Guts vs Glory (14 page)

We considered it a successful
season, even though we didn’t go undefeated, after beating Faith Community
College and coming close to a victory over Byron Junior College.  Our record
was good enough to make it to the Michigan Junior College Conference playoffs;
a feat that we were unable to accomplish the previous season.  As a playoff
contender, we had the same chance of going to a post-season game that any other
playoff team in our conference had.  We had already achieved the goal our coach
had set out for us a few months prior, and were two victories away from a
post-season game.

More importantly, I personally had
a successful season.  As an offensive lineman, I started in almost every play that
our offense ran, and not once did I let a defender get past me.  When our
running back ran towards my side of the offensive line, he always found a safe
way through.  I wasn’t just part of an offensive line; I was the foundation of
a successful starting line.  I dare go far enough to state that if it wasn’t
for the success of our line, we wouldn’t be in the playoffs.  My short term
goal was to continue my success for three more games.  By having a flawless
season, there would be no way the University of Southern Michigan would
overlook me.

Throughout that time, I was also
able to maintain my good grades.  During my first year of college, I was able
to develop a way to balance practice, studying, and time in the weight room so
that I could work on my classes while not taking time away from football.  I
needed to know that I had grades good enough to transfer, and definitely good
enough to be a student-athlete at the University.  I wanted to guarantee that
my grades would not stand in the way of my dream. 

Mike was also having a successful
season.  He broke his personal records from the previous season, and was making
a name for himself as one of the best running backs in major college football. 
He averaged over 2 touchdowns a game and almost 200 yards of rushing.  Without
Mike, they would not have an 11-win season.  Sadly, his grades didn’t improve. 
He was staying above the required 2.0 average, but not by much.  Clearly he was
more dedicated to football than to school.  We never started out as good students,
but it was still sad to see him abandon the study habits that we had finally
developed in high school. 

Even though we weren’t in the
playoffs the previous season, I was still familiar with the playoff
atmosphere.  As predicted, the intensity rose at practice, and everybody took a
more serious approach.  The coaches were focused, and increased our daily
huddles with lectures of encouragement.  Unlike high school, we only had two
games ahead of us.  Although it didn’t sound like a big challenge to win two
games, we would be playing against teams that were as committed as we were.

We had made it in to the conference
playoffs by only losing two games.  One of those losses came from Whitaker
Technical College.  Whitaker Tech lost one more game than we did, which put
them two spots below us in the conference standings - at 4th place.  The 3
^rd
place spot just below us belonged to Faith Community College.  They ended their
season with two losses as well, but one of those loses came from us, so it was
their year to lose the tie-breaker.  At the number one spot was Byron Junior
College.  They were used to the top spot in the playoffs as they had taken that
position five seasons in a row.  They finished the season undefeated.  They
were ranked number three in the nation, and needed to win the conference
playoffs in order to have a chance at making it to the junior college title
game.

Because of our identical records,
we played Faith Community in the first round, while Byron played Whitaker
Tech.  In our win over Faith earlier in the season, we were able to discover a
couple of weaknesses.  We were able to take advantage of those weaknesses in
our victory during that game and when we played them again in the playoffs,
those weaknesses were still there.  Once again, we leveraged their weaknesses
and moved on to the second round of the playoffs.

In junior college football, there
were seven post-season games.  That meant 14 teams were able to play in the
post-season.  In correlation, there were 14 conferences in the league.  Simply
put, there were only enough spots in the post-season for the conference
champions.  To us, that meant that we weren’t in the post-season until we beat
the number three team in the country.  After seeing Faith beat them the previous
season, we knew we had a chance.

During the game, I continued my
pattern of not letting anyone get by me.  Even though Byron was the best team
in our conference, their big guys up front were no match for me.  They gave me
a fight, but I still won every time.  I was getting the hang of playing football
at the college level.  Unfortunately, that was the only bright spot in the game
for me.  We quickly discovered why Byron Junior College was ranked so high
nationally; they embarrassed us.  They finished our season.

Mike had a different post-season
run.  With their one loss, USM wasn’t ranked high enough to make it to the
championship game.  Southern Michigan did, however, make it to another New
Year’s Day game.  That time, with Mike leading the way, they won their
prestigious game, and ended up as the number two major college football team in
the country.

At the conclusion of the season, I
was in limbo.  I considered the season successful for our team because we made
it to the playoffs.  I would declare it an even more successful season for me
personally as I went the entire season playing nearly every play and not
letting anyone get past me.  Optimistically, I checked in with the University
of Southern Michigan recruiter.  I learned that all I could do at that point
was wait.

