be. I don't think people say that anymore. We have gotten better and better. You can't take any weeks off in the SWAC anymore. We are starting to catch up with other conferences.
Question: The SWAC, meanwhile, continues to struggle for respect in basketball. What's the solution?
Answer: I think the way you have a higher profile is to schedule better non-conference opponents.
Question: By that, you mean more competitive opponents?
Answer: Right now, we are caught with our revenue being based on non-conference schedules. It's tough when you are at Memphis, at Illinois. You're not going to come out of there with a very good record. To me, this is what the SWAC needs to do to compete: Schedule more mid-majors. That will strengthen the conference's RPI. I'm looking for a way to attack this. Everyone should be included in that conversation.
Question: You followed Robert Vowels from the Big Ten in 2004. Did you ever consider succeeding him atop the SWAC so quickly?
Answer: You come into here to assist Robert with his vision, and to help out the member institutions. In the beginning, I came here because Robert gave me a call. He said, 'I need some help with the structure of the conference.' Over the years, we were able to do that.
Queston: The nationally televised MEAC/SWAC Challenge was an early success.
Answer: If you would ask anybody who has been to or played in that game, it's a like a bowl atmosphere — on the field and from all the different ancillary events associated with the day. SWAC football and MEAC football don't get a lot of chances to play in front of 90 million people. It's a chance to showcase what our conference is about to the nation.
Queston: The league's championship football game — held outdoors in Birmingham each December — has traditionally struggled with attendance. Does a domed-stadium initiative there provide some hope for a long-term solution?
Answer: The first thing to look at is this: On game day, look outside. We were fortunate that it was sunny last year; it was warm. That's the difference between getting 43,000 fans and 23,000. When you put the dome in the equation, that takes weather out of the equation. Hopefully, from an attendance standpoint, we can all benefit.
Queston: Over the years, there have been bids from cities like Shreveport and Houston to lure away the SWAC offices. What is the league's future in Alabama?
Answer: We enjoy Birmingham. We have a great relationship with the people and companies here. We're here until 2011; that's our agreement and we are planning on remaining here. I give credit to all of those cities, but it will be hard for any city to come in here and provide a better deal. Until that becomes reality, we will be here.
Queston: Big picture, what are your goals as commissioner of the SWAC?
Answer: I just want to continue to enhance the experience of the SWAC student athlete and the fan. That's our main goal. You want people to leave our member institutions saying: 'I had a great time competing and learning.' We want fans to come to our events and say: 'We had a great time.' I think we've already left our footprint on the SWAC, Robert and I. We've come a million miles. But we've got a million miles to go.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Grambling greats: College Hall of Famer Doug Porter
College Hall of Fame beckons Grambling resident Douglas Porter
May 7, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling resident Douglas Porter, who had a five-decade long career in coaching and athletic administration, will be inducted into the College Hall of Fame.
The National Football Foundation is expected to announce the 2008 class today. Porter appeared on the lower-classification ballot.
A former assistant at Grambling State under Eddie Robinson, Porter was a head coach at former Division I-AA programs Mississippi Valley (from 1961-65) and Howard University (from 1974-78) and finally at Division II Fort Valley State (from 1979-94). He was a longtime administrator at Fort Valley, as well.
Porter’s helped establish a Valley program that had not had a winning season in five years before his first in 1963, and has only matched his three in a row (through 1965) two other times — once in the 1950s, and another under Archie Cooley beginning in 1983. His .550 winning percentage has only been bested once among MVSU coaches who stayed five or more years.
He then coached for nine seasons under Robinson, running an offense that featured future Pro Football Hall of Famer Charlie Joiner and quarterbacks James “Shack” Harris and Doug Williams, later a Super Bowl MVP.
Every Grambling senior was drafted by the NFL in 1969. In 1971, 43 GSU players were in pro football camps.
“Even when I got to Fort Valley, the lead story was always that I was formerly an assistant under Coach Eddie Robinson,” Porter said recently. “That’s what they would start with. That gave you credibility, the fact that you had worked with Coach Rob.”
Porter, who won 61 percent of the games he coached, was 30-21-2 in five seasons at Howard — part of a career record of 166 victories.
At Fort Valley, a Division II program in Georgia, Porter won six conference championships and made two NCAA playoff appearances on his way to seven league coach of the year honors.
Porter retired back to Grambling in 1997, where he became a trusted advisor to both former GSU coaches Doug Williams and Melvin Spears and current coach Rod Broadway. He has also been a steady presence in the efforts to establish a museum in Robinson’s honor.
Porter has already been inducted into the Mississippi Valley State Hall of Fame.
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OUT OF THE SHADOWS: Legendary Grambling assistant built Hall of Fame resume as a head coach too
May 12, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Until this week, Douglas Porter was most often referred to as a former assistant under Grambling State’s mythical Eddie Robinson.
Porter stood, without complaint, inside the dark outline of that coaching legend’s shadow — despite having assembled a terrific, if seldom decorated, career of his own.
“That couldn’t have been easy with a person of his skill,” said James “Shack” Harris, Porter’s first quarterbacking protégé at GSU. “He was able to do it without ego, and to do it well.”
Porter, in fact, had been a part of a larger storyline in shaping successful programs, even in the most trying of situations. He had won nearly 170 games during a trio of head coaching stints at Mississippi Valley State, Howard and Fort Valley State — a resume built far from the red clay hills of Grambling.
Recognition for those efforts came on Wednesday when Porter was announced as part of the College Hall of Fame’s 2008 divisional class for lower-classification coaches and players.
“He has never been in the limelight,” said Doug Williams, who later received mentoring from Porter at Grambling as a redshirt freshman passer. “This is one time when he gets his 15 minutes. He deserves it.”
Nothing could stop Porter’s Hall of Fame journey: Not the crushing disparities found at rural black schools like Mississippi Valley State and Grambling, the benign neglect rampant even at metropolitan institutions like Howard, the forgotten backwaters of Division II ball at Fort Valley, or even a shocking moment when his body betrayed him.
BUILDING A FOUNDATION
Porter, so happy to be taking over a program, didn’t ask too many questions upon assuming his first head coaching job at Valley.
Once he got to Itta Bena, though, the gravity of the situation became apparent.
“Hadn’t beaten Jackson, hadn’t beaten Alcorn — in ages,” Porter said, sizing up Mississippi Valley State’s performance against key league foes. “Two years before, Grambling had beaten us 93 to nothing.”
He set about building a foundation of pride. That would require more than scoring 94 points on a Saturday afternoon.
“It took us a couple of years,” Porter said. “We played a lot of freshmen, played a lot of young people. But then, it began to pay off for us.”
Though Valley had not had a winning season in five years before Porter’s first in 1963, he reeled off three in a row through 1965 — something that has only been matched in Itta Bena on two other occasions.
Grambling, it’s no surprise, was a measuring stick. That time when Robinson’s squad had nearly hung a Benjamin on the Delta Devils stuck with Porter.
He finally began to gain on Valley’s cross-conference rivals and, in the process, to earn Eddie Robinson’s respect.
Porter had gotten blown out by Grambling during their first trio of meetings — and by a combined score of 149-12. But Porter was gaining, losing by an average of about two touchdowns over the last three games
“We came down in 1965, we played in Grambling —- and we led at halftime,” Porter said. “We lost 34-20, but we had been ahead 14-7. That was a measure of where we had come. We had gotten to the point where we could play anybody on our schedule. That was what I had hoped to do when I came there.”
A year later, he was running Robinson’s offense.
Porter said the chance to work alongside an American legend at Grambling — and to mentor future Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers like Harris and Frank Lewis — made what amounted to a demotion to offensive coordinator an attractive offer.
“He was very effective in a variety of situations,” Harris said. “He was someone who really knew the game. Coach Porter was a leader in his own right. You respected him.”
Grambling won six SWAC titles in the eight years Porter served under Robinson — three of them with Harris, who compiled a 31-9-1 record at Grambling.
That period of profound success, however, was leavened by the emerging reality that Robinson was becoming professionally and personally entwined in Grambling.
This relationship, already nearly 35 seasons old, was set for life.
Porter would have to move on in order to get an opportunity to run a program. After considering an offer from Florida A&M, he left in 1974 for the Washington, D.C.-based historically black college program Howard.
“I wanted to be a head coach,” he said. “I saw that, after a few years here, there was not going to be a chance for that.
“Change,” Porter added, laughing now, “wasn’t coming.”
Porter and Robinson, in fact, both would work for another 24 seasons, but while Porter moved from Howard to Fort Valley in coaching and administrative positions, his old boss never left the helm at GSU.
UPS AND DOWNS
Porter said he soon learned that the administration at Howard didn’t have the same commitment to athletics that he had become used to at Grambling under Robinson and then-president R.W.E. Jones.
Porter would finish with a winning record, but he’s always been left with the sense that he could have done better than his 30-21-2 mark over five seasons in D.C.
“I thought at that time that the best move for me and my future in football was Howard,” Porter said. “It didn’t turn out to be that way.”
Just over the horizon, however, was Fort Valley, where Porter would coach — save for one year — from 1979-97, and serve as athletics director from 1981-97.
“In all things that I have been involved with — people might think this is a little sanctimonious — I felt that the Lord has a way of directing you to go certain places and do certain things,” Porter said. “I was glad to get out of that situation.”
The then-current athletics director at Fort Valley was one of Porter’s college coaches. The school president had a child who attended Grambling during Porter’s tenure there.
And middle Georgia residents, like those in rural north Louisiana, boast a deep-seated love affair with football.
“There weren’t the same resources they had at Grambling, but the commitment to support the program was just as great,” Porter said.
He’d capture seven Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships between 1980-92, including four in a row from 1982-85.
“It definitely didn’t surprise me that he was able to leave and do well,” said Harris, now a top front-office executive in the NFL. “Some people are destined for success; he was one of those kinds of people.”
Five years after taking over, Fort Valley was winning its league title with both the offensive and defensive players of the year.
But Porter, after so long on the sidelines, was beginning to fray. An in-season heart attack during his seventh campaign at Fort Valley sent him into spiraling introspection.
'A GREAT FOOTBALL MIND'
Fort Valley has begun that impressive string of championships in the 1980s running an offense that bore little resemblance to the attack associated with Robinson’s Grambling teams.
Recruiting into a Division II program had something to do with it.
“I didn’t have the offensive linemen that it would take to run the Wing T,” Porter said. “You need guys who have a lot of athletic ability to be successful. It was easier for us to find kids we could teach to pass block and drive block.”
By ‘85, Fort Valley had developed a powerful defense to match that offensive power, too, leading the lower classification in several categories. Opponents were often held under a touchdown, and to minus-yards rushing.
But these low-scoring matches — coupled with newly founded, Grambling-like expectations of winning — took their toll, creating a pressure-cooker environment.
Fort Valley, ranked No. 2, came into a game against No. 1 Central State and fell 14-7.
A coach known for his easy-going nature — in fact, some at Fort Valley had once criticized him for not being emotional enough — was taking all of this personally.
Too personally.
“It was a hard, hard loss,” Porter said. “We were going into our last two games with just one loss. To maintain that puts you under a tremendous amount of pressure that you don’t really realize.”
He ended up flat on his back in a hospital room, with doctors trying to get his heart fixed.
Porter kept asking about the scores, tried to keep his head in the game.
But the doctors recommended a year off.
The time away refocused Porter on what was important. He still loved football, but in a different way. He learned to let things go.
“At the end of that, I was in the best shape I have been in, other than when I was in the Army,” Porter said. “But I wanted to coach. Coaching is all I have ever really wanted to do.”
He would win more titles at Fort Valley, would serve as chairman of the Division II Football Committee and as president of the National Athletic Steering Committee and, after retiring, would play a key advisory role in smoothing the transition for Robinson successor Doug Williams at Grambling.
“Fort Valley was a good fit for me,” Porter said. “We found that they had a strong group of followers, and they had established a good winning tradition. As with Grambling, I was happy to be a part of that.”
Even if it always seemed to come second on his resume. Until Wednesday, when the College Hall of Fame called.
“It’s one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed,” said Williams, himself a 2001 inductee. “Nobody deserves to be rewarded more than Coach Porter.”
Porter attended the Hall of Fame ceremonies honoring Williams seven years ago, and Williams will join a burgeoning list of former students who will return the favor this summer. Porter said several Fort Valley players are organizing a group trip to South Bend, as well.
“Most people don’t know how special a coach he is,” said Harris, a Monroe native. “He coached at small schools, and that sometime means you get overlooked, but he did an outstanding job with those programs. He’s well deserving. What a great football mind.”
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For Grambling’s Porter, Hall of Fame career was about the kids
July 19, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
For Doug Porter, today will be the capstone on a career spent working with young people.
Of course, the new College Football Hall of Famer won some games along the way, too.
But that was never the point for Porter, a Grambling resident.
"To be able to touch young people," Porter said, "to get them to believe in something, that always meant so much."
The 79-year old earned membership in the College Hall’s 2008 divisional class after a 42-year career, which included 26 seasons as head coach at three small colleges. Porter also served eight seasons as an offensive coach during the legendary tenure of Grambling’s Eddie Robinson, and was athletics director at Fort Valley from 1981-97.
"He was a top football mind, someone who really knew the game," said one of Grambling’s passers at the time, James "Shack" Harris —- now a general manager with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. "Coach Porter is a leader in his right."
The National Football Foundation considers players and coaches from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), Divisions II, III, and the NAIA National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for induction in the College Hall of Fame’s divisional classes.
Porter is joined in 2008 by W.C. Gorden, who coached at Grambling’s conference foe Jackson State from 1976-91.
Four players are also to be inducted in ceremonies held today at South Bend, Ill.: Quarterback Jim Ballard (Mount Union, 1991-93); linebacker Ronald McKinnon (North Alabama, 1992-95), defensive end John Randle (Texas A&M-Kingsville, 1988-89) and halfback Brad Rowland (McMurry College, 1947-50).
Porter, who won 61 percent of the games he coached, recorded 166 career victories —- the bulk of them at Fort Valley.
There, Porter earned seven Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships between 1980-92, including four consecutive crowns from 1982-85. He advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinals in 1983 — when his team boasted the league’s offensive and defensive players of the year in Kelvin Parker and Taqwan Taylor, respectively — and to the quarterfinals in ‘85.
"I have as much respect for Coach Porter as any one I have been around," said Harris, a Monroe native who later played for the NFL’s Bills, Rams and Chargers. "As good a coach as he was, he always played his role in shadows. That couldn’t have been easy for a person of his skill."
Even working at that tiny Georgia Division II program, Porter coached three future NFL Draft picks, including first-rounder Tyrone Poole and Pro Bowl linebacker Greg Lloyd. (He also mentored some Grambling’s top quarterbacks in Harris, Matthew Reed and then Doug Williams, the future Super Bowl MVP.)
"Coach Porter is a special coach in that he would always tell you the honest truth, about football and about life," Harris said. "It sounds simple, but it’s rare. So often a coach will tell you what you want to hear. When you get a chance to work with people like Coach Porter, you become a better person yourself."
Named SIAC coach of the year seven times, Porter earned a lifetime achievement award from the All-American Football Foundation in 1998 and induction in the Mississippi Valley State Hall of Fame in 2006.
"The recognition is overwhelming," Porter said. "But the most important thing to me was to affect the lives of young people. That was satisfying."
COACH DOUG PORTER
Born: Aug. 15, 1929 in Memphis
Personal: Lives in Grambling, with wife Jean
Head coaching career: Mississippi Valley State (1961-65), Howard (1974-78), Fort Valley State (1979-85, 1987-96); also served as an offensive assistant at Grambling (1966-73) under Eddie Robinson, and has been a key advisor to each of his successors.
Career record: 166-107-5, only five losing seasons out of 26
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A SHARED EXPERIENCE: Grambling's duo of Dougs — Porter and Williams — boasts Hall of Fame friendship
July 20, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
A familiar face could be found among the crowd.
Doug Porter was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, with former player and protégé Doug Williams in attendance.
The roles had been reversed in 2001, when Williams was named to the hall's divisional class as a player. Seven years later, Porter was recognized in South Bend, Ill., for head coaching work at a trio of lower classification programs.
Porter also served from 1966-73 as an offensive assistant during the career of Grambling State's Eddie Robinson.
There, he met Doug Williams, then a young quarterback. Later, after retirement, Porter returned to become a key mentor when Williams succeeded Robinson as head coach at Grambling.
"It was big for me when Coach Porter showed up for my induction," Williams said. "When I found out that he was going in, I thought that was one of the greatest things. I got a chance to repay Coach by being there for him."
Porter won 61 percent of the games he coached, recording 166 career victories at former Division I-AA programs Mississippi Valley State (1961-65) and Howard (1974-78), then at Division II Fort Valley State (1979-97). He also served as athletics director at Fort Valley from 1981-97.
He might have won more still, had Williams followed Porter to Howard.
Williams certainly wanted to, back then.
"He was frustrated as a red shirt," Porter said. "He was running the scout team, but he felt he was better. He wasn't playing."
Porter, then as now a wise and fair man, knew the steep coaching climb ahead at Howard. But he wasn't willing to pluck Williams out of a more favorable situation.
"It wasn't in Doug's best interest to come," Porter said. "He wouldn't have been surrounded with the kind of people he had with Eddie: He wouldn't have had Dwight Scales; he wouldn't have had Sammy White — and those people were big contributors to his success. Had Williams come to us, he would have been a great quarterback, but throwing it to a group of receivers who made a lot of drops. That wouldn't have helped him."
Williams would win a pair of league championships under Robinson, success that launched him into the race for the Heisman Trophy. Williams then became a first-round NFL draft pick, and eventually earned Super Bowl MVP honors in 1988.
A lasting relationship, built as much on trust as on gridiron concepts, was forged.
Fate brought them back together in 1997, when Porter returned to Grambling upon retirement. Williams was in the midst of launching the difficult post-Robinson era — something nearly unthinkable after his stirring 57-season tenure — and Porter's guiding hand again played a key role Williams' success.
"It was Doug Porter who helped me though the whole transition," Williams said. "He wasn't looking for publicity for what he did. It wasn't hard for me to see that I needed Doug Porter close by me."
Long after retirement, Porter — the son of a coach, Memphis prep legend W.P. Porter — still possessed a keen passion for football.
"We'd sit down every day after practice and I would tell him what I felt," Porter said. "He was very amenable, though sometimes we would disagree. I could accept that, because it was his football team. The only thing I wanted to do was help him be successful."
He was: Williams, with Porter on the sidelines in an advisory role, would win a trio of Southwestern Athletic Conference titles in 2000-02, and was one game away from the championship match in both 1999 and 2003.
They now boast another bond, another shared memory in a lifetime filled with them.
"He had such an impact on my life," Williams said. "He had a lot to do with the success that I had. In my life, Coach Porter has been a Hall of Famer for a long time."
May 7, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling resident Douglas Porter, who had a five-decade long career in coaching and athletic administration, will be inducted into the College Hall of Fame.
The National Football Foundation is expected to announce the 2008 class today. Porter appeared on the lower-classification ballot.
A former assistant at Grambling State under Eddie Robinson, Porter was a head coach at former Division I-AA programs Mississippi Valley (from 1961-65) and Howard University (from 1974-78) and finally at Division II Fort Valley State (from 1979-94). He was a longtime administrator at Fort Valley, as well.
Porter’s helped establish a Valley program that had not had a winning season in five years before his first in 1963, and has only matched his three in a row (through 1965) two other times — once in the 1950s, and another under Archie Cooley beginning in 1983. His .550 winning percentage has only been bested once among MVSU coaches who stayed five or more years.
He then coached for nine seasons under Robinson, running an offense that featured future Pro Football Hall of Famer Charlie Joiner and quarterbacks James “Shack” Harris and Doug Williams, later a Super Bowl MVP.
Every Grambling senior was drafted by the NFL in 1969. In 1971, 43 GSU players were in pro football camps.
“Even when I got to Fort Valley, the lead story was always that I was formerly an assistant under Coach Eddie Robinson,” Porter said recently. “That’s what they would start with. That gave you credibility, the fact that you had worked with Coach Rob.”
Porter, who won 61 percent of the games he coached, was 30-21-2 in five seasons at Howard — part of a career record of 166 victories.
At Fort Valley, a Division II program in Georgia, Porter won six conference championships and made two NCAA playoff appearances on his way to seven league coach of the year honors.
Porter retired back to Grambling in 1997, where he became a trusted advisor to both former GSU coaches Doug Williams and Melvin Spears and current coach Rod Broadway. He has also been a steady presence in the efforts to establish a museum in Robinson’s honor.
