Sept. 11, 2011
Do you remember the first athlete you looked up to as a child?
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by Brandon Barca (Archive) Twitter updates @brandonbarca |
For me, it was Los Angeles Raiders running back Marcus Allen. In January of 1984, I was four years old and Allen was on top of the world after he rushed for 191 yards in the Raiders’ 38-9 rout of the Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII.
I begged my parents every day to buy me his jersey, and two months later on my birthday, they surprised me with my very own black and silver No. 32 uniform. I was so proud, I think I wore the outfit for two weeks straight.
Almost 30 years have passed, and for some reason, that memory still stands out to me.
So with Week 1 of NFL season getting underway this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to ask members of the Commodore football team which professional athletes they idolized as kids.
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Javon Marshall, Sophomore Safety
Player Idolized: Ed Reed
“I’m a Baltimore Ravens fan, played safety in high school and Reed is just a ball hawk. I’ve got his jersey still and I wore No. 20 my junior year of high school. I love Ed Reed. I don’t wear No. 20 now so I’m trying to make something out of 31 now.”
Kyle Fischer, Senior Offensive Guard
Player Idolized: Jonathan Ogden
“He was a great player on my favorite team. I loved his tenacity and the way he got after people. At the same time, he had fun playing the game so I try to idolize my game after him and just have fun out there. I watched a lot of tape on him and read as much as I could.”
Rob Lohr, Junior Defensive Tackle
Players Idolized: Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez
“In high school, I was more of a tight end than a defensive lineman. I always watched Antonio Gates for the Chargers and Tony Gonzalez for the Chiefs. Even as you get older, we still idolize players. As defensive linemen, we like to look at tapes of John Randle and his fire.
“As a kid, I was more of a Raiders fan, so I was a Charles Woodson fan. I don’t know why because I never played cornerback, but I like the way he played. I liked the Raiders because of their mentality. My room was decked out in Raiders gear. I had all the jerseys and sports cards. I was all Raiders all the time back then.”
Sean Richardson, Senior Safety
Player Idolized: Eddie George
“I loved watching Eddie George and I love the Tennessee Titans. After he retired, my favorite player became LT (LaDainian Tomlinson). I grew up playing running back and played running back in high school. I had an Eddie George jersey that I wore as a kid and I still have that jersey.
“My last day of English class this summer, Eddie George came and talked to our class. It was a surprise. I was shocked because I didn’t know he was coming. Our professor said we were having a guest come, but I had no idea it would be him. I didn’t get his autograph, but I wanted to. I didn’t want to be a big hassle. I did talk to him after class and he is a great guy.”
Mason Johnston, Sophomore Tight End
Player Idolized: Kyle Brady
“Being from Jacksonville, I was a big Jaguars fan growing up. I really respected the way Brady played the game. He was a big guy and blocked really hard. He’s also really respected in the community. I’ve always tried to pattern myself after him. I’ve actually met him before and we talked about playing the position, so it was really cool.”
Johnell Thomas, Junior Defensive End
Player Idolized: Warren Sapp
“I started off playing little league football in third or fourth grade for the Buccaneers, and my favorite player actually at the time was Warren Sapp. I liked his motor; he was a big, aggressive guy. I played defensive line when I first started out as well and I wore No. 99 just like him. Anything that he tried to do, I tried to do.”
Ryan Seymour, Junior Offensive Tackle
Player Idolized: Mark Brunell
“I’m from the Jacksonville area and the biggest guy I looked up to was Mark Brunell. I used to have his autographed picture in my room. I would go to all the Jacksonville games as a kid. I met him a few times and got his autograph. Obviously, I was really young and didn’t know who I was talking to at the time. I just knew that he was the quarterback of my hometown football team.”
Kenny Ladler, Sophomore Safety
Player Idolized: Ray Lewis
“Ray Lewis was my favorite defensive player because he was physical, made plays, knew the game well, and was a hard worker. I wanted to play like him when I was growing up. One time, my dad told me to watch him and I just fell in love with the way he played. I didn’t practice any of his dances. I just focused on how he played on the field.”
Austin Monahan, Junior Tight End
Player Idolized: Heath Miller and Antonio Gates
“Heath Miller and Antonio Gates were two amazing tight ends. I followed Miller a lot when he was at Virginia. I saw him get drafted by the Steelers and then in his rookie year he won a Super Bowl. Gates was sort of a crazy story. He played basketball in college and then went to the NFL Combine and dominated it, and has just crushed it in the league since. He’s just a very physical and athletic guy.
“Both of those guys are very good tight ends. I liked the way they constantly attacked the football, and were also some of the best receivers on the field. They were constantly working on their releases and their hands. Those are guys you would watch just to get it in the back of your head that maybe when the time comes, you could make the same play.”
Dillon van der Wal, Freshman Tight End/Defensive End
Player Idolized: Todd Heap
“The football player that I idolized as a kid was Todd Heap. He played basketball and football in college. I always thought he was a great player. I used to see him play a lot when he was at Arizona State. He had good hands and size. I knew I was going to be a big kid growing up. I had his poster on my wall.”
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I also asked Head Coach James Franklin about what athletes he enjoyed watching as a kid, and there were a number that stood out.
“I looked up to a number of guys, probably just not one guy,” Franklin said. “Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Sugar Ray Leonard: just a lot of the guys in the era that I grew up in watching sports in Philadelphia. We’re all probably bias to the times that we grew up in, but I thought that was a really good time in boxing, football, basketball and baseball. Obviously, Michael Jordan’s the one everybody would say.”
-Ryan Schulz contributed to this story.