I spent two seasons under the
impression that I would have to stick out at Whitaker Junior College for
Southern Michigan to notice me.  I thought that my only chance of getting in
would be to impress them enough that they would have to give me a chance on
their team.  The recruiter explained to me the reality of transferring to a
four-year school from a junior college.  As it turned out, everybody had a
chance to try out for the team.  In the summer time, they would hold tryouts
for any football player wanting to walk onto the team.  Sadly, these “walk-ons”
were never rewarded with free tuition.  As a matter of fact, of the over 100
players on the team, only 85 of them would receive a scholarship.  He also
added that, of the over 100 walk-ons trying out, typically only five of them
made it to the team.

After discussing with the recruiter
why I felt I had just wasted two years at the junior college level, he
countered that I didn’t
waste
any time.  During our initial
conversation, the plan was for me to play at the junior college level so that I
could gain experience playing at the college football level.  At the tryouts, I
would have the huge advantage of experience as a college football player - something
many of my competitors wouldn’t have.  I would understand the intensity and
drive needed to make the cut.  To my benefit, the coaches also took experience
and game play into account when making their decisions.  The recruiter
concluded that my grades were well above the 2.0 needed to transfer and, based
on my incredible season as a starter, as long as I survived the try-out
process, I would have nothing to worry about.

Mike was discouraged at first to
hear my news.  He hadn’t understood the process either as he didn’t have to try
out.  As one of those 85 scholarship players, he had done enough on the high
school field to impress the coaches.  After hearing all of my conversation,
however, he understood my optimism.

Mike was already getting ready for
his junior year.  While I was waiting patiently for try-outs to begin, he was
taking part in the spring practices.  After winning their post-season game, USM
had raised their next goal to winning the national championship.  They were one
win away from getting there the previous season, and they wanted to make sure
that their one defeat wouldn’t happen again.  At the same time, not only had he
developed a target on his back due to his successful season, he also wore that
target because he was a pre-season candidate for the Gilreath Honor Award.

At the end of every major college
football season, the Gilreath Award was presented on national television to the
best athlete in major college football as decided by a jury of former
athletes.  The trophy was named after Nathan Gilreath, a player from the
1960s.  In the late 60s, Gilreath, one of the best major college football
players of his day, was well on his way to the professional level.  However,
instead of going to the pros, he enlisted as a Marine and was sent to Vietnam. 
After a distinguished career in the military, he returned home a highly
decorated National hero.  The league decided to honor him and acknowledge his
career in college football by naming a trophy after him.  Each year, a major
college football player is honored for their individual performance at the
collegiate level, while honoring Nathan Gilreath’s dedication and service to
his country.

My six months of patiently waiting
was up.  I was done with my sophomore year of college and ready for the next
step in my career.  I ended up with 60 credits from Whitaker Junior College,
which was enough to transfer to any four-year program.  I also ended up with a
3.8 grade point average.  My parents were quite proud and took me out for a
fancy dinner.  Rather than enjoying the dinner as a celebration, I saw it as a
transition.  It marked the end of my junior college days, and the beginning of
my major college days.

Weeks later, I took the long drive
to the opposite end of the state.  Although Mike wouldn’t have to try out for the
team, he was there to support me.  The try-outs were held on the same practice
field used by the football team.  For the try-outs, we had the field to
ourselves, which really made us feel like we were already a part of the team.
When I arrived, Mike introduced me to the lineman coach as his best friend from
high school and the best offensive tackle in the state of Michigan.  As much as
I liked the title, I wasn’t crazy about the pressure it put on me.

Try-out week wasn’t as bad as I
thought it would be.  In fact, I was very thankful for those two years at
Whitaker Junior College because they definitely prepared me for the work load
that week.  The first day was spent on general statistics.  The coaches wanted
numbers that they could use to compare us.  They measured our height, weight,
time it took to run 40 yards, our maximum bench press, and the time it took us
to run an obstacle course (which tested our agility and quick turning).  I was
measured at 6’1”, and topped the scale at just over 300 pounds.  Although my
weight hadn’t changed much since high school, most of my weight came from
muscle rather than fat.  I was able to bench press 350 pounds and I ran 40
yards in just over five seconds.