Porter has already been inducted into the Mississippi Valley State Hall of Fame.
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OUT OF THE SHADOWS: Legendary Grambling assistant built Hall of Fame resume as a head coach too
May 12, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Until this week, Douglas Porter was most often referred to as a former assistant under Grambling State’s mythical Eddie Robinson.
Porter stood, without complaint, inside the dark outline of that coaching legend’s shadow — despite having assembled a terrific, if seldom decorated, career of his own.
“That couldn’t have been easy with a person of his skill,” said James “Shack” Harris, Porter’s first quarterbacking protégé at GSU. “He was able to do it without ego, and to do it well.”
Porter, in fact, had been a part of a larger storyline in shaping successful programs, even in the most trying of situations. He had won nearly 170 games during a trio of head coaching stints at Mississippi Valley State, Howard and Fort Valley State — a resume built far from the red clay hills of Grambling.
Recognition for those efforts came on Wednesday when Porter was announced as part of the College Hall of Fame’s 2008 divisional class for lower-classification coaches and players.
“He has never been in the limelight,” said Doug Williams, who later received mentoring from Porter at Grambling as a redshirt freshman passer. “This is one time when he gets his 15 minutes. He deserves it.”
Nothing could stop Porter’s Hall of Fame journey: Not the crushing disparities found at rural black schools like Mississippi Valley State and Grambling, the benign neglect rampant even at metropolitan institutions like Howard, the forgotten backwaters of Division II ball at Fort Valley, or even a shocking moment when his body betrayed him.
BUILDING A FOUNDATION
Porter, so happy to be taking over a program, didn’t ask too many questions upon assuming his first head coaching job at Valley.
Once he got to Itta Bena, though, the gravity of the situation became apparent.
“Hadn’t beaten Jackson, hadn’t beaten Alcorn — in ages,” Porter said, sizing up Mississippi Valley State’s performance against key league foes. “Two years before, Grambling had beaten us 93 to nothing.”
He set about building a foundation of pride. That would require more than scoring 94 points on a Saturday afternoon.
“It took us a couple of years,” Porter said. “We played a lot of freshmen, played a lot of young people. But then, it began to pay off for us.”
Though Valley had not had a winning season in five years before Porter’s first in 1963, he reeled off three in a row through 1965 — something that has only been matched in Itta Bena on two other occasions.
Grambling, it’s no surprise, was a measuring stick. That time when Robinson’s squad had nearly hung a Benjamin on the Delta Devils stuck with Porter.
He finally began to gain on Valley’s cross-conference rivals and, in the process, to earn Eddie Robinson’s respect.
Porter had gotten blown out by Grambling during their first trio of meetings — and by a combined score of 149-12. But Porter was gaining, losing by an average of about two touchdowns over the last three games
“We came down in 1965, we played in Grambling —- and we led at halftime,” Porter said. “We lost 34-20, but we had been ahead 14-7. That was a measure of where we had come. We had gotten to the point where we could play anybody on our schedule. That was what I had hoped to do when I came there.”
A year later, he was running Robinson’s offense.
Porter said the chance to work alongside an American legend at Grambling — and to mentor future Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers like Harris and Frank Lewis — made what amounted to a demotion to offensive coordinator an attractive offer.
“He was very effective in a variety of situations,” Harris said. “He was someone who really knew the game. Coach Porter was a leader in his own right. You respected him.”
Grambling won six SWAC titles in the eight years Porter served under Robinson — three of them with Harris, who compiled a 31-9-1 record at Grambling.
That period of profound success, however, was leavened by the emerging reality that Robinson was becoming professionally and personally entwined in Grambling.
This relationship, already nearly 35 seasons old, was set for life.
Porter would have to move on in order to get an opportunity to run a program. After considering an offer from Florida A&M, he left in 1974 for the Washington, D.C.-based historically black college program Howard.
“I wanted to be a head coach,” he said. “I saw that, after a few years here, there was not going to be a chance for that.
“Change,” Porter added, laughing now, “wasn’t coming.”
Porter and Robinson, in fact, both would work for another 24 seasons, but while Porter moved from Howard to Fort Valley in coaching and administrative positions, his old boss never left the helm at GSU.
UPS AND DOWNS
Porter said he soon learned that the administration at Howard didn’t have the same commitment to athletics that he had become used to at Grambling under Robinson and then-president R.W.E. Jones.
Porter would finish with a winning record, but he’s always been left with the sense that he could have done better than his 30-21-2 mark over five seasons in D.C.
“I thought at that time that the best move for me and my future in football was Howard,” Porter said. “It didn’t turn out to be that way.”
Just over the horizon, however, was Fort Valley, where Porter would coach — save for one year — from 1979-97, and serve as athletics director from 1981-97.
“In all things that I have been involved with — people might think this is a little sanctimonious — I felt that the Lord has a way of directing you to go certain places and do certain things,” Porter said. “I was glad to get out of that situation.”
The then-current athletics director at Fort Valley was one of Porter’s college coaches. The school president had a child who attended Grambling during Porter’s tenure there.
And middle Georgia residents, like those in rural north Louisiana, boast a deep-seated love affair with football.
“There weren’t the same resources they had at Grambling, but the commitment to support the program was just as great,” Porter said.
He’d capture seven Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships between 1980-92, including four in a row from 1982-85.
“It definitely didn’t surprise me that he was able to leave and do well,” said Harris, now a top front-office executive in the NFL. “Some people are destined for success; he was one of those kinds of people.”
Five years after taking over, Fort Valley was winning its league title with both the offensive and defensive players of the year.
But Porter, after so long on the sidelines, was beginning to fray. An in-season heart attack during his seventh campaign at Fort Valley sent him into spiraling introspection.
'A GREAT FOOTBALL MIND'
Fort Valley has begun that impressive string of championships in the 1980s running an offense that bore little resemblance to the attack associated with Robinson’s Grambling teams.
Recruiting into a Division II program had something to do with it.
“I didn’t have the offensive linemen that it would take to run the Wing T,” Porter said. “You need guys who have a lot of athletic ability to be successful. It was easier for us to find kids we could teach to pass block and drive block.”
By ‘85, Fort Valley had developed a powerful defense to match that offensive power, too, leading the lower classification in several categories. Opponents were often held under a touchdown, and to minus-yards rushing.
But these low-scoring matches — coupled with newly founded, Grambling-like expectations of winning — took their toll, creating a pressure-cooker environment.
Fort Valley, ranked No. 2, came into a game against No. 1 Central State and fell 14-7.
A coach known for his easy-going nature — in fact, some at Fort Valley had once criticized him for not being emotional enough — was taking all of this personally.
Too personally.
“It was a hard, hard loss,” Porter said. “We were going into our last two games with just one loss. To maintain that puts you under a tremendous amount of pressure that you don’t really realize.”
He ended up flat on his back in a hospital room, with doctors trying to get his heart fixed.
Porter kept asking about the scores, tried to keep his head in the game.
But the doctors recommended a year off.
The time away refocused Porter on what was important. He still loved football, but in a different way. He learned to let things go.
“At the end of that, I was in the best shape I have been in, other than when I was in the Army,” Porter said. “But I wanted to coach. Coaching is all I have ever really wanted to do.”
He would win more titles at Fort Valley, would serve as chairman of the Division II Football Committee and as president of the National Athletic Steering Committee and, after retiring, would play a key advisory role in smoothing the transition for Robinson successor Doug Williams at Grambling.
“Fort Valley was a good fit for me,” Porter said. “We found that they had a strong group of followers, and they had established a good winning tradition. As with Grambling, I was happy to be a part of that.”
Even if it always seemed to come second on his resume. Until Wednesday, when the College Hall of Fame called.
“It’s one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed,” said Williams, himself a 2001 inductee. “Nobody deserves to be rewarded more than Coach Porter.”
Porter attended the Hall of Fame ceremonies honoring Williams seven years ago, and Williams will join a burgeoning list of former students who will return the favor this summer. Porter said several Fort Valley players are organizing a group trip to South Bend, as well.
“Most people don’t know how special a coach he is,” said Harris, a Monroe native. “He coached at small schools, and that sometime means you get overlooked, but he did an outstanding job with those programs. He’s well deserving. What a great football mind.”
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For Grambling’s Porter, Hall of Fame career was about the kids
July 19, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
For Doug Porter, today will be the capstone on a career spent working with young people.
Of course, the new College Football Hall of Famer won some games along the way, too.
But that was never the point for Porter, a Grambling resident.
"To be able to touch young people," Porter said, "to get them to believe in something, that always meant so much."
The 79-year old earned membership in the College Hall’s 2008 divisional class after a 42-year career, which included 26 seasons as head coach at three small colleges. Porter also served eight seasons as an offensive coach during the legendary tenure of Grambling’s Eddie Robinson, and was athletics director at Fort Valley from 1981-97.
"He was a top football mind, someone who really knew the game," said one of Grambling’s passers at the time, James "Shack" Harris —- now a general manager with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. "Coach Porter is a leader in his right."
The National Football Foundation considers players and coaches from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), Divisions II, III, and the NAIA National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for induction in the College Hall of Fame’s divisional classes.
Porter is joined in 2008 by W.C. Gorden, who coached at Grambling’s conference foe Jackson State from 1976-91.
Four players are also to be inducted in ceremonies held today at South Bend, Ill.: Quarterback Jim Ballard (Mount Union, 1991-93); linebacker Ronald McKinnon (North Alabama, 1992-95), defensive end John Randle (Texas A&M-Kingsville, 1988-89) and halfback Brad Rowland (McMurry College, 1947-50).
Porter, who won 61 percent of the games he coached, recorded 166 career victories —- the bulk of them at Fort Valley.
There, Porter earned seven Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships between 1980-92, including four consecutive crowns from 1982-85. He advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinals in 1983 — when his team boasted the league’s offensive and defensive players of the year in Kelvin Parker and Taqwan Taylor, respectively — and to the quarterfinals in ‘85.
"I have as much respect for Coach Porter as any one I have been around," said Harris, a Monroe native who later played for the NFL’s Bills, Rams and Chargers. "As good a coach as he was, he always played his role in shadows. That couldn’t have been easy for a person of his skill."
Even working at that tiny Georgia Division II program, Porter coached three future NFL Draft picks, including first-rounder Tyrone Poole and Pro Bowl linebacker Greg Lloyd. (He also mentored some Grambling’s top quarterbacks in Harris, Matthew Reed and then Doug Williams, the future Super Bowl MVP.)
"Coach Porter is a special coach in that he would always tell you the honest truth, about football and about life," Harris said. "It sounds simple, but it’s rare. So often a coach will tell you what you want to hear. When you get a chance to work with people like Coach Porter, you become a better person yourself."
Named SIAC coach of the year seven times, Porter earned a lifetime achievement award from the All-American Football Foundation in 1998 and induction in the Mississippi Valley State Hall of Fame in 2006.
"The recognition is overwhelming," Porter said. "But the most important thing to me was to affect the lives of young people. That was satisfying."
COACH DOUG PORTER
Born: Aug. 15, 1929 in Memphis
Personal: Lives in Grambling, with wife Jean
Head coaching career: Mississippi Valley State (1961-65), Howard (1974-78), Fort Valley State (1979-85, 1987-96); also served as an offensive assistant at Grambling (1966-73) under Eddie Robinson, and has been a key advisor to each of his successors.
Career record: 166-107-5, only five losing seasons out of 26
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A SHARED EXPERIENCE: Grambling's duo of Dougs — Porter and Williams — boasts Hall of Fame friendship
July 20, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
A familiar face could be found among the crowd.
Doug Porter was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, with former player and protégé Doug Williams in attendance.
The roles had been reversed in 2001, when Williams was named to the hall's divisional class as a player. Seven years later, Porter was recognized in South Bend, Ill., for head coaching work at a trio of lower classification programs.
Porter also served from 1966-73 as an offensive assistant during the career of Grambling State's Eddie Robinson.
There, he met Doug Williams, then a young quarterback. Later, after retirement, Porter returned to become a key mentor when Williams succeeded Robinson as head coach at Grambling.
"It was big for me when Coach Porter showed up for my induction," Williams said. "When I found out that he was going in, I thought that was one of the greatest things. I got a chance to repay Coach by being there for him."
Porter won 61 percent of the games he coached, recording 166 career victories at former Division I-AA programs Mississippi Valley State (1961-65) and Howard (1974-78), then at Division II Fort Valley State (1979-97). He also served as athletics director at Fort Valley from 1981-97.
He might have won more still, had Williams followed Porter to Howard.
Williams certainly wanted to, back then.
"He was frustrated as a red shirt," Porter said. "He was running the scout team, but he felt he was better. He wasn't playing."
Porter, then as now a wise and fair man, knew the steep coaching climb ahead at Howard. But he wasn't willing to pluck Williams out of a more favorable situation.
"It wasn't in Doug's best interest to come," Porter said. "He wouldn't have been surrounded with the kind of people he had with Eddie: He wouldn't have had Dwight Scales; he wouldn't have had Sammy White — and those people were big contributors to his success. Had Williams come to us, he would have been a great quarterback, but throwing it to a group of receivers who made a lot of drops. That wouldn't have helped him."
Williams would win a pair of league championships under Robinson, success that launched him into the race for the Heisman Trophy. Williams then became a first-round NFL draft pick, and eventually earned Super Bowl MVP honors in 1988.
A lasting relationship, built as much on trust as on gridiron concepts, was forged.
Fate brought them back together in 1997, when Porter returned to Grambling upon retirement. Williams was in the midst of launching the difficult post-Robinson era — something nearly unthinkable after his stirring 57-season tenure — and Porter's guiding hand again played a key role Williams' success.
"It was Doug Porter who helped me though the whole transition," Williams said. "He wasn't looking for publicity for what he did. It wasn't hard for me to see that I needed Doug Porter close by me."
Long after retirement, Porter — the son of a coach, Memphis prep legend W.P. Porter — still possessed a keen passion for football.
"We'd sit down every day after practice and I would tell him what I felt," Porter said. "He was very amenable, though sometimes we would disagree. I could accept that, because it was his football team. The only thing I wanted to do was help him be successful."
He was: Williams, with Porter on the sidelines in an advisory role, would win a trio of Southwestern Athletic Conference titles in 2000-02, and was one game away from the championship match in both 1999 and 2003.
They now boast another bond, another shared memory in a lifetime filled with them.
"He had such an impact on my life," Williams said. "He had a lot to do with the success that I had. In my life, Coach Porter has been a Hall of Famer for a long time."
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The time that Gruden came to Grambling
Gruden in Grambling: Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach tours GSU campus
June 2, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — It gave Jon Gruden pause.
The Super Bowl-winning coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stood for a long moment, looking around the practice fields adjacent to Robinson Stadium, taking it all in.
"Did (the late GSU) Coach (Eddie) Robinson coach right here?" Gruden said, quietly. "This is sacred ground."
In northern Louisiana for today's third annual Doug Williams-Shack Harris benefit celebrity golf tournament, Gruden had asked the former Grambling State quarterbacking greats to give him a tour of their former school.
That included a raucous trip to the campus bookstore — where, once word of his visit began to spread by cellular phone and text messaging, Gruden quickly attracted dozens of picture-and autograph-seeking locals.
He even removed one of his now-familiar visors, and replaced it with a new Grambling hat — which Gruden wore during the rest of the visit.
"Unbelievable players, unbelievable tradition," Gruden said. "I've been wanting to come here my whole life, really."
Williams, who, along with Harris, represents an important cornerstone in that legacy, works with Gruden as an executive in charge of personnel for the Buccaneers — the NFL franchise that selected him as a first-rounder out of Grambling in 1978.
Gruden was a ballboy for the club back then.
"For me, it's almost unexplainable," a beaming Williams said. "This is something Gruden really wanted to do. It says a lot that he would take time out. He could have come in and just played in the golf tournament, but he wanted to make sure he got a chance to come to Grambling. He thinks that much of this place."
Gruden looked every bit the GSU fan after filling a bag full of Grambling-themed items at the bookstore, quickly totaling more than $150 in sales. He bought a T-shirt with Robinson's likeness, a golf shirt with the Grambling logo, and several hats — which he then had signed by Eddie Robinson Jr., son of the late coaching legend.
"The number of Hall of Famers who came out of here," Gruden said to Robinson Jr. "I admired your dad so much. I've got so much respect for everything that happened here."
Gruden also asked about the planned museum in Robinson's honor, which will be housed in the former women's gymnasium on the Grambling campus.
"It's a milestone," Robinson Jr. said, moments before the assembled group began snapping pictures of him with Gruden. "Imagine that: He's on Grambling soil. What a great thing."
Gruden, personable and gracious throughout the nearly hour-long visit, would eventually take scores of photographs with the growing crowd.
GSU students Chea Hudgins and Kara Burke took one set of shots, found that some didn't come out just right, then returned for another round of photos. Gruden happily obliged, then signed several autographs, as well.
Later, a tour through the campus included stops at Robinson Stadium and the former site of Memorial Stadium — where Williams and Harris, a Monroe native, starred as quarterbacks for Robinson in 1960s and '70s.
"It's exciting," Gruden said. "You're looking at the stadium where all the magic happened."
They also paused for a moment Robinson's modest brick home on Adams Street in Grambling.
Gruden said he wanted to make this pilgrimage last year, when he served as de facto emcee during the Shreveport-based golf tournament reception, but couldn't fit the trip into his schedule.
He came a day early this time, piling into a van with Harris, Williams and several others — including former Tampa Bay tight end Jimmy Giles — and traveling to Lincoln Parish from Shreveport on Sunday afternoon. They played a round of golf at nearby Squire Creek before heading to Grambling.
"He made sure he had a chance to do it this year," Williams said. "I think that speaks volumes about the kind of guy he is — and the respect that he has for Grambling and its players. He absolutely loves all of this."
June 2, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — It gave Jon Gruden pause.
The Super Bowl-winning coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stood for a long moment, looking around the practice fields adjacent to Robinson Stadium, taking it all in.
"Did (the late GSU) Coach (Eddie) Robinson coach right here?" Gruden said, quietly. "This is sacred ground."
In northern Louisiana for today's third annual Doug Williams-Shack Harris benefit celebrity golf tournament, Gruden had asked the former Grambling State quarterbacking greats to give him a tour of their former school.
That included a raucous trip to the campus bookstore — where, once word of his visit began to spread by cellular phone and text messaging, Gruden quickly attracted dozens of picture-and autograph-seeking locals.
He even removed one of his now-familiar visors, and replaced it with a new Grambling hat — which Gruden wore during the rest of the visit.
"Unbelievable players, unbelievable tradition," Gruden said. "I've been wanting to come here my whole life, really."
Williams, who, along with Harris, represents an important cornerstone in that legacy, works with Gruden as an executive in charge of personnel for the Buccaneers — the NFL franchise that selected him as a first-rounder out of Grambling in 1978.
Gruden was a ballboy for the club back then.
"For me, it's almost unexplainable," a beaming Williams said. "This is something Gruden really wanted to do. It says a lot that he would take time out. He could have come in and just played in the golf tournament, but he wanted to make sure he got a chance to come to Grambling. He thinks that much of this place."
Gruden looked every bit the GSU fan after filling a bag full of Grambling-themed items at the bookstore, quickly totaling more than $150 in sales. He bought a T-shirt with Robinson's likeness, a golf shirt with the Grambling logo, and several hats — which he then had signed by Eddie Robinson Jr., son of the late coaching legend.
"The number of Hall of Famers who came out of here," Gruden said to Robinson Jr. "I admired your dad so much. I've got so much respect for everything that happened here."
Gruden also asked about the planned museum in Robinson's honor, which will be housed in the former women's gymnasium on the Grambling campus.
"It's a milestone," Robinson Jr. said, moments before the assembled group began snapping pictures of him with Gruden. "Imagine that: He's on Grambling soil. What a great thing."
Gruden, personable and gracious throughout the nearly hour-long visit, would eventually take scores of photographs with the growing crowd.
GSU students Chea Hudgins and Kara Burke took one set of shots, found that some didn't come out just right, then returned for another round of photos. Gruden happily obliged, then signed several autographs, as well.
Later, a tour through the campus included stops at Robinson Stadium and the former site of Memorial Stadium — where Williams and Harris, a Monroe native, starred as quarterbacks for Robinson in 1960s and '70s.
"It's exciting," Gruden said. "You're looking at the stadium where all the magic happened."
They also paused for a moment Robinson's modest brick home on Adams Street in Grambling.
Gruden said he wanted to make this pilgrimage last year, when he served as de facto emcee during the Shreveport-based golf tournament reception, but couldn't fit the trip into his schedule.
He came a day early this time, piling into a van with Harris, Williams and several others — including former Tampa Bay tight end Jimmy Giles — and traveling to Lincoln Parish from Shreveport on Sunday afternoon. They played a round of golf at nearby Squire Creek before heading to Grambling.
"He made sure he had a chance to do it this year," Williams said. "I think that speaks volumes about the kind of guy he is — and the respect that he has for Grambling and its players. He absolutely loves all of this."
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Recruiting: South side of Monroe has been a Grambling talent pipeline
Grambling's great provider
South side of Monroe has been talent pipeline
February 6, 2006
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - James Harris grew up right around the corner from Sammy White.
Who lived down the way from Lane Howell. Who lived near a street that would eventually produce a flinty talent named Brandon Landers.
Who shares a zip code with Desmond Lenard.
The south side of Monroe sent them all to Grambling State, in an unbroken storyline that continued through last week's National Signing Day.
"I grew up in that neighborhood," said Sammy White, a Richwood product who played and now coaches at GSU as offensive coordinator. "It gives me great joy to see where these guys progress and how they move along."
In 1965, a Carroll High product was quarterback at Grambling. Forty years later, Landers is likely to follow Harris into the role.
White was a star wingback for former GSU coach Eddie Robinson - after winning both football and basketball titles at Richwood in the early 1970s. Lenard, Carroll's wingback last season, committed to Grambling after earning All-Northeast honors as a kick returner.
Derrick Wilhite, a 2006 signee out of Wossman, contributes to a legacy that includes ex-Wildcats assistant Lee Fobbs, a former player under Robinson, and current defensive back Bakari Guice.
"There's no question that the south side of Monroe has added to that Grambling mystique," said GSU coach Melvin Spears. "From the Howells to James Harris to Goldie Sellers and on down to Brandon Landers - our freshman sensation in '04."
Landers shot to conference freshman of the year honors in relief of injured quarterback Bruce Eugene, then redshirted last year when Eugene returned for a final season of eligibility.
"I think this is a good place for finding highly skilled athletes - and that's true at many inner-city schools," said Carroll coach Jesse Smith Sr., who is also a Grambling product.
"There is a lot of talent in this area. I think that through the years, we've proven that."
Carroll's connection to GSU goes deeper than the head coach.
Back in 2001, current Bulldogs assistant Levi Washington Jr. led all receivers in yards as Grambling won the second of three straight SWAC titles. The team uses an offense patterned on GSU's, as well.
So, it's perhaps no surprise that Carroll split end Jesse Smith Jr. joined Lenard in signing with Grambling last week - along with teammates Derrick Johnson and Xavier Lee, both of whom play linebacker.
In the end, though, all three of the southside schools - notably Richwood and, more recently, Wossman - have been an important thread through the tapestry of Grambling's football legacy.
"It's great coming from that tradition," said Landers. "I'd like to have that same impact - not only as a player, but as an individual."
Harris, perhaps the south side's most legendary product, led Grambling to 31-9-1 record between 1965-68, winning a conference title every single year. He was voted the team's most valuable player his final two seasons.
But Landers reminds, Harris' most important contribution came after he left Grambling.
Harris would become the first black athlete to be drafted as a quarterback. His NFL career - which included stops in Buffalo, Los Angeles and San Diego - was capped by an MVP performance in the 1974 Pro Bowl.
Harris later moved into even more rarified air, working in the front offices of Baltimore and currently Jacksonville as one of the NFL's highest ranking black executives.
Smith said Grambling provided a platform in that journey, and for the scores of southside youths who followed him.
"Anytime you've got a kid who goes on and does well, that's an example that you can stir these kids with," said Smith. "It makes them understand that you can dream and it can happen."
Carroll's Lane Howell, a two-way lineman for Robinson, was the first of three brothers to star at Grambling, beginning in 1960. Michael, a cornerback nicknamed "Trackdown," followed two seasons later. Delles, another defensive back, would arrive seven seasons later - but by then the family had moved to California.
Grambling won its first Southwestern Athletic Conference title with Lane up front, establishing a 23-5-2 mark between 1960-62. Michael's 1964 squad went 9-3, winning the Sugar Cup over Bishop before falling in the Orange Blossom Classic.
One of Michael's teammates that season was cornerback Goldie "Spider" Sellers, a Winnsboro native who eventually moved to the south side and played for Richwood.
In 2004, White joined Harris in the SWAC Hall of Fame, recognition for a career that included three conference championships and co-offensive player of the year honors in 1975 at Grambling.
"It was passed down to me," said White, later an NFL rookie of the year at Minnesota. "James Harris and Delles took me to a Grambling basketball game when I was in junior high. I was always around it. There were other places I could have played, but this was the only place I was ever going."
Quarterback Matthew Reed, born in Winnfield, would prove so dominant at Richwood that he once threw nine touchdowns in a single game. Later, he was named Grambling's MVP as a junior, then made All-America as a senior in the early 1970s.
White grew up idolizing Amos Augustine and Charlie "Tank" Smith at Richwood, then played after them at Grambling. Between 1968-71, former Carroll guard Solomon Freelon Jr. protected Harris, Reed and Frank Holmes.
White says many of those greats called a neighborhood known as Bryant's Addition home. He still scouts for talent there, giving another generation the Grambling road map out of one of the area's most impoverished communities.
"The thing about it is, we thought we were pretty good - and these guys could be that too," said White. "It's all about hard work."
Landers, for his part, says he can't account for the staggering impact such a small geographic area has had on Grambling. But, when he's home, he sees the next group working to get there.
"If you ride around, you see little kids out playing in empty lots and at the rec centers - and that's year-round," said Landers. "They're playing everything too, just like we did. Football, basketball, baseball. With small schools, you've got guys going both ways, playing all sports. That makes you better. Who knows? One of those kids could follow me someday."
South side of Monroe has been talent pipeline
February 6, 2006
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - James Harris grew up right around the corner from Sammy White.
Who lived down the way from Lane Howell. Who lived near a street that would eventually produce a flinty talent named Brandon Landers.
Who shares a zip code with Desmond Lenard.
The south side of Monroe sent them all to Grambling State, in an unbroken storyline that continued through last week's National Signing Day.
"I grew up in that neighborhood," said Sammy White, a Richwood product who played and now coaches at GSU as offensive coordinator. "It gives me great joy to see where these guys progress and how they move along."
In 1965, a Carroll High product was quarterback at Grambling. Forty years later, Landers is likely to follow Harris into the role.
White was a star wingback for former GSU coach Eddie Robinson - after winning both football and basketball titles at Richwood in the early 1970s. Lenard, Carroll's wingback last season, committed to Grambling after earning All-Northeast honors as a kick returner.
Derrick Wilhite, a 2006 signee out of Wossman, contributes to a legacy that includes ex-Wildcats assistant Lee Fobbs, a former player under Robinson, and current defensive back Bakari Guice.
"There's no question that the south side of Monroe has added to that Grambling mystique," said GSU coach Melvin Spears. "From the Howells to James Harris to Goldie Sellers and on down to Brandon Landers - our freshman sensation in '04."
Landers shot to conference freshman of the year honors in relief of injured quarterback Bruce Eugene, then redshirted last year when Eugene returned for a final season of eligibility.
"I think this is a good place for finding highly skilled athletes - and that's true at many inner-city schools," said Carroll coach Jesse Smith Sr., who is also a Grambling product.
"There is a lot of talent in this area. I think that through the years, we've proven that."
Carroll's connection to GSU goes deeper than the head coach.
Back in 2001, current Bulldogs assistant Levi Washington Jr. led all receivers in yards as Grambling won the second of three straight SWAC titles. The team uses an offense patterned on GSU's, as well.
So, it's perhaps no surprise that Carroll split end Jesse Smith Jr. joined Lenard in signing with Grambling last week - along with teammates Derrick Johnson and Xavier Lee, both of whom play linebacker.
In the end, though, all three of the southside schools - notably Richwood and, more recently, Wossman - have been an important thread through the tapestry of Grambling's football legacy.
"It's great coming from that tradition," said Landers. "I'd like to have that same impact - not only as a player, but as an individual."
Harris, perhaps the south side's most legendary product, led Grambling to 31-9-1 record between 1965-68, winning a conference title every single year. He was voted the team's most valuable player his final two seasons.
But Landers reminds, Harris' most important contribution came after he left Grambling.
Harris would become the first black athlete to be drafted as a quarterback. His NFL career - which included stops in Buffalo, Los Angeles and San Diego - was capped by an MVP performance in the 1974 Pro Bowl.
Harris later moved into even more rarified air, working in the front offices of Baltimore and currently Jacksonville as one of the NFL's highest ranking black executives.
Smith said Grambling provided a platform in that journey, and for the scores of southside youths who followed him.
"Anytime you've got a kid who goes on and does well, that's an example that you can stir these kids with," said Smith. "It makes them understand that you can dream and it can happen."
Carroll's Lane Howell, a two-way lineman for Robinson, was the first of three brothers to star at Grambling, beginning in 1960. Michael, a cornerback nicknamed "Trackdown," followed two seasons later. Delles, another defensive back, would arrive seven seasons later - but by then the family had moved to California.
Grambling won its first Southwestern Athletic Conference title with Lane up front, establishing a 23-5-2 mark between 1960-62. Michael's 1964 squad went 9-3, winning the Sugar Cup over Bishop before falling in the Orange Blossom Classic.
One of Michael's teammates that season was cornerback Goldie "Spider" Sellers, a Winnsboro native who eventually moved to the south side and played for Richwood.
In 2004, White joined Harris in the SWAC Hall of Fame, recognition for a career that included three conference championships and co-offensive player of the year honors in 1975 at Grambling.
"It was passed down to me," said White, later an NFL rookie of the year at Minnesota. "James Harris and Delles took me to a Grambling basketball game when I was in junior high. I was always around it. There were other places I could have played, but this was the only place I was ever going."
Quarterback Matthew Reed, born in Winnfield, would prove so dominant at Richwood that he once threw nine touchdowns in a single game. Later, he was named Grambling's MVP as a junior, then made All-America as a senior in the early 1970s.
White grew up idolizing Amos Augustine and Charlie "Tank" Smith at Richwood, then played after them at Grambling. Between 1968-71, former Carroll guard Solomon Freelon Jr. protected Harris, Reed and Frank Holmes.
White says many of those greats called a neighborhood known as Bryant's Addition home. He still scouts for talent there, giving another generation the Grambling road map out of one of the area's most impoverished communities.
"The thing about it is, we thought we were pretty good - and these guys could be that too," said White. "It's all about hard work."
Landers, for his part, says he can't account for the staggering impact such a small geographic area has had on Grambling. But, when he's home, he sees the next group working to get there.
"If you ride around, you see little kids out playing in empty lots and at the rec centers - and that's year-round," said Landers. "They're playing everything too, just like we did. Football, basketball, baseball. With small schools, you've got guys going both ways, playing all sports. That makes you better. Who knows? One of those kids could follow me someday."
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The time that the Robinson Museum was (finally) funded
State considers $1.3M for Robinson Museum
Long-delayed project, first proposed 8 years ago, in line to receive funding for first time
May 17, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Earlier this month, the long-delayed Eddie Robinson Museum project found a home.
Today, supporters hope it will receive funding.
The state's Bond Commission will consider a $1.3 million line of credit, money to be used for renovating exhibit space on campus and hiring an exhibit designer.
"The other day was a big one, when we got the building," said local fundraiser and Robinson family friend Wilbert Ellis, "but this will be even greater because we will have the funds to do all the things we've dreamed of."
At Grambling from 1941-97, Robinson retired as the winningest football coach in college history with 408 wins — leading the Tigers to 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference titles over the years. He passed away on April 3 at age 88, sparking renewed interest across the nation in this project.
The museum was first proposed eight years ago — two years after Robinson's retirement at Grambling and several before the onset of the Alzheimer's-related symptoms.
One of the points of contention for years was where the museum would be located, though that was resolved when Grambling and its oversight board agreed to transfer the school's former women's gymnasium for exhibit space.
More consistent has been the issue of funding.
A temporary exhibit of Robinson-related items opened in the lobby of the GSU Stadium Support Facility in June 2005. But Hurricane Katrina's devastation drew away whatever resources might have come from the state to build on that momentum.
The Robinson Museum, organizers say, has never been closer to becoming a reality.
"What the $1.3 million will do for the museum," said governor-appointed commission chairman John Belton, "is allow us to hire an architect, commission the museum exihibit designer as well as a local contractors to renovate and design the building that will hopefully become one of the top museums in the state of Louisiana."
The project's closest brush with funding had previously come as former Gov. Mike Foster prepared to leave office, when he approved a wide variety of favored projects. His final state budget for fiscal year 2004 included $5.5 million dollars earmarked for the Grambling facility.
But the Robinson museum was part of nearly $700 million in projects slashed by his successor, Kathleen Blanco, in an effort at budget balancing.
Renovation costs for the gym — Robinson coached basketball there early in his career — have been estimated at $3 million to $4 million. An additional $2 million, Ellis said, would likely be required to complete the space — money that will need to come from outsider donors.
The museum will be a part of the Department of State Museums Program, administered by the secretary of state.
Jay Dardenne, the third person to serve in that role since the museum board was formed, took over in February — and quickly discovered that it could become the centerpiece for larger economic and tourism goals.
"He's a true Louisiana legend, the benchmark for coaching," said Dardenne, who spoke at Robinson's local memorial. "There is such a broad base of respect for Eddie Robinson as some one who influenced young lives."
The project was originally mentioned during the Louisiana Legislature's 1999 session, when then-Sen. Randy Ewing introduced Senate Bill No. 919. That bill, co-sponsored by the late Rep. Pinky Wilkerson of Grambling and several others, created the commission that has worked off and on since to develop a Robinson museum.
"From '99 up until this point, we've come a long way," said Ellis, a longtime former Grambling baseball coach and athletics administrator. "We are making some progress. We are just going to keep taking it one step at a time until we get there. But we'll get there."
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Robinson Museum, finally, gets more than a million in state funds
May 18, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The long-delayed Eddie Robinson Museum is, all of a sudden, on a roll.
Eight years after first being proposed, the project received quick approval on Thursday from the Bond Commission for state funding of $1.3 million.
"It took less than five minutes," said local museum fundraiser and Robinson family friend Wilbert Ellis. "They made a motion, and it was done."
Organizers sought the money for renovating exhibit space on campus and hiring an exhibit designer, said board-appointed museum board chairman John Belton.
"In 12 to 18 months, we will be able to see one of the greatest museums in the state of Louisiana," Belton said. "I'm looking forward to that day."
The commission voted unanimously to shift $300,000 from an administration project for repairs on state facilities to the museum project, transforming that allocation into available cash.
Another $1 million was allocated as a non-cash line of credit, which means museum officials can make agreements to begin the project — which the state budget will then fund.
State Treasurer John N. Kennedy, who chairs the Bond Commission, said: "We wanted to fast-track this. That's why we did it with lines of credit. They can move right along and get it done."
The Thursday funding came less than a month after Grambling State's oversight board approved transfer of the former women's gymnasium for exhibit space on the Grambling State campus where Robinson coached for 57 years.
At GSU from 1941-97, Robinson retired as the winningest football coach in college history with 408 wins — leading the Tigers to 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference titles over the years. He died on April 3 at age 88, sparking renewed interest across the nation in this project.
"We've had Coach with us that whole time," Ellis said. "I think he's working right along with us on this. I feel Coach's hand in all of it."
This museum was first proposed eight years ago — two years after Robinson's retirement at Grambling and several before the onset of the Alzheimer's-related symptoms that ultimately led to his death.
But these are the first state funds ever specifically earmarked for it.
"We are on our way," said an enthused Ellis, a former longtime GSU baseball coach and athletics administrator. "This is the booster shot we needed! I'm tickled to death."
The museum will be a part of the Department of State Museums Program, administered by the secretary of state.
Long-delayed project, first proposed 8 years ago, in line to receive funding for first time
May 17, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Earlier this month, the long-delayed Eddie Robinson Museum project found a home.
Today, supporters hope it will receive funding.
The state's Bond Commission will consider a $1.3 million line of credit, money to be used for renovating exhibit space on campus and hiring an exhibit designer.
"The other day was a big one, when we got the building," said local fundraiser and Robinson family friend Wilbert Ellis, "but this will be even greater because we will have the funds to do all the things we've dreamed of."
At Grambling from 1941-97, Robinson retired as the winningest football coach in college history with 408 wins — leading the Tigers to 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference titles over the years. He passed away on April 3 at age 88, sparking renewed interest across the nation in this project.
The museum was first proposed eight years ago — two years after Robinson's retirement at Grambling and several before the onset of the Alzheimer's-related symptoms.
One of the points of contention for years was where the museum would be located, though that was resolved when Grambling and its oversight board agreed to transfer the school's former women's gymnasium for exhibit space.
More consistent has been the issue of funding.
A temporary exhibit of Robinson-related items opened in the lobby of the GSU Stadium Support Facility in June 2005. But Hurricane Katrina's devastation drew away whatever resources might have come from the state to build on that momentum.
The Robinson Museum, organizers say, has never been closer to becoming a reality.
"What the $1.3 million will do for the museum," said governor-appointed commission chairman John Belton, "is allow us to hire an architect, commission the museum exihibit designer as well as a local contractors to renovate and design the building that will hopefully become one of the top museums in the state of Louisiana."
The project's closest brush with funding had previously come as former Gov. Mike Foster prepared to leave office, when he approved a wide variety of favored projects. His final state budget for fiscal year 2004 included $5.5 million dollars earmarked for the Grambling facility.
But the Robinson museum was part of nearly $700 million in projects slashed by his successor, Kathleen Blanco, in an effort at budget balancing.
Renovation costs for the gym — Robinson coached basketball there early in his career — have been estimated at $3 million to $4 million. An additional $2 million, Ellis said, would likely be required to complete the space — money that will need to come from outsider donors.
The museum will be a part of the Department of State Museums Program, administered by the secretary of state.
Jay Dardenne, the third person to serve in that role since the museum board was formed, took over in February — and quickly discovered that it could become the centerpiece for larger economic and tourism goals.
"He's a true Louisiana legend, the benchmark for coaching," said Dardenne, who spoke at Robinson's local memorial. "There is such a broad base of respect for Eddie Robinson as some one who influenced young lives."
The project was originally mentioned during the Louisiana Legislature's 1999 session, when then-Sen. Randy Ewing introduced Senate Bill No. 919. That bill, co-sponsored by the late Rep. Pinky Wilkerson of Grambling and several others, created the commission that has worked off and on since to develop a Robinson museum.
"From '99 up until this point, we've come a long way," said Ellis, a longtime former Grambling baseball coach and athletics administrator. "We are making some progress. We are just going to keep taking it one step at a time until we get there. But we'll get there."
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Robinson Museum, finally, gets more than a million in state funds
May 18, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The long-delayed Eddie Robinson Museum is, all of a sudden, on a roll.
Eight years after first being proposed, the project received quick approval on Thursday from the Bond Commission for state funding of $1.3 million.
"It took less than five minutes," said local museum fundraiser and Robinson family friend Wilbert Ellis. "They made a motion, and it was done."
Organizers sought the money for renovating exhibit space on campus and hiring an exhibit designer, said board-appointed museum board chairman John Belton.
"In 12 to 18 months, we will be able to see one of the greatest museums in the state of Louisiana," Belton said. "I'm looking forward to that day."
The commission voted unanimously to shift $300,000 from an administration project for repairs on state facilities to the museum project, transforming that allocation into available cash.
Another $1 million was allocated as a non-cash line of credit, which means museum officials can make agreements to begin the project — which the state budget will then fund.
State Treasurer John N. Kennedy, who chairs the Bond Commission, said: "We wanted to fast-track this. That's why we did it with lines of credit. They can move right along and get it done."
The Thursday funding came less than a month after Grambling State's oversight board approved transfer of the former women's gymnasium for exhibit space on the Grambling State campus where Robinson coached for 57 years.
At GSU from 1941-97, Robinson retired as the winningest football coach in college history with 408 wins — leading the Tigers to 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference titles over the years. He died on April 3 at age 88, sparking renewed interest across the nation in this project.
"We've had Coach with us that whole time," Ellis said. "I think he's working right along with us on this. I feel Coach's hand in all of it."
This museum was first proposed eight years ago — two years after Robinson's retirement at Grambling and several before the onset of the Alzheimer's-related symptoms that ultimately led to his death.