The second day, we were placed into
groups based on what position we wanted to play.  At USM, there was a coach for
every position.  That meant that my group consisted only of offensive linemen. 
It made it easier for the coaches to compare us, and it made it easier for me
to asses my competition.  Once in our groups, we ran drills that demonstrated,
according to our offensive line coach, our mental and physical capabilities. 
Basically, they wanted to see how much we could handle physically, and where
our mental breaking point was.  Due to my experience, I could handle much more
than most of the others and the coaches never could find my breaking point.

At the end of that day, our
measurements were posted.  Mike told me they did that so we could compare
ourselves to each other.  For some players, they used the comparison as
motivation to get faster, bigger, or stronger.  For other players, they became
intimidated by their competition and would end up quitting.  The coaches
enjoyed the latter because they didn’t want guys on their team who became
easily intimidated.  Mike was impressed by my numbers.  My weight was within
range, but my height was about an inch short of what they wanted, which I
couldn’t do anything about.  My bench press was above average and my 40-yard
time gave me the reputation of being the fastest for someone my size.

As the week progressed, the number
of walk-ons started dwindling.  By the last day, the initial number of
participants was cut from 120 to 64.  The coaches brought everyone together and
listed off 44 names.  Those guys were in a group of players that “showed
effort, but it wasn’t enough”.  They were done.  The remaining 20 were the guys
who needed to be “reevaluated for further decision”.  I felt like I was on one
of those reality singing shows and I had just made it to the final round. 
Although I wasn’t quite on the team, my competition went from 119 to 19. 

The coaches wanted to get our stats
one more time.  They used the same methods that they had used in the beginning
of the week, but for whatever reason, they wanted to record those numbers
again.  Impressively, my bench press went up by 10 pounds and my 40-yard time
was cut by a fraction of a second.  I even gained a little more weight.  Once
the assessment was over, we were called back for one last meeting.  The coach
told us they had reassessed us to see if we were capable of progression in a
short amount of time.  He read a list of names at that time; mine wasn’t on
it.  He then thanked those guys for showing up, but if they wanted to be on the
team, they would have to demonstrate the ability to progress.  To the rest of
us, he said he would see us the following week on the practice field.

Even though I had been on the
campus for a week, I only had a chance to see the practice field during
tryouts.  We didn’t have much time to do any sightseeing, and we slept on the
floor of a complex next to the practice field.  Understandably, they didn’t
want us to get too used to the luxuries of the campus setting, knowing that
most of us wouldn’t last the week of try-outs.

Mike knew that, so he was more than
happy to take me on a tour of the campus.  The practice field was right across
from the football stadium.  The coach wanted us to be able to see the stadium
from the practice field to motivate us and remind us what we were trying out
for.  It was exciting to now be inside the stadium.  The stadium was similar to
the one at Northeastern, only this one was soon to be mine.  I could accept
that I wouldn’t spend much time on the playing field, but I would at least be
on the sidelines.

Next on our tour were the dorms. 
They were impressive.  The dorms were still on the campus, but were in a separate
area away from everything else.  They were massive.  Most of them were over six
stories tall, and easily roomed a thousand students.  The campus was pretty
old, so the dorms weren’t pretty.  Most of the windows had air conditioners
sticking out of the windows, and the exterior walls looked aged.  One of the
dorms stood out a little, though.  That one looked brand new and didn’t have
any air conditioners in the windows.  That was the one that Mike walked me
through.

Once inside, I could feel the cold
air circulating through the main lobby.  The building was very clean and the
walls were freshly painted.  Even the staff at the counter were friendly and
addressed us as “gentlemen.”  Mike told me that this was the athlete’s dorm. 
The dorm was reserved for scholarship student-athletes.  The college wanted to
make sure the athletes were taken care of and were happy with their housing
arrangements so that they wouldn’t want to go to a more comfortable
university.  I, personally, didn’t want to leave.  Their plan worked.

I was even more impressed when Mike
showed me his room.  I’d known him for most of my life, so I knew the nice
furniture, the big screen TV, the video game system, and the computer weren’t
really his.  As it turned out, the school even furnished the rooms for the
athletes to make sure they had all of the comforts and essentials necessary to
stay focused on the game.  The computer was meant for studying, the television
for reviewing game footage, and the video game system could be used as a simulator
to run various plays.  His room was divided for two students.

In the athletic dorm, athletes were
paired with other athletes of the same sport.  They even had separate floors
for different sports.  Football players were on the top floor so that they could
see the stadium from their rooms.  I could see why; the view was breathtaking. 
Mike told me to get used to the view since I would be his new roommate.