But these are the first state funds ever specifically earmarked for it.
"We are on our way," said an enthused Ellis, a former longtime GSU baseball coach and athletics administrator. "This is the booster shot we needed! I'm tickled to death."
The museum will be a part of the Department of State Museums Program, administered by the secretary of state.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Grambling greats: Kenneth Pettway
Pettway brings lightning to GSU defense
October 29, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The Grambling State defense calls itself the Black Front.
"Coming to get you," junior Grambling State linebacker Kenneth Pettway says, with some menace. "Any time. Any day."
Like most fronts, this gathering storm has lightning around its edges.
Pettway was been that lightning - never more so than last week, as GSU's defense held Jackson State scoreless in the second half, securing a muddy 24-17 comeback win. He notched a team-leading 11 tackles - and 10 of them were solo.
"He's like a gazelle - a long, lean gazelle," says Grambling State coach Doug Williams. "He's all over the field."
Pettway also had two crushing sacks - JSU's quarterback eventually had to leave the game - and one forced fumble.
"We expect so much from him," says Tigers defensive coordinator Heishma Northern, "because he's so fast."
Track star fast - but from a guy who is 6-4 and 240.
In fact, Pettway was a four-sport performer at Gilmer High in Houston - earning letters in football, basketball, baseball and, yes, track - before signing with the University of Southern Arkansas. He holds the Gilmer school record in the discus.
But since transferring to Grambling State, all he's been throwing around are opposing offensive starters.
Pettway leads the Tigers this season in tackles, too - with 37 tackles and 14 assists in eight games. He's got four sacks in all.
"I don't know whether he's ever going to be a team leader, because he's so quiet," Williams says. "But he has the ability to be a lot better football player - and to lead by example."
Pettway started this off-season at defensive end, but moved to linebacker - where he has flourished in a system designed for tall and aggressive players.
Grambling State's defense ranks No. 1 in the SWAC in defending the rush. The Tigers rank No. 3 overall on defense, behind only Southern and Alabama A&M.
Much has been made of the play of the Tigers' linebacking corps this season, but Pettway acknowledges the role this GSU line has played in opening up opportunities.
"The line is the key to our defensive success," Pettway says.
Whether the linemen are occupying blockers or occasionally flooding inside to take their shots, it has worked to Pettway's advantage. He's fast enough to shoot gaps and headhunt quarterbacks - and tall enough to make a difference when he gets back into coverage.
"They like playing behind those guys, because they know there will be a chance for some tipped balls," Northern says of the linebackers. "It all works hand-in-hand."
Pettway has also come up with a few did-you-see-that? moments - like last week, when he literally leaped over the top of a Jackson State lineman who was trying a cut block. "Everybody was just sort of open-mouthed at the play that he made," Northern says.
Williams agrees: "When a kid does something like that, you see what they've got to give. And you want to see that again and again."
It's commonly acknowledged, even with the big season he's having, that Pettway can only get better: "He still has work to do on his thought process," Northern says, "on understanding that he can take over a game."
Pettway talks more about technique. "I could still come up faster," he says. "I need to work on dropping back (into coverage)."
His idol, while playing defensive end, was Tennessee Titans stalwart Jevon Kearse. But, even after switching to linebacker, Pettway continues to admire Kearse's rangy aggression and smart play.
"I still look up to that man," Pettway says. "He's a beast in the league. I still feed off his moves. He keeps his head in the game."
Pettway is part of a unit that has grown steadily as performers - and as teammates.
"The way they watch film now is totally different," Northern says. "The way they communicate is totally different."
Pettway says it look a few games for him to find his way at his new school. With so many younger players, the same could be said for Grambling State's defense, too.
"We're starting to come together as a team," Pettway says. "Early in the season, we weren't as tight. But I see us jelling together now."
Octavius is honored: Senior GSU cornerback Octavius Bond has been invited to play in the inaugural Division I-AA All-Star Classic, to be played Dec. 30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"Nobody works hard than he does," Williams says. "He's a great athlete."
Bonds has 28 tackles on the second, with 21 solo grabs. He also has three interceptions and three pass breakups. His eight kickoff returns have averaged 21.5 yards.
The selections were made by a committee of coaches, administrators and media from the 13 I-AA conferences. Teammate Tramon Douglas, a senior receiver, was among the first 50 players selected to play in this game.
Tiger bites: Texas Southern, GSU's opponent this week, has a three-game winning streak. … When the weather turns cold, it's particularly hard on Williams - who has had five surgeries on his left knee and one on the right. "They get stiff. I gotta keep moving," he says. Like most ex-football players, he has a knack for weather forecasting: "I wake up in the morning, and I know when it's cloudy - just from how stiff they are." … Grambling began a project to audiostream Williams' weekly news conference on the Internet on Tuesday. Portions of his comments are to be available at http://www.gramblingsportsinfo.com/.
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GSU's Pettway ready to tackle pros
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Kenneth Pettway is not just Grambling State's leader in tackles for a loss this year.
He's a nice guy. Off the field, at least.
"Definitely not the rah-rah type," said former GSU coach Doug Williams, who signed Pettway as a transfer from Southern Arkansas in 2002. "His actions speak for him. It's not word of mouth, like so many people."
Williams - who left before last season for a personnel job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - will get another look at GSU's best defender this week at the NFL Scouting Combine, beginning today in Indianapolis.
Pettway, a starter at both defensive end and linebacker, is the only player from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to be invited. He is also the first from GSU since Williams arrived with current coach Melvin Spears as offensive coordinator before the 1998 season.
"He's quiet, but tough - a mild-mannered guy who led by example," said Spears, whose first win as interim in 2004 was keyed by a series of shattering second-quarter sacks by Pettway against Bethune-Cookman. He sent one quarterback to the bench on a crushing tackle, then sacked his replacement on the very next play.
Not that Pettway talks about such heroics, not even on the eve of the combine.
"My attitude going in is very positive," he finally allowed.
It's easy to forget that Pettway was recognized as GSU's defensive player of the year last week, then flew out to Atlanta to receive Sheridan Broadcasting Network All-America honors.
They give those awards to people who knock other people down.
Call him Grambling State's easy-going horseman of the apocalypse, its polite prince of darkness.
`TIMES HAVE CHANGED'
Pettway talks about the honor of being invited. Still, he politely - and rightly - assumes that the combine is more of a challenge than a reward.
"The NFL and the combine have gone away from black colleges since the days of Doug Williams and (James) `Shack' (Harris)," Pettway said. "Times have changed. So, it's a real honor if you get selected from one of our conferences."
Pettway is, in fact, one of just eight players from a historically black college to receive an invitation to the combine this year.
"I've got to be faster, a little better," said Pettway. "I want to prove to them that even though we don't play schools like Miami, we still have great players."
Forced to sit out a year after transferring, Pettway had his initial experience at outside linebacker in his first game for GSU, a shutout loss to San Jose State in August 2003.
"I was nervous when I was out there," said Pettway, who had played defensive end at Southern Arkansas. "But at the same time, I was thinking: They put me here because they thought I could do something. I just went about making plays."
Make them he did: Pettway finished with 11 punishing tackles, including five solo grabs and three tackles for a loss of 9 yards. The conference named him defensive player of the week.
He struggled at times, that first year. But by the time he lined up on that soggy night in Jackson, Miss., in October 2003, Pettway was on his way.
The rain was biblical. Only GSU's quiet quarterback killer kept the dissipating crowd from noticing if the local animal population was, in fact, pairing up.
Pettway accounted for 11 tackles, 10 of them solo, and two sacks. Jackson State's signal-caller also had to leave the game, as the local Tigers grinded their way to a win.
"It took him some time to excel, because we had him in two positions," said Spears. "Coach Williams and I wanted to look at where he was going to project in the draft, and play him to that strength. Once he found his niche, he started to find real consistency."
He would finish his junior season, the first at GSU after transferring, with a team-high 70 tackles. That included five sacks for a loss of 20 yards, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Unassuming in life, Pettway proved to be merciless off the edge.
`GREATNESS ... GOES ON'
Production and versatility, coupled with Pettway's size and straight-line speed, have garnered uncommon attention for a small-school star.
No surprise here, but Pettway - always more apt to sack than to smack - takes it in stride.
"I've got to keep myself up because I know there will be a lot of competition from larger programs," he said. "They might be thinking I haven't competed at the same level. That keeps me in my place. When I am training, I realize I have got to give a little more."
This week's combine sessions, held in Indianapolis, include both physical exams and hours of interviews on a position-by-position basis. Pettway is expected to be evaluated with the rest of the prospective linebackers on Sunday.
Scouts will poke and prod him, measuring for height, weight, arm length, hand length and body fat. Pettway will run the 40-yard dash, participate in a vertical and broad jump, then grunt through a 225-pound bench press, 20- and 60-yard shuttles and the three-cone drill.
Intelligence will then be measured using the Wonderlic Test, a 50-question exam administered over 12 minutes.
"In this league, everything counts - and character is very, very important," said Williams, who will scout the combine talent for Tampa Bay. "There won't be any flaws there. He's been grounded for a long time. He's very humble."
Both Williams and Spears attribute that to Pettway's parents - William and Annice of Houston - who have a strong connection with GSU. His father, in fact, is friends with Collie J. Nicholson, the school's legendary sports information director from 1948-78.
"Most of those kids who had folks who went to Grambling grow up as a Tiger," said Spears. "They look forward to upholding the legacy."
Pettway, a nice guy hoping to finish first, is clear-eyed about that challenge - and how it plays out for anyone looking to be drafted out of a historically black institution.
"Coming from Grambling and going to the combine, I just look at it as a privilege," Pettway said. "I want to represent Grambling and all the greatness that has gone through there. It still goes on. I'm just glad I'm getting the chance to show that. Maybe the NFL will get back into the habit of looking at our conference."
Is he a `Road Runner' or a `Widowmaker'?
The only thing missing from Kenneth Pettway's resume is one of those great Grambling State nicknames.
Collie J. Nicholson, GSU's legendary sports information director from 1948-78, penned one for all the legends - from Paul "Tank" Younger to Gary "Big Hands" Johnson.
"They had to have something behind the nicknames," said Nicholson, who still writes about sports from his home in Shreveport.
Pettway, Nicholson agrees, fits the bill. "He should do well up there (at the NFL Combine)," said Nicholson.
Pettway's great straight-line speed might suggest "Road Runner." That quiet intensity? How about "SBD," Silent but Deadly. His versatility as a two-position all-conference player? May we suggest "Switch Blade"? That propensity for crushing tackles reminds us of "Widowmaker."
"You could always go out and get a nickname," Nicholson finally allows. "But Grambling has tried to give them more than just a nickname; they get an education, too."
Degree in hand, Pettway hopes to school opponents on Sundays now.
-Nick Deriso, nderiso@thenewsstar.com
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Pettway won't be a surprise at combine
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Kenneth Pettway, the most highly touted NFL prospect out of Grambling State in four seasons, has already garnered some pre-combine notice.
NFLDraftCountdown.com lists Pettway as the No. 17 outside linebacker prospect in the nation. Great Blue North Draft Report has him at No. 15.
"He has good height and long arms, which allow him to deflect passes or knock the ball out of the quarterback's hand," said Greg Benjamin, an online NFL draft evaluator at OTCDraft.com. "He uses his quickness to get by opposing offensive linemen and has good closing speed getting to the quarterback on the pass rush. He has a quick first step, which allows him to effectively beat most offensive linemen off the snap."
Josh Buchanan of IAA.org - who named Pettway the top Division I-AA performer in the Las Vegas All-American Classic - lists him as the No. 18 I-AA prospect in the nation, and the No. 1 defensive end.
"He had a big senior campaign with his 8® sacks and 16 tackles for a loss, really catching your attention," said NFLDraftCountdown.com's Scott Wright. "The level of competition is a concern, but he has the physical tools and productivity you look for."
That could push Pettway up as high as the third round - a great thing for both player and school.
"It's a major recruiting tool for us," GSU coach Melvin Spears said. "It tells you where this program is going since we have been here, from (former coach) Doug Williams through today."
Benjamin expects Pettway's name to be called "during the latter portion of Day 2." He would be just the third GSU product drafted since 1995, and the first since Scotty Anderson was selected in the fifth round in 2001.
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3-4 adds up for Pettway
The growth of the defensive formation means the GSU standout is likely NFL-bound
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - A sudden resurgence in the use of the once-popular 3-4 defensive alignment could be the best thing Kenneth Pettway has going for him in this year's NFL Draft.
The Grambling State defender, commonly called a "`tweener," has the kind of size and speed to fit in that scheme - which values smaller, athletic linebackers.
"A lot of teams are switching to the 3-4 defense, which would enable me to stand up and play linebacker but also pass rush," said Pettway, who began playing outside linebacker as well as defensive end during his junior season. "A year or two ago, there weren't that many who used it, but now there are about 10. The market's really open."
The NFL Draft, held Saturday and Sunday, will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2.
Pettway's stock has been rising with draft prognosticators, who originally projected him as a late-second day selection. A renewed interest in the 3-4 could be the reason.
"There are more teams out there using the 3-4, and that's the good thing about it," said Tampa Bay personnel executive Doug Williams, who coached Pettway for a season before taking the NFL job. "He should get an opportunity with one of those teams."
The 3-4 hadn't been fashionable since the early 1980s, but then New England won three of the last four Super Bowls with the scheme as its primary defensive look.
That changes draft priorities. Players who look and play like Pettway are now a hot commodity.
"Getting drafted will be a matter of matching the style of the team that might choose him," said Grambling State coach Melvin Spears, who took over from Williams after serving six seasons as his offensive coordinator. "He'll match up well in a 3-4 front, where they can use his skills as a weakside linebacker."
Devised more than 50 seasons ago by Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, the 3-4 alignment features three down linemen and four linebackers - as opposed to the more widely used 4-3, with only three linebackers.
By last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers were all using the 3-4 as a primary scheme. Coaches at Cleveland, Dallas and San Francisco are considering a switch as well.
That's why Williams says: "I think he has a great opportunity to get selected - it's just a matter of where," he said. "Here's a guy that has been down on a three-point stance for most of his career, so he will have to do a little changing. He will have to make some adjustments. He will have to drop off and play some man coverage."
Pettway ended his two-season career in Grambling with 115 tackles - including 76 solo grabs - and 13® sacks for minus-75 yards. His 30 tackles for a loss accounted for 114 yards. He also had two blocked kicks in 23 games.
Add in the 16 games Pettway played at Southern Arkansas before transferring and he had 167 tackles (with 102 of them solo), in 39 total games - including 23® sacks and 48 stops for losses.
That production and a room-to-grow 6-4 frame earned Pettway a rare invite to the NFL Combine, the only one for a player from the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2005.
He was slowed by a hamstring pull, but Pettway participated in all of the events. Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. reported his 40-yard time in Indianapolis at 4.75.
"I thought his combine workout was good," said Williams. "The guys who did better had been playing linebacker all their life. For a guy playing a new position, I thought he adjusted very well."
Pettway said he heard from six NFL teams this week, as coaches made final preparations for the draft.
"They are getting draft-day phone numbers," said Pettway, "and seeing how my health is. They've wanted to find out how I feel about the city where I might come."
Pettway added that he will continue serving as a student coach at Grambling State - even with the draft whirlwind circling him. He plans to spend Saturday at the Black and Gold game that concludes the team's spring sessions.
"It's been a trip for me. The combine was really strenuous, but in all of it there was enjoyment - because it was the first time for me going through it," said Pettway. "I'm just excited, and nervous all at that same time."
Pettway file
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 255
College: Grambling State
Scouting report: Was a big-play penetrating DE in college. Is at his best when turned loose up the field. Has very good anticipation skills and initial quickness. Shows some closing burst as a pass rusher and has good instincts in that facet. Has long arms and good-sized hands to occupy blockers. He shows a decent array of pass rush moves. Is a relentless player that makes a lot of plays in pursuit.
- Scouts Inc., for ESPN Insider
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GSU defender spends draft day at home fishing
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Don't look for replays of Grambling State defender Kenneth Pettway on television, receiving word that he was selected No. 227 by the Houston Texans in the 2005 NFL Draft.
He spent the weekend as he normally would, working with his former teammates on Saturday before traveling home to attend church in Houston on Sunday.
Then, the seventh-round draft choice went fishing.
"I kept my phone with me," said Pettway, a speedy, large-framed defender who should succeed in Houston's 3-4 defensive scheme. "I didn't want to be in front of the TV, pulling my hair out. I just wanted to be out there with the people who helped me get to the place where I am now."
So, the draft unfolded a world away.
"He started for the first time here with us," said GSU coach Melvin Spears, "and he was here with us for the draft."
That steady commitment is likely what attracted the Texans, who are based near Pettway's hometown of Gilmer, Texas. He will report with other rookies for Houston's mini-camp on Friday.
The Texans needed an upgrade at outside linebacker, the main pass rusher in head coach Dom Capers' defense. Last year, Houston finished last in sacks with 24; the Texans were second-to-last the year before, with 19.
That must have stung Capers, who has worked as a coordinator on tough, quarterback-harassing defenses at Carolina, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh - grooming Pro Bowlers in Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd, who could chase signal callers then drop into coverage.
"For him to go to his home team in Houston is a big thing - and he's close enough that we can still go see him," said GSU teammate Bruce Eugene, who tried to call Pettway upon seeing his name on the draft board - but said he couldn't reach him because Pettway was out fishing.
That's in-character for the grounded Pettway, who served as a student coach with the team during the GSU's just-completed spring sessions - sharing the lessons he learned, until the very end, as the only Southwestern Athletic Conference player to be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine this season.
"When I am on the field, I'm just teaching what somebody else taught me - from trying out, from playing under (former GSU) Coach (Doug) Williams and Spears, from going to the combine," said Pettway. "I want to hand out that information."
The combine experience turned into another showcase for Pettway's attention to his craft, when he injured his groin on the very first attempt at the 40-yard dash - but participated in every drill anyway.
His stock had been rising, with positive notices in USA Today last week, among others.
"Everybody has aspirations, and I do too," said Eugene. "But for it to become a reality, that's a dream come true."
Pettway attended Gilmer High School, playing football for coach Mike Mullins. He also lettered in basketball, baseball and track before spending his first two collegiate seasons primarily as a backup defensive end at Southern Arkansas.
Pettway then transferred to play for Williams in 2002 and began garnering playing time at outside linebacker, as well.
He grabbed 70 tackles and made five sacks as a junior, then earned All-America accolades from The NFL Draft Report and All-SWAC first-team honors as a senior. Pettway made 45 tackles, including 28 solos, and ranked second in the conference with 16 stops for losses last season. He also tied for a SWAC-best 8.5 sacks.
But GSU, a haven for NFL talent in the 1960s and '70s, hadn't had a player drafted since Scotty Anderson was selected in the fifth round by Detroit in 2001.
"A dream come true, absolutely," said Spears. "This is a great day for Kenneth Pettway - and also a great day for Grambling."
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GSU's Pettway keeps focus
Houston's pick in the 7th round gets NFL taste
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling State product Kenneth Pettway got ready for his first taste of the NFL by continuing to run his linebacker drills on the practice field where he played college ball.
He couldn't have guessed how long he'd end up spending inside the Houston Texans' facility, meeting and studying the club's scheme.
"The meetings were about 10 times longer than college," said Pettway, a seventh-round pick for the Texans last month. "I think the shortest was about two hours. You've got to stay focused. There are no wasted words. Everything they say is something you need to know. There is no room for errors."
The Texans' six draft picks - as well as free agents, and others trying out - participated in four rookie practices earlier this month where coaches introduced the players to the system.
He then returned to Grambling State, where he lifted and ran with friends.
"Working out, it feels the same," said Pettway. "But being back in Grambling, there was a different intensity. So many people know I have been drafted, and are pulling for me."
Pettway is back in Houston this week to participate in 14 coaching sessions that last through June 8. A three-day minicamp follows, before a long break in front of training sessions.
"They emphasized before every meeting that we take notes," said Pettway. Houston coach "Dom Capers walked around and watched for who was taking notes and paying attention. They didn't let us take the playbook home, but he said we could take the notepad home. We were expected to know the defense when we got back. I wrote down some extra things to work on."
Pettway will keep the same number he had in two all-conference seasons at Grambling, the departed Jamie Sharper's No. 55. He found a jersey with his name already embroidered on it when he arrived at camp.
"It was Grade A treatment," Pettway said. "We got off the plane and there was somebody waiting for you with Texans apparel. When we got there, our lockers were all set up. Everything was there, and it was all the right size. Everything you need, they had it."
Pettway's transition was easier than many of the other newcomers, because he was born and raised in nearby Gilmer, Texas.
"A lot of guys were from faraway places," said Pettway, a multi-sports prep star. "They had a couple of guys from Florida and California. Some of them said, `You are lucky to play in front of your hometown.' To me, it was big joy to get the opportunity to play where I grew up."
His familiarity didn't translate, however, into recommendations on places to eat around Houston.
"They fix everything for you," said Pettway, chuckling. "They give you a target weight and then you eat in the cafeteria, and that's it. You can go out and get your own food, but they encourage you to eat what the nutritionist has for you."
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Pettway's first NFL deal is for three years with Texans
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Will Jordan, agent for Grambling State product Kenneth Pettway, says his client has signed with the Houston Texans.
Pettway, a seventh-round pick in last April's NFL Draft, inked a three-year deal, Jordan said in a phone message on Friday. The contract, reportedly worth $965,494, includes a $40,494 signing bonus.
"Pettway is a very special guy who has great skills," said Melvin Spears, who was an assistant and then interim head coach during Pettway's two seasons at GSU. "The Houston Texans are going to benefit more than they know."
Playing both defensive end and outside linebacker, Pettway recorded 115 tackles and 13® sacks in 2003-04 at Grambling.
Jordan said a quick deal is essential for rookies, who need to focus on making the team - not negotiating a deal.
Hayes day in Bossier: Former GSU star Lionel Hayes lit up the Battle Wings last week in Bossier City, as the af2 Macon Knights posted an easy 57-36 victory.
He finished 18-of-29 in the air, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Garman. Hayes also ran for a 4-yard touchdown as Macon improved to 4-6 with the victory.
Quarterback at GSU during former coach Doug Williams' first two seasons at the helm, Hayes had his best year as a senior in 1999. Hayes completed 188-of-366 passes for 2,935 yards and 30 touchdowns with just six interceptions. A year earlier, as a junior, Hayes completed 151-of-301 passes for 2,373 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Home cooking with Doug: Williams, now a personnel executive with the NFL's Tampa Bay franchise, talked about scouting Southwestern Athletic Conference products in a Q&A at buccaneers.com this week.
"Well, No. 1, my job is for the Buccaneers, to get the best players for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," he said. "But at the same time, there's no doubt that I might be a little partial to the historically black colleges, the SWAC or what have you. I'm not going to bring in a kid just because he went there. I want him to be able to show it."
The Bucs have drafted former Southern cornerback Lenny Williams and given a tryout to ex-Grambling receiver Scotty Anderson since Williams arrived in Tampa, but neither made the team.
Williams couldn't attend the opening of an exhibit of Eddie Robinson memorabilia in Grambling on Friday, he said, because he is filming a new special by NFL Films on the Super Bowl. Williams was the MVP of the 1988 game leading Washington over Denver.
Tiger bites: The just-completed Melvin Spears Football Camp included 200 young hopefuls - hailing from places as far flung as Alaska. Large groups came from Shreveport, Alexandria and Belzoni, Miss., as well. … The AFL's New Orleans franchise re-signed Grambling product Calvin Spears, who has played for the VooDoo for the past two seasons. Spears coached the secondary at Grambling last season, then returned to finish fifth on the VooDoo with 32® tackles.
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GSU's Pettway staying a Texan
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Grambling product Kenneth Pettway is staying home.
Pettway, a seventh-round 2005 draft pick for the Houston Texans, has reupped as an exclusive-rights free agent.
"This is a really good organization," said Pettway, a native of Gilmer, just outside of Houston. "I was born and spent most of my life here. The city has grown a lot but, at the same time, it's home to me. As far as this franchise goes, they handle their business really well."
Taken 237th overall by the Texans last year, Pettway finished with 115 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 30 tackles for a loss, 10 quarterback pressures, three forced fumbles, four passes defensed and two blocked kicks in 23 games at Grambling. He later garnered an invite to the 2005 Las Vegas All-American Classic postseason all-star game and was the only invitee from the Southwestern Athletic Conference at the 2005 NFL Scouting Combine.
Pettway says he signed one-year contract, just as he did last season, in the hopes that a breakout year might result in a better deal.
He's met new coach Gary Kubiak and a series of new assistants who were hired in the wake of Houston's league-worst 2-14 mark last season.
"When I first met the new coach, he came off as a really good guy," said Pettway, who spent most of his rookie season — save for games against Jacksonville and San Francisco — on the practice squad.
Kubiak and defensive coordinator Richard Smith Miami's coordinator last season under Nick Saban are moving from Houston's familiar 3-4 defensive alignment to the more conventional 4-3 look, with Pettway working on the outside.
"So far, so good," Pettway said. "They've got me playing Sam or Will, either one."
Pettway, who is participating in off-season training right now, said he expects the 4-3 playbook to be installed later in the spring.
"We've been running and conditioning," Pettway said. "We'll start learning the new defense when we start coaching sessions."
Pettway began his collegiate career at Southern Arkansas, where he had 52 tackles, 10 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble in 16 games. He was a four-sport performer in football, basketball, track and baseball at Gilmer High.
The Texans now have signed nine free agents, and re-signed another eight players. They hold the top pick in April's NFL Draft and, by exercising a $8 million option that extends quarterback David Carr's contract through the 2008, seem to be positioning themselves to select Texas running back Reggie Bush.
October 29, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The Grambling State defense calls itself the Black Front.
"Coming to get you," junior Grambling State linebacker Kenneth Pettway says, with some menace. "Any time. Any day."
Like most fronts, this gathering storm has lightning around its edges.
Pettway was been that lightning - never more so than last week, as GSU's defense held Jackson State scoreless in the second half, securing a muddy 24-17 comeback win. He notched a team-leading 11 tackles - and 10 of them were solo.
"He's like a gazelle - a long, lean gazelle," says Grambling State coach Doug Williams. "He's all over the field."
Pettway also had two crushing sacks - JSU's quarterback eventually had to leave the game - and one forced fumble.
"We expect so much from him," says Tigers defensive coordinator Heishma Northern, "because he's so fast."
Track star fast - but from a guy who is 6-4 and 240.
In fact, Pettway was a four-sport performer at Gilmer High in Houston - earning letters in football, basketball, baseball and, yes, track - before signing with the University of Southern Arkansas. He holds the Gilmer school record in the discus.
But since transferring to Grambling State, all he's been throwing around are opposing offensive starters.
Pettway leads the Tigers this season in tackles, too - with 37 tackles and 14 assists in eight games. He's got four sacks in all.
"I don't know whether he's ever going to be a team leader, because he's so quiet," Williams says. "But he has the ability to be a lot better football player - and to lead by example."
Pettway started this off-season at defensive end, but moved to linebacker - where he has flourished in a system designed for tall and aggressive players.
Grambling State's defense ranks No. 1 in the SWAC in defending the rush. The Tigers rank No. 3 overall on defense, behind only Southern and Alabama A&M.
Much has been made of the play of the Tigers' linebacking corps this season, but Pettway acknowledges the role this GSU line has played in opening up opportunities.
"The line is the key to our defensive success," Pettway says.
Whether the linemen are occupying blockers or occasionally flooding inside to take their shots, it has worked to Pettway's advantage. He's fast enough to shoot gaps and headhunt quarterbacks - and tall enough to make a difference when he gets back into coverage.
"They like playing behind those guys, because they know there will be a chance for some tipped balls," Northern says of the linebackers. "It all works hand-in-hand."
Pettway has also come up with a few did-you-see-that? moments - like last week, when he literally leaped over the top of a Jackson State lineman who was trying a cut block. "Everybody was just sort of open-mouthed at the play that he made," Northern says.
Williams agrees: "When a kid does something like that, you see what they've got to give. And you want to see that again and again."
It's commonly acknowledged, even with the big season he's having, that Pettway can only get better: "He still has work to do on his thought process," Northern says, "on understanding that he can take over a game."
Pettway talks more about technique. "I could still come up faster," he says. "I need to work on dropping back (into coverage)."
His idol, while playing defensive end, was Tennessee Titans stalwart Jevon Kearse. But, even after switching to linebacker, Pettway continues to admire Kearse's rangy aggression and smart play.
"I still look up to that man," Pettway says. "He's a beast in the league. I still feed off his moves. He keeps his head in the game."
Pettway is part of a unit that has grown steadily as performers - and as teammates.
"The way they watch film now is totally different," Northern says. "The way they communicate is totally different."
Pettway says it look a few games for him to find his way at his new school. With so many younger players, the same could be said for Grambling State's defense, too.
"We're starting to come together as a team," Pettway says. "Early in the season, we weren't as tight. But I see us jelling together now."
Octavius is honored: Senior GSU cornerback Octavius Bond has been invited to play in the inaugural Division I-AA All-Star Classic, to be played Dec. 30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"Nobody works hard than he does," Williams says. "He's a great athlete."
Bonds has 28 tackles on the second, with 21 solo grabs. He also has three interceptions and three pass breakups. His eight kickoff returns have averaged 21.5 yards.
The selections were made by a committee of coaches, administrators and media from the 13 I-AA conferences. Teammate Tramon Douglas, a senior receiver, was among the first 50 players selected to play in this game.
Tiger bites: Texas Southern, GSU's opponent this week, has a three-game winning streak. … When the weather turns cold, it's particularly hard on Williams - who has had five surgeries on his left knee and one on the right. "They get stiff. I gotta keep moving," he says. Like most ex-football players, he has a knack for weather forecasting: "I wake up in the morning, and I know when it's cloudy - just from how stiff they are." … Grambling began a project to audiostream Williams' weekly news conference on the Internet on Tuesday. Portions of his comments are to be available at http://www.gramblingsportsinfo.com/.
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GSU's Pettway ready to tackle pros
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Kenneth Pettway is not just Grambling State's leader in tackles for a loss this year.
He's a nice guy. Off the field, at least.
"Definitely not the rah-rah type," said former GSU coach Doug Williams, who signed Pettway as a transfer from Southern Arkansas in 2002. "His actions speak for him. It's not word of mouth, like so many people."
Williams - who left before last season for a personnel job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - will get another look at GSU's best defender this week at the NFL Scouting Combine, beginning today in Indianapolis.
Pettway, a starter at both defensive end and linebacker, is the only player from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to be invited. He is also the first from GSU since Williams arrived with current coach Melvin Spears as offensive coordinator before the 1998 season.
"He's quiet, but tough - a mild-mannered guy who led by example," said Spears, whose first win as interim in 2004 was keyed by a series of shattering second-quarter sacks by Pettway against Bethune-Cookman. He sent one quarterback to the bench on a crushing tackle, then sacked his replacement on the very next play.
Not that Pettway talks about such heroics, not even on the eve of the combine.
"My attitude going in is very positive," he finally allowed.
It's easy to forget that Pettway was recognized as GSU's defensive player of the year last week, then flew out to Atlanta to receive Sheridan Broadcasting Network All-America honors.
They give those awards to people who knock other people down.
Call him Grambling State's easy-going horseman of the apocalypse, its polite prince of darkness.
`TIMES HAVE CHANGED'
Pettway talks about the honor of being invited. Still, he politely - and rightly - assumes that the combine is more of a challenge than a reward.
"The NFL and the combine have gone away from black colleges since the days of Doug Williams and (James) `Shack' (Harris)," Pettway said. "Times have changed. So, it's a real honor if you get selected from one of our conferences."
Pettway is, in fact, one of just eight players from a historically black college to receive an invitation to the combine this year.
"I've got to be faster, a little better," said Pettway. "I want to prove to them that even though we don't play schools like Miami, we still have great players."
Forced to sit out a year after transferring, Pettway had his initial experience at outside linebacker in his first game for GSU, a shutout loss to San Jose State in August 2003.
"I was nervous when I was out there," said Pettway, who had played defensive end at Southern Arkansas. "But at the same time, I was thinking: They put me here because they thought I could do something. I just went about making plays."
Make them he did: Pettway finished with 11 punishing tackles, including five solo grabs and three tackles for a loss of 9 yards. The conference named him defensive player of the week.
He struggled at times, that first year. But by the time he lined up on that soggy night in Jackson, Miss., in October 2003, Pettway was on his way.
The rain was biblical. Only GSU's quiet quarterback killer kept the dissipating crowd from noticing if the local animal population was, in fact, pairing up.
Pettway accounted for 11 tackles, 10 of them solo, and two sacks. Jackson State's signal-caller also had to leave the game, as the local Tigers grinded their way to a win.
"It took him some time to excel, because we had him in two positions," said Spears. "Coach Williams and I wanted to look at where he was going to project in the draft, and play him to that strength. Once he found his niche, he started to find real consistency."
He would finish his junior season, the first at GSU after transferring, with a team-high 70 tackles. That included five sacks for a loss of 20 yards, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Unassuming in life, Pettway proved to be merciless off the edge.
`GREATNESS ... GOES ON'
Production and versatility, coupled with Pettway's size and straight-line speed, have garnered uncommon attention for a small-school star.
No surprise here, but Pettway - always more apt to sack than to smack - takes it in stride.
"I've got to keep myself up because I know there will be a lot of competition from larger programs," he said. "They might be thinking I haven't competed at the same level. That keeps me in my place. When I am training, I realize I have got to give a little more."
This week's combine sessions, held in Indianapolis, include both physical exams and hours of interviews on a position-by-position basis. Pettway is expected to be evaluated with the rest of the prospective linebackers on Sunday.
Scouts will poke and prod him, measuring for height, weight, arm length, hand length and body fat. Pettway will run the 40-yard dash, participate in a vertical and broad jump, then grunt through a 225-pound bench press, 20- and 60-yard shuttles and the three-cone drill.
Intelligence will then be measured using the Wonderlic Test, a 50-question exam administered over 12 minutes.
"In this league, everything counts - and character is very, very important," said Williams, who will scout the combine talent for Tampa Bay. "There won't be any flaws there. He's been grounded for a long time. He's very humble."
Both Williams and Spears attribute that to Pettway's parents - William and Annice of Houston - who have a strong connection with GSU. His father, in fact, is friends with Collie J. Nicholson, the school's legendary sports information director from 1948-78.
"Most of those kids who had folks who went to Grambling grow up as a Tiger," said Spears. "They look forward to upholding the legacy."
Pettway, a nice guy hoping to finish first, is clear-eyed about that challenge - and how it plays out for anyone looking to be drafted out of a historically black institution.
"Coming from Grambling and going to the combine, I just look at it as a privilege," Pettway said. "I want to represent Grambling and all the greatness that has gone through there. It still goes on. I'm just glad I'm getting the chance to show that. Maybe the NFL will get back into the habit of looking at our conference."
Is he a `Road Runner' or a `Widowmaker'?
The only thing missing from Kenneth Pettway's resume is one of those great Grambling State nicknames.
Collie J. Nicholson, GSU's legendary sports information director from 1948-78, penned one for all the legends - from Paul "Tank" Younger to Gary "Big Hands" Johnson.
"They had to have something behind the nicknames," said Nicholson, who still writes about sports from his home in Shreveport.
Pettway, Nicholson agrees, fits the bill. "He should do well up there (at the NFL Combine)," said Nicholson.
Pettway's great straight-line speed might suggest "Road Runner." That quiet intensity? How about "SBD," Silent but Deadly. His versatility as a two-position all-conference player? May we suggest "Switch Blade"? That propensity for crushing tackles reminds us of "Widowmaker."
"You could always go out and get a nickname," Nicholson finally allows. "But Grambling has tried to give them more than just a nickname; they get an education, too."
Degree in hand, Pettway hopes to school opponents on Sundays now.
-Nick Deriso, nderiso@thenewsstar.com
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Pettway won't be a surprise at combine
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Kenneth Pettway, the most highly touted NFL prospect out of Grambling State in four seasons, has already garnered some pre-combine notice.
NFLDraftCountdown.com lists Pettway as the No. 17 outside linebacker prospect in the nation. Great Blue North Draft Report has him at No. 15.
"He has good height and long arms, which allow him to deflect passes or knock the ball out of the quarterback's hand," said Greg Benjamin, an online NFL draft evaluator at OTCDraft.com. "He uses his quickness to get by opposing offensive linemen and has good closing speed getting to the quarterback on the pass rush. He has a quick first step, which allows him to effectively beat most offensive linemen off the snap."
Josh Buchanan of IAA.org - who named Pettway the top Division I-AA performer in the Las Vegas All-American Classic - lists him as the No. 18 I-AA prospect in the nation, and the No. 1 defensive end.
"He had a big senior campaign with his 8® sacks and 16 tackles for a loss, really catching your attention," said NFLDraftCountdown.com's Scott Wright. "The level of competition is a concern, but he has the physical tools and productivity you look for."
That could push Pettway up as high as the third round - a great thing for both player and school.
"It's a major recruiting tool for us," GSU coach Melvin Spears said. "It tells you where this program is going since we have been here, from (former coach) Doug Williams through today."
Benjamin expects Pettway's name to be called "during the latter portion of Day 2." He would be just the third GSU product drafted since 1995, and the first since Scotty Anderson was selected in the fifth round in 2001.
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3-4 adds up for Pettway
The growth of the defensive formation means the GSU standout is likely NFL-bound
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - A sudden resurgence in the use of the once-popular 3-4 defensive alignment could be the best thing Kenneth Pettway has going for him in this year's NFL Draft.
The Grambling State defender, commonly called a "`tweener," has the kind of size and speed to fit in that scheme - which values smaller, athletic linebackers.
"A lot of teams are switching to the 3-4 defense, which would enable me to stand up and play linebacker but also pass rush," said Pettway, who began playing outside linebacker as well as defensive end during his junior season. "A year or two ago, there weren't that many who used it, but now there are about 10. The market's really open."
The NFL Draft, held Saturday and Sunday, will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2.
Pettway's stock has been rising with draft prognosticators, who originally projected him as a late-second day selection. A renewed interest in the 3-4 could be the reason.
"There are more teams out there using the 3-4, and that's the good thing about it," said Tampa Bay personnel executive Doug Williams, who coached Pettway for a season before taking the NFL job. "He should get an opportunity with one of those teams."
The 3-4 hadn't been fashionable since the early 1980s, but then New England won three of the last four Super Bowls with the scheme as its primary defensive look.
That changes draft priorities. Players who look and play like Pettway are now a hot commodity.
"Getting drafted will be a matter of matching the style of the team that might choose him," said Grambling State coach Melvin Spears, who took over from Williams after serving six seasons as his offensive coordinator. "He'll match up well in a 3-4 front, where they can use his skills as a weakside linebacker."
Devised more than 50 seasons ago by Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, the 3-4 alignment features three down linemen and four linebackers - as opposed to the more widely used 4-3, with only three linebackers.
By last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers were all using the 3-4 as a primary scheme. Coaches at Cleveland, Dallas and San Francisco are considering a switch as well.
That's why Williams says: "I think he has a great opportunity to get selected - it's just a matter of where," he said. "Here's a guy that has been down on a three-point stance for most of his career, so he will have to do a little changing. He will have to make some adjustments. He will have to drop off and play some man coverage."
Pettway ended his two-season career in Grambling with 115 tackles - including 76 solo grabs - and 13® sacks for minus-75 yards. His 30 tackles for a loss accounted for 114 yards. He also had two blocked kicks in 23 games.
Add in the 16 games Pettway played at Southern Arkansas before transferring and he had 167 tackles (with 102 of them solo), in 39 total games - including 23® sacks and 48 stops for losses.
That production and a room-to-grow 6-4 frame earned Pettway a rare invite to the NFL Combine, the only one for a player from the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2005.
He was slowed by a hamstring pull, but Pettway participated in all of the events. Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. reported his 40-yard time in Indianapolis at 4.75.
"I thought his combine workout was good," said Williams. "The guys who did better had been playing linebacker all their life. For a guy playing a new position, I thought he adjusted very well."
Pettway said he heard from six NFL teams this week, as coaches made final preparations for the draft.
"They are getting draft-day phone numbers," said Pettway, "and seeing how my health is. They've wanted to find out how I feel about the city where I might come."
Pettway added that he will continue serving as a student coach at Grambling State - even with the draft whirlwind circling him. He plans to spend Saturday at the Black and Gold game that concludes the team's spring sessions.
"It's been a trip for me. The combine was really strenuous, but in all of it there was enjoyment - because it was the first time for me going through it," said Pettway. "I'm just excited, and nervous all at that same time."
Pettway file
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 255
College: Grambling State
Scouting report: Was a big-play penetrating DE in college. Is at his best when turned loose up the field. Has very good anticipation skills and initial quickness. Shows some closing burst as a pass rusher and has good instincts in that facet. Has long arms and good-sized hands to occupy blockers. He shows a decent array of pass rush moves. Is a relentless player that makes a lot of plays in pursuit.
- Scouts Inc., for ESPN Insider
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GSU defender spends draft day at home fishing
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Don't look for replays of Grambling State defender Kenneth Pettway on television, receiving word that he was selected No. 227 by the Houston Texans in the 2005 NFL Draft.
He spent the weekend as he normally would, working with his former teammates on Saturday before traveling home to attend church in Houston on Sunday.
Then, the seventh-round draft choice went fishing.
"I kept my phone with me," said Pettway, a speedy, large-framed defender who should succeed in Houston's 3-4 defensive scheme. "I didn't want to be in front of the TV, pulling my hair out. I just wanted to be out there with the people who helped me get to the place where I am now."
So, the draft unfolded a world away.
"He started for the first time here with us," said GSU coach Melvin Spears, "and he was here with us for the draft."
That steady commitment is likely what attracted the Texans, who are based near Pettway's hometown of Gilmer, Texas. He will report with other rookies for Houston's mini-camp on Friday.
The Texans needed an upgrade at outside linebacker, the main pass rusher in head coach Dom Capers' defense. Last year, Houston finished last in sacks with 24; the Texans were second-to-last the year before, with 19.
That must have stung Capers, who has worked as a coordinator on tough, quarterback-harassing defenses at Carolina, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh - grooming Pro Bowlers in Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd, who could chase signal callers then drop into coverage.
"For him to go to his home team in Houston is a big thing - and he's close enough that we can still go see him," said GSU teammate Bruce Eugene, who tried to call Pettway upon seeing his name on the draft board - but said he couldn't reach him because Pettway was out fishing.
That's in-character for the grounded Pettway, who served as a student coach with the team during the GSU's just-completed spring sessions - sharing the lessons he learned, until the very end, as the only Southwestern Athletic Conference player to be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine this season.
"When I am on the field, I'm just teaching what somebody else taught me - from trying out, from playing under (former GSU) Coach (Doug) Williams and Spears, from going to the combine," said Pettway. "I want to hand out that information."
The combine experience turned into another showcase for Pettway's attention to his craft, when he injured his groin on the very first attempt at the 40-yard dash - but participated in every drill anyway.
His stock had been rising, with positive notices in USA Today last week, among others.
"Everybody has aspirations, and I do too," said Eugene. "But for it to become a reality, that's a dream come true."
Pettway attended Gilmer High School, playing football for coach Mike Mullins. He also lettered in basketball, baseball and track before spending his first two collegiate seasons primarily as a backup defensive end at Southern Arkansas.
Pettway then transferred to play for Williams in 2002 and began garnering playing time at outside linebacker, as well.
He grabbed 70 tackles and made five sacks as a junior, then earned All-America accolades from The NFL Draft Report and All-SWAC first-team honors as a senior. Pettway made 45 tackles, including 28 solos, and ranked second in the conference with 16 stops for losses last season. He also tied for a SWAC-best 8.5 sacks.
But GSU, a haven for NFL talent in the 1960s and '70s, hadn't had a player drafted since Scotty Anderson was selected in the fifth round by Detroit in 2001.
"A dream come true, absolutely," said Spears. "This is a great day for Kenneth Pettway - and also a great day for Grambling."
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GSU's Pettway keeps focus
Houston's pick in the 7th round gets NFL taste
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling State product Kenneth Pettway got ready for his first taste of the NFL by continuing to run his linebacker drills on the practice field where he played college ball.
He couldn't have guessed how long he'd end up spending inside the Houston Texans' facility, meeting and studying the club's scheme.
"The meetings were about 10 times longer than college," said Pettway, a seventh-round pick for the Texans last month. "I think the shortest was about two hours. You've got to stay focused. There are no wasted words. Everything they say is something you need to know. There is no room for errors."
The Texans' six draft picks - as well as free agents, and others trying out - participated in four rookie practices earlier this month where coaches introduced the players to the system.
He then returned to Grambling State, where he lifted and ran with friends.
"Working out, it feels the same," said Pettway. "But being back in Grambling, there was a different intensity. So many people know I have been drafted, and are pulling for me."
Pettway is back in Houston this week to participate in 14 coaching sessions that last through June 8. A three-day minicamp follows, before a long break in front of training sessions.
"They emphasized before every meeting that we take notes," said Pettway. Houston coach "Dom Capers walked around and watched for who was taking notes and paying attention. They didn't let us take the playbook home, but he said we could take the notepad home. We were expected to know the defense when we got back. I wrote down some extra things to work on."
Pettway will keep the same number he had in two all-conference seasons at Grambling, the departed Jamie Sharper's No. 55. He found a jersey with his name already embroidered on it when he arrived at camp.
"It was Grade A treatment," Pettway said. "We got off the plane and there was somebody waiting for you with Texans apparel. When we got there, our lockers were all set up. Everything was there, and it was all the right size. Everything you need, they had it."
Pettway's transition was easier than many of the other newcomers, because he was born and raised in nearby Gilmer, Texas.
"A lot of guys were from faraway places," said Pettway, a multi-sports prep star. "They had a couple of guys from Florida and California. Some of them said, `You are lucky to play in front of your hometown.' To me, it was big joy to get the opportunity to play where I grew up."
His familiarity didn't translate, however, into recommendations on places to eat around Houston.
"They fix everything for you," said Pettway, chuckling. "They give you a target weight and then you eat in the cafeteria, and that's it. You can go out and get your own food, but they encourage you to eat what the nutritionist has for you."
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Pettway's first NFL deal is for three years with Texans
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Will Jordan, agent for Grambling State product Kenneth Pettway, says his client has signed with the Houston Texans.
Pettway, a seventh-round pick in last April's NFL Draft, inked a three-year deal, Jordan said in a phone message on Friday. The contract, reportedly worth $965,494, includes a $40,494 signing bonus.
"Pettway is a very special guy who has great skills," said Melvin Spears, who was an assistant and then interim head coach during Pettway's two seasons at GSU. "The Houston Texans are going to benefit more than they know."
Playing both defensive end and outside linebacker, Pettway recorded 115 tackles and 13® sacks in 2003-04 at Grambling.
Jordan said a quick deal is essential for rookies, who need to focus on making the team - not negotiating a deal.
Hayes day in Bossier: Former GSU star Lionel Hayes lit up the Battle Wings last week in Bossier City, as the af2 Macon Knights posted an easy 57-36 victory.
He finished 18-of-29 in the air, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Garman. Hayes also ran for a 4-yard touchdown as Macon improved to 4-6 with the victory.
Quarterback at GSU during former coach Doug Williams' first two seasons at the helm, Hayes had his best year as a senior in 1999. Hayes completed 188-of-366 passes for 2,935 yards and 30 touchdowns with just six interceptions. A year earlier, as a junior, Hayes completed 151-of-301 passes for 2,373 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Home cooking with Doug: Williams, now a personnel executive with the NFL's Tampa Bay franchise, talked about scouting Southwestern Athletic Conference products in a Q&A at buccaneers.com this week.
"Well, No. 1, my job is for the Buccaneers, to get the best players for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," he said. "But at the same time, there's no doubt that I might be a little partial to the historically black colleges, the SWAC or what have you. I'm not going to bring in a kid just because he went there. I want him to be able to show it."
The Bucs have drafted former Southern cornerback Lenny Williams and given a tryout to ex-Grambling receiver Scotty Anderson since Williams arrived in Tampa, but neither made the team.
Williams couldn't attend the opening of an exhibit of Eddie Robinson memorabilia in Grambling on Friday, he said, because he is filming a new special by NFL Films on the Super Bowl. Williams was the MVP of the 1988 game leading Washington over Denver.
Tiger bites: The just-completed Melvin Spears Football Camp included 200 young hopefuls - hailing from places as far flung as Alaska. Large groups came from Shreveport, Alexandria and Belzoni, Miss., as well. … The AFL's New Orleans franchise re-signed Grambling product Calvin Spears, who has played for the VooDoo for the past two seasons. Spears coached the secondary at Grambling last season, then returned to finish fifth on the VooDoo with 32® tackles.
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GSU's Pettway staying a Texan
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Grambling product Kenneth Pettway is staying home.
Pettway, a seventh-round 2005 draft pick for the Houston Texans, has reupped as an exclusive-rights free agent.
"This is a really good organization," said Pettway, a native of Gilmer, just outside of Houston. "I was born and spent most of my life here. The city has grown a lot but, at the same time, it's home to me. As far as this franchise goes, they handle their business really well."
Taken 237th overall by the Texans last year, Pettway finished with 115 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 30 tackles for a loss, 10 quarterback pressures, three forced fumbles, four passes defensed and two blocked kicks in 23 games at Grambling. He later garnered an invite to the 2005 Las Vegas All-American Classic postseason all-star game and was the only invitee from the Southwestern Athletic Conference at the 2005 NFL Scouting Combine.
Pettway says he signed one-year contract, just as he did last season, in the hopes that a breakout year might result in a better deal.
He's met new coach Gary Kubiak and a series of new assistants who were hired in the wake of Houston's league-worst 2-14 mark last season.
"When I first met the new coach, he came off as a really good guy," said Pettway, who spent most of his rookie season — save for games against Jacksonville and San Francisco — on the practice squad.
Kubiak and defensive coordinator Richard Smith Miami's coordinator last season under Nick Saban are moving from Houston's familiar 3-4 defensive alignment to the more conventional 4-3 look, with Pettway working on the outside.
"So far, so good," Pettway said. "They've got me playing Sam or Will, either one."
Pettway, who is participating in off-season training right now, said he expects the 4-3 playbook to be installed later in the spring.
"We've been running and conditioning," Pettway said. "We'll start learning the new defense when we start coaching sessions."
Pettway began his collegiate career at Southern Arkansas, where he had 52 tackles, 10 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble in 16 games. He was a four-sport performer in football, basketball, track and baseball at Gilmer High.
The Texans now have signed nine free agents, and re-signed another eight players. They hold the top pick in April's NFL Draft and, by exercising a $8 million option that extends quarterback David Carr's contract through the 2008, seem to be positioning themselves to select Texas running back Reggie Bush.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Recruiting: Grambling State's 2007 signing day class
Here are Grambling State University's announced football signees, with same-day analysis, from National Signing Day in February 2007:
Grambling State's 2007 haul
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Breakdown: 17 signees (10 offense, 7 defense)
Local ties: Wossman offensive lineman Steve Timber aside, many of Grambling's local prospects either didn't get announced or were late adds. Bastrop defensive back Montrell Gardner was part of a group of players who apparently would not qualify -- and first-year coach Rod Broadway has decided against announcing those players. A group of Richwood players signed at a school ceremony, but didn't immediately sent in their paperwork.
Sudden impact: Linebacker and offensive line units badly in need to rebuilding could get a quick fix with the addition of a Alabama prospect Jhirron Spencer, a linebacker out of Aliceville; and no less than four new guys up front.
One that got away: Grambling decided to reverse course on a couple of offers not long after Broadway arrived, including one for Rivals two-star prospect Johnny Wooten of Garland. He looked to be an impact player, but on-going legal troubles were apparently a deal breaker.
Instant analysis: It's too early to tell just what kind of impact this group will have for Broadway, who hasn't installed his playbook --- and arrived too late to participate in the recruiting process. He's saved back some scholarships, and will likely use them on transfers in the spring if they right mix of starters can't be found.
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An in-depth look at Grambling's newest signees
DB/WR Joshua Blackmon, 6-1, 180, Hueytown (Ala.): An athlete with the ability to help out on offense, defense and special teams. Earned special mention honors on Jim Stefani's Underclassmen Recruiting Blog. One of seven from the state of Alabama.
Instant analysis: A two-way prep star who could find a home in Grambling's deeply depleted secondary.
LB Dante Cheek, 6-0, 220, Starr's Mill (Fayetteville, Ga.): Played tight end but is projected to play linebacker. Caught 32 receptions for 473 yards with three touchdowns, in a season highlighted by six catches for 100 yards versus Fayette County High.
Instant analysis: Could play on both sides of the ball, as well; also starred as a prep tight end.
OL Sam Cooper, 6-4, 285, Richwood (La.): Named Class 3A All-State by the Louisiana Sports Writer's Association. "Best of the Rest" prospect by Dandy Don. One of three Richwood players to sign with Grambling after advancing to Class 3A quarterfinals.
Instant analysis: One of five offensive lineman to sign; looks to have the athleticism this staff craves.
DB Quincy Covington, 5-10, 175, Independence (La.): Recorded 49 tackles with 33 solo stops at the safety position. Broke up four passes with five interceptions for 83 yards and returned 31 punts for 391 yards. Had two games with multiple interceptions.
Instant analysis: An interception machine at powerhouse Independence; could start immediately.
OG Brandon Gardner, Aliceville (Carrolton, Ala.): Played tackle in high school and projects as a guard in college. All-State and All-County as a junior. Blocked for an offense that produced over 2,000 yards on the ground in 2006.
Instant analysis: A former All-State performer with good feet, Gardner led the way for 1,700-yard rusher last season.
WR Bryan Jackson, 6-3, 190, Carroll (Washington, D.C.): Tall, physical receiver with good speed. Caught 26 receptions for over 500 yards this past season. Scored six touchdowns via the pass with one rushing touchdown. Also plays special teams.
Instant analysis: In a signing class light on skill-position players, Jackson will have a chance to shine.
LB Toby Mott, 6-0, 205, Richwood (La.): Earned Class 3A All-State Honorable Mention All-State honors last season. Posted 152 tackles and scored one defensive touchdown with three sacks. Also selected as District 2-3A MVP. Ranked third in the area in tackles.
Instant analysis: A bit undersized, but always around the ball, Mott was one of the one or two best area LBs.
OG Victor Phillips, 6-4, 295, Minor (Adamsville, Ala.): Earned special mention honors on Jim Stefani's Class of 2007 Underclassmen Recruiting Blog. Participated in the Tuscaloosa Scout.com combine.
Instant analysis: Versatile blocker who led the way for all-staters at QB and RB last season.
DE Kendell Robinson, 6-4, 235, Parker (Birmingham, Ala.): Two-way player in high school who projects to play on the defensive side of the ball. Helped lead his high school team to a 6-3 record and an appearance in the state playoffs. Named a "Player to Watch" by The Birmingham News.
Instant analysis: Two-way player in high school who projects to play on the defensive side.
DE Antwon Rogers, 6-4, 225, Mays (Atlanta, Ga.): Played on the offensive line before switching over to the defensive side of the ball at the end of the season. Helped lead team to the second round of the playoffs.
Instant analysis: Depending on what the coaches see, Rogers would be used at either of his prep positions.
LB Jhrron Spencer, 6-1, 250, Aliceville (Ala.): Selected as the state of Alabama's Class 3A Lineman of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Recorded 126 tackles, 15 quarterback hurries, seven sacks and five fumble recoveries.
Instant analysis: A one-star Scouts.com recruit, could become next Pettway/Hatcher team so badly needs.
WR Dezmond Spivey, 6-1, 175, Green Oaks (Shreveport, La.): Passed for 720 yards with five passing touchdowns, including a 234-yard passing effort against North Caddo.
Instant analysis: A do-anything player, he also played quarterback and defensive back -- and was all-district as a punter.
RB Raymond "J.R." Spivey, 5-9, 170, Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.): Named First-Team All-Cobb County by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Rushed for 1,677 yards and 20 touchdowns along with averaging 9.1 yards per carry. Nephew of former Grambling State quarterback and Jacksonville Jaguars team executive James "Shack" Harris.
Instant analysis: His 1,700 rushing yards as senior make a case for Spivey as heir apparent in an empty backfield.
OL Steve Timber, 6-4, 330, Wossman (Monroe, La.): All-Northeast selection participated in the 2006 NIKE Training Camp in Baton Rouge. Named "Best of the Rest" prospect by Dandy Don's football recruiting Web site.
Instant analysis: The All-Northeast selection could fill any number of voids on the offensive line.
WR Kiare Thompson, 6-0, 185, Burbank (Sacramento, Calif.): Recorded 18 receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown last season; averaged 21.1 yards per catch. Also had 19 tackles. Ranked the 64th best prospect in California by Phil's Spartan Athletics message board.
Instant analysis: Another two-way player who was also a standout defensive back; projects to play offense.
WR DeMarion Turner, 6-2, 205, Richwood (La.): Two-way standout; switched to defensive back this season. Caught 23 receptions for 421 yards and three touchdowns as a wide receiver in 2005. Earned second team All-District honors as an athlete.
Instant analysis: Terrific WR who lost some recruiting buzz when he was switched to DB; likely to move back.
RB Frank Warren, 6-0, 185, Pleasant Grove (Ala.): Selected to the Alabama Sports Writer's Association Class 5A All-State football team. Mentioned on Jim Stefani's Class of 2007 Underclassmen Recruiting Blog. Finalist for Class 5A Back of the Year award. Also plays on his high school's basketball team.
Instant analysis: Word is, he plays with the same intensity as his uncle, the great Saints defender of the same name.
NOTE: Grambling State only announced qualifiers this year; Bastrop defensive back Montrell Gardner was one of several others who also signed.
Grambling State's 2007 haul
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Breakdown: 17 signees (10 offense, 7 defense)
Local ties: Wossman offensive lineman Steve Timber aside, many of Grambling's local prospects either didn't get announced or were late adds. Bastrop defensive back Montrell Gardner was part of a group of players who apparently would not qualify -- and first-year coach Rod Broadway has decided against announcing those players. A group of Richwood players signed at a school ceremony, but didn't immediately sent in their paperwork.
Sudden impact: Linebacker and offensive line units badly in need to rebuilding could get a quick fix with the addition of a Alabama prospect Jhirron Spencer, a linebacker out of Aliceville; and no less than four new guys up front.
One that got away: Grambling decided to reverse course on a couple of offers not long after Broadway arrived, including one for Rivals two-star prospect Johnny Wooten of Garland. He looked to be an impact player, but on-going legal troubles were apparently a deal breaker.
Instant analysis: It's too early to tell just what kind of impact this group will have for Broadway, who hasn't installed his playbook --- and arrived too late to participate in the recruiting process. He's saved back some scholarships, and will likely use them on transfers in the spring if they right mix of starters can't be found.
g g g
An in-depth look at Grambling's newest signees
DB/WR Joshua Blackmon, 6-1, 180, Hueytown (Ala.): An athlete with the ability to help out on offense, defense and special teams. Earned special mention honors on Jim Stefani's Underclassmen Recruiting Blog. One of seven from the state of Alabama.
Instant analysis: A two-way prep star who could find a home in Grambling's deeply depleted secondary.
LB Dante Cheek, 6-0, 220, Starr's Mill (Fayetteville, Ga.): Played tight end but is projected to play linebacker. Caught 32 receptions for 473 yards with three touchdowns, in a season highlighted by six catches for 100 yards versus Fayette County High.
Instant analysis: Could play on both sides of the ball, as well; also starred as a prep tight end.
OL Sam Cooper, 6-4, 285, Richwood (La.): Named Class 3A All-State by the Louisiana Sports Writer's Association. "Best of the Rest" prospect by Dandy Don. One of three Richwood players to sign with Grambling after advancing to Class 3A quarterfinals.
Instant analysis: One of five offensive lineman to sign; looks to have the athleticism this staff craves.
DB Quincy Covington, 5-10, 175, Independence (La.): Recorded 49 tackles with 33 solo stops at the safety position. Broke up four passes with five interceptions for 83 yards and returned 31 punts for 391 yards. Had two games with multiple interceptions.
Instant analysis: An interception machine at powerhouse Independence; could start immediately.
OG Brandon Gardner, Aliceville (Carrolton, Ala.): Played tackle in high school and projects as a guard in college. All-State and All-County as a junior. Blocked for an offense that produced over 2,000 yards on the ground in 2006.
Instant analysis: A former All-State performer with good feet, Gardner led the way for 1,700-yard rusher last season.
WR Bryan Jackson, 6-3, 190, Carroll (Washington, D.C.): Tall, physical receiver with good speed. Caught 26 receptions for over 500 yards this past season. Scored six touchdowns via the pass with one rushing touchdown. Also plays special teams.
Instant analysis: In a signing class light on skill-position players, Jackson will have a chance to shine.
LB Toby Mott, 6-0, 205, Richwood (La.): Earned Class 3A All-State Honorable Mention All-State honors last season. Posted 152 tackles and scored one defensive touchdown with three sacks. Also selected as District 2-3A MVP. Ranked third in the area in tackles.
Instant analysis: A bit undersized, but always around the ball, Mott was one of the one or two best area LBs.
OG Victor Phillips, 6-4, 295, Minor (Adamsville, Ala.): Earned special mention honors on Jim Stefani's Class of 2007 Underclassmen Recruiting Blog. Participated in the Tuscaloosa Scout.com combine.
Instant analysis: Versatile blocker who led the way for all-staters at QB and RB last season.
DE Kendell Robinson, 6-4, 235, Parker (Birmingham, Ala.): Two-way player in high school who projects to play on the defensive side of the ball. Helped lead his high school team to a 6-3 record and an appearance in the state playoffs. Named a "Player to Watch" by The Birmingham News.
Instant analysis: Two-way player in high school who projects to play on the defensive side.
DE Antwon Rogers, 6-4, 225, Mays (Atlanta, Ga.): Played on the offensive line before switching over to the defensive side of the ball at the end of the season. Helped lead team to the second round of the playoffs.
Instant analysis: Depending on what the coaches see, Rogers would be used at either of his prep positions.
LB Jhrron Spencer, 6-1, 250, Aliceville (Ala.): Selected as the state of Alabama's Class 3A Lineman of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Recorded 126 tackles, 15 quarterback hurries, seven sacks and five fumble recoveries.
Instant analysis: A one-star Scouts.com recruit, could become next Pettway/Hatcher team so badly needs.
WR Dezmond Spivey, 6-1, 175, Green Oaks (Shreveport, La.): Passed for 720 yards with five passing touchdowns, including a 234-yard passing effort against North Caddo.
Instant analysis: A do-anything player, he also played quarterback and defensive back -- and was all-district as a punter.
RB Raymond "J.R." Spivey, 5-9, 170, Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.): Named First-Team All-Cobb County by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Rushed for 1,677 yards and 20 touchdowns along with averaging 9.1 yards per carry. Nephew of former Grambling State quarterback and Jacksonville Jaguars team executive James "Shack" Harris.
Instant analysis: His 1,700 rushing yards as senior make a case for Spivey as heir apparent in an empty backfield.
OL Steve Timber, 6-4, 330, Wossman (Monroe, La.): All-Northeast selection participated in the 2006 NIKE Training Camp in Baton Rouge. Named "Best of the Rest" prospect by Dandy Don's football recruiting Web site.
Instant analysis: The All-Northeast selection could fill any number of voids on the offensive line.
WR Kiare Thompson, 6-0, 185, Burbank (Sacramento, Calif.): Recorded 18 receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown last season; averaged 21.1 yards per catch. Also had 19 tackles. Ranked the 64th best prospect in California by Phil's Spartan Athletics message board.
Instant analysis: Another two-way player who was also a standout defensive back; projects to play offense.
WR DeMarion Turner, 6-2, 205, Richwood (La.): Two-way standout; switched to defensive back this season. Caught 23 receptions for 421 yards and three touchdowns as a wide receiver in 2005. Earned second team All-District honors as an athlete.
Instant analysis: Terrific WR who lost some recruiting buzz when he was switched to DB; likely to move back.
RB Frank Warren, 6-0, 185, Pleasant Grove (Ala.): Selected to the Alabama Sports Writer's Association Class 5A All-State football team. Mentioned on Jim Stefani's Class of 2007 Underclassmen Recruiting Blog. Finalist for Class 5A Back of the Year award. Also plays on his high school's basketball team.
Instant analysis: Word is, he plays with the same intensity as his uncle, the great Saints defender of the same name.
NOTE: Grambling State only announced qualifiers this year; Bastrop defensive back Montrell Gardner was one of several others who also signed.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Remembering: Doug Williams' historic Super Bowl win
DIG DOUG
Play by play, Williams built a Super Bowl legacy 20 years ago
Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
There was actually some indication of what was about to unfold.
Sure, no team had ever come back from being down 7 or more points in any Super Bowl.
But Doug Williams and the Washington Redskins — losing 10-0 to Denver Broncos after one quarter of play 20 years ago at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium — kept telling themselves the same thing.
"We had been down like that already against Chicago," Williams said.
The Redskins had fallen back two touchdowns before overtaking the Bears 21-17 in 1987’s divisional round.
"And it was frigid there," said Williams a Grambling product. "In San Diego, we had 80-degree weather."
A moment that grew into a cultural symbol — Williams, after a startling comeback, would become the first black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl, and the first to earn MVP honors — was just a game back then.
And Washington was losing.
The NFC’s eventual representative in Super Bowl XXII had changed quarterbacks and running backs over the length of the ‘87 season.
Then Williams nearly blew out a knee.
He was still confident. But he might have been the only one.
AT FIRST, DISASTER
Redskins rookie Timmy Smith started the contest, rather than the injured former Heisman trophy winner George Rogers, and was going nowhere.
Williams’ initial third-down pass was dropped, too, giving Denver the ball for the first time.
One play later, Broncos’ receiver Ricky Nattiel — then just 22, the youngest player in history to score in a Super Bowl — was hauling in a 56-yard touchdown pass from Elway.
That was the fastest score in Super Bowl history.
Washington was stymied again on its next possession, which included another third-down drop. Williams was 1-of-4 for nine yards as Denver added a field goal to go up 10-0 with nine minutes still remaining in the first period.
"I think the average betting man would have gone with Elway," Williams said. "They didn’t give Doug Williams a prayer. Well, the good Lord does answer some."
But not before Redskins returner Ricky Sanders fumbled the resulting kickoff, nearly giving Denver the ball back in Washington’s red zone. Williams would go on to complete this stirring 40-yard strike to Art Monk.
That drive, and the next one, eventually also stalled — and Williams found himself twisting on the ground, grabbing a hyperextended left knee.
The injury was so excruciating that Williams instinctively released the ball, though he was ruled down. San Diego’s squishy turf had already forced the Broncos to switch to a deeper cleat.
Former starter Jay Schroeder returned to finish the drive, but was summarily sacked and then suffered yet another Redskins drop — their fourth already.
The air, it seemed, had gone out of Washington — but not Williams, even though he was just four-of-10 for 78 yards as the second period began.
"No question, I was in tremendous pain, but I was there to play the game," Williams said. "That’s how I looked at it. I couldn’t worry about that. You are on the biggest stage of your life. To me, it was like growing up — you throw a little dirt on it and keep going."
DENVER’S ‘NIGHTMARE’
Williams returned from the sidelines and, 53 seconds into the quarter, threw an 80-yard touchdown to Ricky Sanders, his first-ever postseason score. The Redskins had managed just 63 yards on offense during the entire first period.
Washington held as Elway threw what was then his sixth consecutive incompletion. Four plays later, Williams hit Gary Clark for a 27-yard score to take the lead.
Williams was well protected behind an offensive line so talented that he had been sacked just once in the playoffs.
"If the offense line did what I’d like for them to do, and receivers did what they can do, I knew we could get back into it," said Williams, who played for the legendary Eddie Robinson. "I just had to get the ball back."
Denver, fading badly now, turned the ball over on a missed 43-yard field-goal attempt.
Williams and the Redskins still had seven minutes remaining before the half.
Two plays later, Smith ran 58 yards for a touchdown — his first score ever — and a 21-10 lead. He had just 126 regular-season yards, but 204 in this game alone.
Denver had worked all week on stopping the Redskins’ vaunted counter running play. It didn’t matter.
"‘Coach Rob’ used to say it’s all about blocking and tackling," Williams said. "If you block it right, they can’t stop you — and our line did that. We knew from a physical standpoint, we were the better football l team. That was proved as game went on."
That last touchdown had tied the Super Bowl record, set by San Francisco in XIX and Chicago in XX, of 21 points in a single quarter.
Washington needed just three more plays to score its fourth consecutive touchdown, as Williams hit Sanders on a 50-yard slant — tying a record for most TD receptions by a player in the Super Bowl.
"When everybody is working on all cylinders like that, it’s the epitome of execution," Williams said.
Washington, ahead now 28-10, stopped Elway on an interception in his subsequent possession.
Smith dashed 45 yards to set up Washington at the Broncos’ 35. Denver’s defenders were distracted, then deflated.
"You get he defense out of place, get them confused," Williams said. "All of a sudden they’re looking at each other, trying to make judgment calls. When they’re making all of these late changes, there is a chance that somebody is going to be out of place."
Williams’ fourth touchdown pass, tying another Super Bowl record, to Clint Didier extended Washington’s now insurmountable lead to 35-10.
TV announcer Frank Gifford, in a line that Williams can repeat from memory, said it best: "If this was a fight, they might stop it."
In 222 previous post-season games to that point, no NFL team had ever scored more points in a single quarter. Oakland came closest in 1968, putting up 28; the Giants scored 27 all the way back in 1934.
Williams ran into former Denver coach Dan Reeves this week. "He just shook his head and said: ‘That second quarter was a nightmare.’"
TOUCHING SO MANY LIVES
Washington only scored once more, preferring instead to run the ball in long, quarter-eating drives.
"We wanted to flatten this thing out and keep Elway off the field," Williams said. "You take time off clock, and make it a little more impossible."
Desperate to catch up, Elway began to take more chances, and Washington defenders feasted on multiple turnovers.
The enormity of the moment was becoming clear. A contest marked by personal firsts for Williams, the initial player in Super Bowl history to throw four touchdowns in a single quarter, and to throw four in a half, would have wider implications for African-Americans.
"It’s a great feeling when you realize that people still recognize you and are grateful for what you did," Williams said. "They’ll come up and say: ‘God bless you; you don’t know what you mean to us.’ That’s a great feeling to have that kind of impact."
The announcing team for Super Bowl XXII — Gifford, Dan Dierdorf and Al Michaels – were a microcosm of that sudden revelation.
"Those guys were dumbfounded," Williams said, chuckling. "The last thing they expected was for it to be like that."
Elway was portrayed as the golden-boy sure thing, while Williams would be largely disregarded as an all but forgotten outsider. Too often, the conversation had entered on Williams’ race, rather than what his team did well.
"The problem with that Super Bowl was it wasn’t so much the game itself, as it was who the quarterbacks where," Williams said. "You had Doug Williams against John Elway, and we all know who’s going to win that game."
Williams’ performance, resilient and eye-popping in its complete efficiency, opened eyes and opened doors.
Two other black quarterbacks have followed Williams to the Super Bowl, though neither Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb or Tennessee’ Steve McNair would win.
"The opportunity now," Williams said, "is more than it was then."
Super Bowl XXII remains an afternoon where race relations achieved a rare vista — even if, at first, it started as just another football game.
"That day still has significance," Williams said, "because it touched so many people’s lives — not just as a fan but from an emotional standpoint. From a time when there was no black quarterbacks to winning it, so many older people talk about what that game meant."
In the smaller vernacular of sports, he’s the consummate underdog-made-good, too.
"When somebody is down and out," Williams said, "they’ll put that game in."
As he walked off that San Diego field, in a lingering image, Williams raised his helmet in triumph.
"I had been to place people only dream about," Williams said, still taking it in. "You don’t get to that point too often."
Play by play, Williams built a Super Bowl legacy 20 years ago
Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
There was actually some indication of what was about to unfold.
Sure, no team had ever come back from being down 7 or more points in any Super Bowl.
But Doug Williams and the Washington Redskins — losing 10-0 to Denver Broncos after one quarter of play 20 years ago at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium — kept telling themselves the same thing.
"We had been down like that already against Chicago," Williams said.
The Redskins had fallen back two touchdowns before overtaking the Bears 21-17 in 1987’s divisional round.
"And it was frigid there," said Williams a Grambling product. "In San Diego, we had 80-degree weather."
A moment that grew into a cultural symbol — Williams, after a startling comeback, would become the first black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl, and the first to earn MVP honors — was just a game back then.
And Washington was losing.
The NFC’s eventual representative in Super Bowl XXII had changed quarterbacks and running backs over the length of the ‘87 season.
Then Williams nearly blew out a knee.
He was still confident. But he might have been the only one.
AT FIRST, DISASTER
Redskins rookie Timmy Smith started the contest, rather than the injured former Heisman trophy winner George Rogers, and was going nowhere.
Williams’ initial third-down pass was dropped, too, giving Denver the ball for the first time.
One play later, Broncos’ receiver Ricky Nattiel — then just 22, the youngest player in history to score in a Super Bowl — was hauling in a 56-yard touchdown pass from Elway.
That was the fastest score in Super Bowl history.
Washington was stymied again on its next possession, which included another third-down drop. Williams was 1-of-4 for nine yards as Denver added a field goal to go up 10-0 with nine minutes still remaining in the first period.
"I think the average betting man would have gone with Elway," Williams said. "They didn’t give Doug Williams a prayer. Well, the good Lord does answer some."
But not before Redskins returner Ricky Sanders fumbled the resulting kickoff, nearly giving Denver the ball back in Washington’s red zone. Williams would go on to complete this stirring 40-yard strike to Art Monk.
That drive, and the next one, eventually also stalled — and Williams found himself twisting on the ground, grabbing a hyperextended left knee.
The injury was so excruciating that Williams instinctively released the ball, though he was ruled down. San Diego’s squishy turf had already forced the Broncos to switch to a deeper cleat.
Former starter Jay Schroeder returned to finish the drive, but was summarily sacked and then suffered yet another Redskins drop — their fourth already.
The air, it seemed, had gone out of Washington — but not Williams, even though he was just four-of-10 for 78 yards as the second period began.
"No question, I was in tremendous pain, but I was there to play the game," Williams said. "That’s how I looked at it. I couldn’t worry about that. You are on the biggest stage of your life. To me, it was like growing up — you throw a little dirt on it and keep going."
DENVER’S ‘NIGHTMARE’
Williams returned from the sidelines and, 53 seconds into the quarter, threw an 80-yard touchdown to Ricky Sanders, his first-ever postseason score. The Redskins had managed just 63 yards on offense during the entire first period.
Washington held as Elway threw what was then his sixth consecutive incompletion. Four plays later, Williams hit Gary Clark for a 27-yard score to take the lead.
Williams was well protected behind an offensive line so talented that he had been sacked just once in the playoffs.
"If the offense line did what I’d like for them to do, and receivers did what they can do, I knew we could get back into it," said Williams, who played for the legendary Eddie Robinson. "I just had to get the ball back."
Denver, fading badly now, turned the ball over on a missed 43-yard field-goal attempt.
Williams and the Redskins still had seven minutes remaining before the half.
Two plays later, Smith ran 58 yards for a touchdown — his first score ever — and a 21-10 lead. He had just 126 regular-season yards, but 204 in this game alone.
Denver had worked all week on stopping the Redskins’ vaunted counter running play. It didn’t matter.
"‘Coach Rob’ used to say it’s all about blocking and tackling," Williams said. "If you block it right, they can’t stop you — and our line did that. We knew from a physical standpoint, we were the better football l team. That was proved as game went on."
That last touchdown had tied the Super Bowl record, set by San Francisco in XIX and Chicago in XX, of 21 points in a single quarter.
Washington needed just three more plays to score its fourth consecutive touchdown, as Williams hit Sanders on a 50-yard slant — tying a record for most TD receptions by a player in the Super Bowl.
"When everybody is working on all cylinders like that, it’s the epitome of execution," Williams said.
Washington, ahead now 28-10, stopped Elway on an interception in his subsequent possession.
Smith dashed 45 yards to set up Washington at the Broncos’ 35. Denver’s defenders were distracted, then deflated.
"You get he defense out of place, get them confused," Williams said. "All of a sudden they’re looking at each other, trying to make judgment calls. When they’re making all of these late changes, there is a chance that somebody is going to be out of place."
Williams’ fourth touchdown pass, tying another Super Bowl record, to Clint Didier extended Washington’s now insurmountable lead to 35-10.
TV announcer Frank Gifford, in a line that Williams can repeat from memory, said it best: "If this was a fight, they might stop it."
In 222 previous post-season games to that point, no NFL team had ever scored more points in a single quarter. Oakland came closest in 1968, putting up 28; the Giants scored 27 all the way back in 1934.
Williams ran into former Denver coach Dan Reeves this week. "He just shook his head and said: ‘That second quarter was a nightmare.’"
TOUCHING SO MANY LIVES
Washington only scored once more, preferring instead to run the ball in long, quarter-eating drives.
"We wanted to flatten this thing out and keep Elway off the field," Williams said. "You take time off clock, and make it a little more impossible."
Desperate to catch up, Elway began to take more chances, and Washington defenders feasted on multiple turnovers.
The enormity of the moment was becoming clear. A contest marked by personal firsts for Williams, the initial player in Super Bowl history to throw four touchdowns in a single quarter, and to throw four in a half, would have wider implications for African-Americans.
"It’s a great feeling when you realize that people still recognize you and are grateful for what you did," Williams said. "They’ll come up and say: ‘God bless you; you don’t know what you mean to us.’ That’s a great feeling to have that kind of impact."
The announcing team for Super Bowl XXII — Gifford, Dan Dierdorf and Al Michaels – were a microcosm of that sudden revelation.
"Those guys were dumbfounded," Williams said, chuckling. "The last thing they expected was for it to be like that."
Elway was portrayed as the golden-boy sure thing, while Williams would be largely disregarded as an all but forgotten outsider. Too often, the conversation had entered on Williams’ race, rather than what his team did well.
"The problem with that Super Bowl was it wasn’t so much the game itself, as it was who the quarterbacks where," Williams said. "You had Doug Williams against John Elway, and we all know who’s going to win that game."
Williams’ performance, resilient and eye-popping in its complete efficiency, opened eyes and opened doors.
Two other black quarterbacks have followed Williams to the Super Bowl, though neither Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb or Tennessee’ Steve McNair would win.
"The opportunity now," Williams said, "is more than it was then."
Super Bowl XXII remains an afternoon where race relations achieved a rare vista — even if, at first, it started as just another football game.
"That day still has significance," Williams said, "because it touched so many people’s lives — not just as a fan but from an emotional standpoint. From a time when there was no black quarterbacks to winning it, so many older people talk about what that game meant."
In the smaller vernacular of sports, he’s the consummate underdog-made-good, too.
"When somebody is down and out," Williams said, "they’ll put that game in."
As he walked off that San Diego field, in a lingering image, Williams raised his helmet in triumph.
"I had been to place people only dream about," Williams said, still taking it in. "You don’t get to that point too often."
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Recruiting: Grambling State's 2006 signing day class
Here are Grambling State University's announced football signees, with same-day analysis, from National Signing Day in February 2006:
Grambling State's 2006 haul
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Breakdown: 27 signees (15 offense, 12 defense)
Local ties: Four of the local prospects listed on the original verbal commitment list were not announced early Wednesday - West Ouachita's Demarious DuBose and Carroll's Jesse Smith Jr., Desmond Lenard and Derrick Johnson.
Sudden impact: Mobile fullback Corey Patterson, like GSU's Ruben Mayes, just makes plays.
One that got away: OG Nigel Bolden (Cedar Hill, Dallas). Selected 2005 All-District 2-5A by TexasHSFootball.com, he would have made this fall's camp battles intriguing.
Instant analysis: Signing running backs and offensive linemen isn't flashy, but it will improve a team that's solid at the skill positions. Ironically, Grambling didn't have a single commitment from an offensive lineman going into the final recruiting weekend - a glaring need. By Wednesday night, five had signed.
BY THE NUMBERS
7-Number of signees who played running back or fullback in high school
13-Louisiana prospects who signed with Grambling
g g g
An in-depth look at the 2006 Grambling signees:
QUARTERBACK
· QB Derrick Wilhite, 6-0, 180, Wossman (Monroe): Was 55-for-102 passing for 733 yards with 12 TDs and just three interceptions in regular season. Rushed 94 times for 900 yards and 10 touchdowns. District 2-3A co-Offensive MVP with LSU signee Richard Murphy from Rayville. Also named to The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare All-Northeast team.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Wilhite is talented enough to play anywhere, but it likely won't be quarterback. Even with record-smashing senior Bruce Eugene gone, GSU returns former conference freshman of the year Brandon Landers - a Carroll product who took over when Eugene went down in 2004. Houston-LaMarque product Larry Kerlegan, Eugene's backup last season, is also back.
RUNNING BACK
· FB Marcus Frazier, 6-1, 255; BC Rain (Mobile, Ala.): A two-year starter; helped team to a region-winning 7-5 record and a second-round playoff run. Also played defensive end, where he was team's best tackler. Ran 4.55 in the 40-yard dash at a Birmingham combine event. Named the No. 15 prospect from southwestern Alabama by The Mobile Register.
· FB Corey George, 6-2, 225; Bossier (La.): Starter on the 2005 Bossier Press-Tribune All-Bossier team. Rushed for 1,200 yards and 27 touchdowns, averaging seven yards per carry. Dandy Don's No. 60 Louisiana prospect. Brother Brandon signed with GSU last year. Part of a 2004 squad that reportedly became the first in parish history with three players to gain more than 1,000 yards rushing.
· RB Patrick Henry, 5-9, 175, Covington (La.): Listed at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash. … One of Dandy Don's Top 100 Louisiana prospects. … Rushed for 1,340 yards on 262 carries for 15 touchdowns in 2004.
· FB Robert Jones, 5-9, 230; Natchitoches Central (La.): Ran for the lone touchdown in the Chiefs' 45-6 loss to eventual Class 5A champion West Monroe on Sept. 30. Jones was used as a tailback in a spread offense that finished 3-7, with two of those wins coming over Southwood and Minden.
· FB Kenneth Matthews, 6-1; 250; Clinton (La.): Two-way starter at both fullback and middle linebacker. All-District 8-2A second team on offense for a second straight season in 2005. Brother of GSU defensive lineman Melvin Matthews. Team went 10-1 before falling to OCS in playoffs.
· FB/RB Cory Patterson, 6-0, 235, Davidson (Mobile, Ala.): First-team Class 6A All-State in 2005 by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Team switched from a shotgun passing offense to the power running game to fit his talents. Starting fullback for the South team in the 2004 Alabama High School Athletic Association's North-South All-Star Football. Named the No. 22 prospect from southwestern Alabama by The Mobile Register.
· RB Ben Rogers, 6-1, 180; Parker (Birmingham, Ala.): Chosen by the city's head football coaches as a Birmingham All-City co-offensive player of the year. Class 5A All-State honorable mention by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Rushed for 1,500 yards and 18 scores in 2005 as team advanced to the second round of the ASHAA playoffs.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: It's easy to see many, if not most, of these prospects moving into other positions. Grambling's scheme values speed in its linebackers and secondary defenders, and running backs easily transition into those roles. That said, George, Patterson and Rogers have the prep credentials to push their way into eventual playing time. Matthews is a punishing blocker in the mold of current starter Ruben Mayes.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
· ATH Terrence Bell, 5-9, 163, Clinton (La.): Multi-position performer who played quarterback, wide receiver and kick returner in 2005. Part of an offense that averaged 300 yards of offense and 30 points per game. Second-team all-District 8-2A in 2005. Runs a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash; also ran track for Clinton, competing in the 100 and in the last leg of the 400 relay.
· WR Jeremy Sylve, 6-3, 190, Bastrop: Played in 11 games including the playoffs and had 30 catches for 698 yards and seven touchdowns. Second-team District 2-4A. An evacuee transfer from Port Sulphur.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Grambling has enough depth, not to mention talent, percolating in its prop program, to offer more scholarships in other positions of need, and that's what the coaches did. Both look to be eligible.
OFFENSIVE LINE
· OL Randle Bennett, 6-6, 337, Valley Forge (Wayne, Pa.): Will likely compete for tackle spot. Runs well, great feet. Recruited by defensive coordinator Luther Palmer, a longtime coach in the area.
· OG Jerome King, 6-5, 230, Davidson (Mobile, Ala.): Has great feet, versatile enough to excel either inside or outside. Could fit in on other side of GSU line. Davidson was 12-1 last year.
· OL George Long, 6-5, 350, James Monroe (Fredricksburg, Va.): Named to Group AA All-State second-team by the Virginia High School Coaches Association. Honorable mention on The Washington Post's Fall 2005 All-Met team. First-team all-district and second-team All-Region A as a junior. Played up front on four straight teams that reached the regional playoffs. Considered Morgan State, as well.
· OL Sam Onyeaka, 6-4, 350, Valley Forge (Wayne, Pa.): Inside player, long armed. Very athletic. Looks to compete for guard position. Team went 6-2 in 2005 under Jim Burner.
· OL Ramon Otey, 6-2, 300, Huffman (Birmingham, Ala.): Part of a line that averaged more than 300 pounds per man, Huffman averaged 370 rushing yards per game - including a staggering 609 in a win over Hewitt.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: With the loss of three regular starters in Jonathan Banks, Charles Wilson and Tommy Dural, this was a point of emphasis - though you wouldn't have known it early on. Not until the final week before National Signing Day did the linemen begin pouring in, and Grambling's final list was impressive. Any of these prospects could work his way into line coach Carl Roberts' rotation this season.
DEFENSIVE LINE
· DE Jody Ancar, 6-1, 220, Port Sulphur/Bastrop: Started two games, before suffering a knee injury; returned in playoffs to spark 4A state title run. Transferred to Bastrop from Port Sulphur following Hurricane Katrina. Bastrop assistant coach DeCarlos Holmes, a former GSU defensive lineman, also coached Ancar in Port Sulphur. Honorable mention on The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare All-Northeast Team.
· DL Chris Drummer, 6-1, 265, Ouachita (Monroe): All-district first teamer and honorable mention for All-State. Made 105 total tackles, including 11 sacks - best in northeastern Louisiana. Team's defensive most valuable player. Named to The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare All-Northeast Team. Ouachita Coach John Carr says he has a 30-inch vertical leap.
· DL Taurean Montero, Northwest (Opelousas, La.): The team's rookie of the year, he was honorable mention All-District selection last year. Suffered a torn medial collateral ligament late last season. Is not expected to qualify.
· DE Jon Nixon, 6-2, 240, North Little Rock (Ark.): Named to HawgSports.com's Natural 21 list of top Arkansas prospects. Reportedly received an offer from Purdue, and considered both Vanderbilt and Arkansas, where he went for an official visit. Runs 4.9 in 40-yard dash, according to Rivals.com. Named to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Top 30 Juniors to Watch statewide in 2004.
· DT Vernon Pittman, 6-4, 370, Irving (Texas): A one-year letterman. Team slipped to 4-6 after a 6-5 season in 2004 that included a trip to the Class 5A Division II bi-district game. Was teammates with talented but troubled all-purpose running back Jamaal Evans, who finished with more than 4,000 yards in high school.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: For the second consecutive year, GSU will lose one of its best players from this unit. In 2004, it was defensive end Kenneth Pettway, who also spelled at outside linebacker. This time, it's end Jason Hatcher. Replacing those kind of playmakers is never easy, though Ancar has shown flashes of that kind of brilliance during an injury-marred season. Drummer was the area's most consistent pass rusher and Nixon is a certifiable steal if he's eligible.
LINEBACKER
· OLB Demario Dixon, 6-2, 220; Southwood (Shreveport): All-district after both the 2004-05 seasons. Lettered for three years. Runs a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash. In a show of athleticism, caught a 2005 two-point conversion to help seal a 29-10 win that ended rival Byrd's 12-game winning streak over Southwood. A regular at GSU's off-season football camps.
· LB Terrance Miley, 5-10, 175, Neville (Monroe): Made 62 tackles and six interceptions. Named to Class 4A All-State team by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Also played defensive back in high school.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: This unit has a steady center in returning middle linebacker Dimitri Carr, a Farmerville product, but it needs more speed off the edges. Both Dixon and Miley could provide that, as do several of the running back prospects who are expected to get looks for this position.
DEFENSIVE BACK
· DB Mariko Martin, 6-3, 193, Carver (Montgomery, Ala.): Had four passes defended as team advanced to the second round of the post-season. Carver was a semifinalist in the Alabama High School Athletic Association playoffs for the first time ever in 2004. Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds. Also reportedly had interest from Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Sam Houston State and Albany State.
· DB T.J. McCord, 6-1, 180, McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.): An all-region selection. Had 80 tackles and three interceptions as a senior. Also a leader on defense last year with 65 tackles and 12 pass breakups. Named the No. 8 prospect from southwestern Alabama by The Mobile (Ala.) Register. Ran hurdles on high school track team, and played forward on the basketball team.
· SS Michael Oliver, 6-3, 205, Homewood (Ala.): On back-to-back Alabama 5A state championship teams; had 11 tackles in those two title games. Starter on the 5A All-State team. Honorable mention on the 5A All-Metro team. Won state track titles last year in the 110 hurdles and as third runner in the 400 relay. Won the 300 hurdles at the 2004 Class 4A-6A track and field meet, as well.
· DB Donald Roberts, 5-11, 185, Northwest (Opelousas, La.): Will provide needed depth in secondary. Also ran track, including 55-meter hurdles, in high school. Joins prep teammate Taurean Montero in Grambling. Is qualified.
· SS Dante Thompson, 6-4, 218, Colerain (Cincinnati): Honorable mention on The Cincinnati Enquirer's conference all-star list. Great upside; has impressive speed. Rangy, could move into linebacking unit. Colerain was undefeated in Thompson's junior season. A qualifier.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: A pressing need for depth has arisen with the unit struggling through an off-season of graduation, injury or grade problems. McCord looks to be eligible, while Oliver is a legitimate Division I-A prospect who drew interest from Alabama and Auburn. Coaches are high on Thompson and Martin.
SPECIALISTS
While this is no longer a critical area, since rising junior Tim Manuel handled both punting and kicking field goals last year, the team continues to explore the possibility of signing another prospect. The position might also attract a transfer.
Grambling State's 2006 haul
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Breakdown: 27 signees (15 offense, 12 defense)
Local ties: Four of the local prospects listed on the original verbal commitment list were not announced early Wednesday - West Ouachita's Demarious DuBose and Carroll's Jesse Smith Jr., Desmond Lenard and Derrick Johnson.
Sudden impact: Mobile fullback Corey Patterson, like GSU's Ruben Mayes, just makes plays.
One that got away: OG Nigel Bolden (Cedar Hill, Dallas). Selected 2005 All-District 2-5A by TexasHSFootball.com, he would have made this fall's camp battles intriguing.
Instant analysis: Signing running backs and offensive linemen isn't flashy, but it will improve a team that's solid at the skill positions. Ironically, Grambling didn't have a single commitment from an offensive lineman going into the final recruiting weekend - a glaring need. By Wednesday night, five had signed.
BY THE NUMBERS
7-Number of signees who played running back or fullback in high school
13-Louisiana prospects who signed with Grambling
g g g
An in-depth look at the 2006 Grambling signees:
QUARTERBACK
· QB Derrick Wilhite, 6-0, 180, Wossman (Monroe): Was 55-for-102 passing for 733 yards with 12 TDs and just three interceptions in regular season. Rushed 94 times for 900 yards and 10 touchdowns. District 2-3A co-Offensive MVP with LSU signee Richard Murphy from Rayville. Also named to The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare All-Northeast team.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Wilhite is talented enough to play anywhere, but it likely won't be quarterback. Even with record-smashing senior Bruce Eugene gone, GSU returns former conference freshman of the year Brandon Landers - a Carroll product who took over when Eugene went down in 2004. Houston-LaMarque product Larry Kerlegan, Eugene's backup last season, is also back.
RUNNING BACK
· FB Marcus Frazier, 6-1, 255; BC Rain (Mobile, Ala.): A two-year starter; helped team to a region-winning 7-5 record and a second-round playoff run. Also played defensive end, where he was team's best tackler. Ran 4.55 in the 40-yard dash at a Birmingham combine event. Named the No. 15 prospect from southwestern Alabama by The Mobile Register.
· FB Corey George, 6-2, 225; Bossier (La.): Starter on the 2005 Bossier Press-Tribune All-Bossier team. Rushed for 1,200 yards and 27 touchdowns, averaging seven yards per carry. Dandy Don's No. 60 Louisiana prospect. Brother Brandon signed with GSU last year. Part of a 2004 squad that reportedly became the first in parish history with three players to gain more than 1,000 yards rushing.
· RB Patrick Henry, 5-9, 175, Covington (La.): Listed at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash. … One of Dandy Don's Top 100 Louisiana prospects. … Rushed for 1,340 yards on 262 carries for 15 touchdowns in 2004.
· FB Robert Jones, 5-9, 230; Natchitoches Central (La.): Ran for the lone touchdown in the Chiefs' 45-6 loss to eventual Class 5A champion West Monroe on Sept. 30. Jones was used as a tailback in a spread offense that finished 3-7, with two of those wins coming over Southwood and Minden.
· FB Kenneth Matthews, 6-1; 250; Clinton (La.): Two-way starter at both fullback and middle linebacker. All-District 8-2A second team on offense for a second straight season in 2005. Brother of GSU defensive lineman Melvin Matthews. Team went 10-1 before falling to OCS in playoffs.
· FB/RB Cory Patterson, 6-0, 235, Davidson (Mobile, Ala.): First-team Class 6A All-State in 2005 by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Team switched from a shotgun passing offense to the power running game to fit his talents. Starting fullback for the South team in the 2004 Alabama High School Athletic Association's North-South All-Star Football. Named the No. 22 prospect from southwestern Alabama by The Mobile Register.
· RB Ben Rogers, 6-1, 180; Parker (Birmingham, Ala.): Chosen by the city's head football coaches as a Birmingham All-City co-offensive player of the year. Class 5A All-State honorable mention by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Rushed for 1,500 yards and 18 scores in 2005 as team advanced to the second round of the ASHAA playoffs.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: It's easy to see many, if not most, of these prospects moving into other positions. Grambling's scheme values speed in its linebackers and secondary defenders, and running backs easily transition into those roles. That said, George, Patterson and Rogers have the prep credentials to push their way into eventual playing time. Matthews is a punishing blocker in the mold of current starter Ruben Mayes.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
· ATH Terrence Bell, 5-9, 163, Clinton (La.): Multi-position performer who played quarterback, wide receiver and kick returner in 2005. Part of an offense that averaged 300 yards of offense and 30 points per game. Second-team all-District 8-2A in 2005. Runs a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash; also ran track for Clinton, competing in the 100 and in the last leg of the 400 relay.
· WR Jeremy Sylve, 6-3, 190, Bastrop: Played in 11 games including the playoffs and had 30 catches for 698 yards and seven touchdowns. Second-team District 2-4A. An evacuee transfer from Port Sulphur.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Grambling has enough depth, not to mention talent, percolating in its prop program, to offer more scholarships in other positions of need, and that's what the coaches did. Both look to be eligible.
OFFENSIVE LINE
· OL Randle Bennett, 6-6, 337, Valley Forge (Wayne, Pa.): Will likely compete for tackle spot. Runs well, great feet. Recruited by defensive coordinator Luther Palmer, a longtime coach in the area.
· OG Jerome King, 6-5, 230, Davidson (Mobile, Ala.): Has great feet, versatile enough to excel either inside or outside. Could fit in on other side of GSU line. Davidson was 12-1 last year.
· OL George Long, 6-5, 350, James Monroe (Fredricksburg, Va.): Named to Group AA All-State second-team by the Virginia High School Coaches Association. Honorable mention on The Washington Post's Fall 2005 All-Met team. First-team all-district and second-team All-Region A as a junior. Played up front on four straight teams that reached the regional playoffs. Considered Morgan State, as well.
· OL Sam Onyeaka, 6-4, 350, Valley Forge (Wayne, Pa.): Inside player, long armed. Very athletic. Looks to compete for guard position. Team went 6-2 in 2005 under Jim Burner.
· OL Ramon Otey, 6-2, 300, Huffman (Birmingham, Ala.): Part of a line that averaged more than 300 pounds per man, Huffman averaged 370 rushing yards per game - including a staggering 609 in a win over Hewitt.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: With the loss of three regular starters in Jonathan Banks, Charles Wilson and Tommy Dural, this was a point of emphasis - though you wouldn't have known it early on. Not until the final week before National Signing Day did the linemen begin pouring in, and Grambling's final list was impressive. Any of these prospects could work his way into line coach Carl Roberts' rotation this season.
DEFENSIVE LINE
· DE Jody Ancar, 6-1, 220, Port Sulphur/Bastrop: Started two games, before suffering a knee injury; returned in playoffs to spark 4A state title run. Transferred to Bastrop from Port Sulphur following Hurricane Katrina. Bastrop assistant coach DeCarlos Holmes, a former GSU defensive lineman, also coached Ancar in Port Sulphur. Honorable mention on The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare All-Northeast Team.
· DL Chris Drummer, 6-1, 265, Ouachita (Monroe): All-district first teamer and honorable mention for All-State. Made 105 total tackles, including 11 sacks - best in northeastern Louisiana. Team's defensive most valuable player. Named to The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare All-Northeast Team. Ouachita Coach John Carr says he has a 30-inch vertical leap.
· DL Taurean Montero, Northwest (Opelousas, La.): The team's rookie of the year, he was honorable mention All-District selection last year. Suffered a torn medial collateral ligament late last season. Is not expected to qualify.
· DE Jon Nixon, 6-2, 240, North Little Rock (Ark.): Named to HawgSports.com's Natural 21 list of top Arkansas prospects. Reportedly received an offer from Purdue, and considered both Vanderbilt and Arkansas, where he went for an official visit. Runs 4.9 in 40-yard dash, according to Rivals.com. Named to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Top 30 Juniors to Watch statewide in 2004.
· DT Vernon Pittman, 6-4, 370, Irving (Texas): A one-year letterman. Team slipped to 4-6 after a 6-5 season in 2004 that included a trip to the Class 5A Division II bi-district game. Was teammates with talented but troubled all-purpose running back Jamaal Evans, who finished with more than 4,000 yards in high school.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: For the second consecutive year, GSU will lose one of its best players from this unit. In 2004, it was defensive end Kenneth Pettway, who also spelled at outside linebacker. This time, it's end Jason Hatcher. Replacing those kind of playmakers is never easy, though Ancar has shown flashes of that kind of brilliance during an injury-marred season. Drummer was the area's most consistent pass rusher and Nixon is a certifiable steal if he's eligible.
LINEBACKER
· OLB Demario Dixon, 6-2, 220; Southwood (Shreveport): All-district after both the 2004-05 seasons. Lettered for three years. Runs a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash. In a show of athleticism, caught a 2005 two-point conversion to help seal a 29-10 win that ended rival Byrd's 12-game winning streak over Southwood. A regular at GSU's off-season football camps.
· LB Terrance Miley, 5-10, 175, Neville (Monroe): Made 62 tackles and six interceptions. Named to Class 4A All-State team by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Also played defensive back in high school.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: This unit has a steady center in returning middle linebacker Dimitri Carr, a Farmerville product, but it needs more speed off the edges. Both Dixon and Miley could provide that, as do several of the running back prospects who are expected to get looks for this position.
DEFENSIVE BACK
· DB Mariko Martin, 6-3, 193, Carver (Montgomery, Ala.): Had four passes defended as team advanced to the second round of the post-season. Carver was a semifinalist in the Alabama High School Athletic Association playoffs for the first time ever in 2004. Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds. Also reportedly had interest from Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Sam Houston State and Albany State.
· DB T.J. McCord, 6-1, 180, McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.): An all-region selection. Had 80 tackles and three interceptions as a senior. Also a leader on defense last year with 65 tackles and 12 pass breakups. Named the No. 8 prospect from southwestern Alabama by The Mobile (Ala.) Register. Ran hurdles on high school track team, and played forward on the basketball team.
· SS Michael Oliver, 6-3, 205, Homewood (Ala.): On back-to-back Alabama 5A state championship teams; had 11 tackles in those two title games. Starter on the 5A All-State team. Honorable mention on the 5A All-Metro team. Won state track titles last year in the 110 hurdles and as third runner in the 400 relay. Won the 300 hurdles at the 2004 Class 4A-6A track and field meet, as well.
· DB Donald Roberts, 5-11, 185, Northwest (Opelousas, La.): Will provide needed depth in secondary. Also ran track, including 55-meter hurdles, in high school. Joins prep teammate Taurean Montero in Grambling. Is qualified.
· SS Dante Thompson, 6-4, 218, Colerain (Cincinnati): Honorable mention on The Cincinnati Enquirer's conference all-star list. Great upside; has impressive speed. Rangy, could move into linebacking unit. Colerain was undefeated in Thompson's junior season. A qualifier.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: A pressing need for depth has arisen with the unit struggling through an off-season of graduation, injury or grade problems. McCord looks to be eligible, while Oliver is a legitimate Division I-A prospect who drew interest from Alabama and Auburn. Coaches are high on Thompson and Martin.
SPECIALISTS
While this is no longer a critical area, since rising junior Tim Manuel handled both punting and kicking field goals last year, the team continues to explore the possibility of signing another prospect. The position might also attract a transfer.
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