A Black History lesson for Unknown & Dahill


bornthrilla

bornthrilla

Proud ***** of JSU
I was at the public library last night, browsing through the Walter Payton autobiography "Never Die Easy", when I came across this particular excerpt which sheds a great deal of light on our present debate. In it, Payton talks candidly about his playing experience at a HBCU and why he feels it was the main catalyst for his eventual Hall of Fame pro football career.

While you cats might think a blue chip player should head straight for the bright lights and big money at a PWC, this is arguably the third greatest running back of all time saying he wouldn't change his decision to attend JSU for the world.

Please enjoy:
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I've always said that the best thing that happened to me was going to a school like Jackson State. I am really glad that it worked out that way, that schools such as Alabama or Mississipi State or Louisiana State didn't recruit me. Obviously I do not supprt the reason why those schools wouldn't recruit me; the idea that they didn't want black kids to attend or play at their schools was reprehensible. They turned their back on so many great kids and great players. They really denied people opportunities they deserved.

But I needed a school like Jackson State to keep my feel planted. I didn't need to go to one of these schools that had all this money and received all this attention. I remember looking at the players at those schools, and I thought the schools made prima donnas out of some of these guys. I played against guys in high school, or when I was on the Mississippi all-star team, who had a great deal of ability, but they went off to one of those big SEC schools and they ended up not being worth a dime.

I was because of the culture at the schools. All the players could think about was the fame and the fortune and the money, and when am I gonna get the spotlight. They were surounded by the money, the boosters and the comfortable facilites and the adulation. It spoiled them, it changed their work ethic. The media was always there telling them how great they were, making them famous. They would believe they were great, believe they were famous. But then here we would come. It's why the SWAC produced so many pros. While those players were becoming soft, we kept working. They thought they were the best players in the country. But they weren't playing against the entire country.

It wasn't like that at Jackson State. Our coach, Bob Hill, he kept it real. I don't care how good you were, you were treated like everyone else. You weren't put on a pedestal by Bob Hill.

It is why I am so happy that I went to a school like Jackson State and met a man like Bob Hill. Coach Hill's whole focus helped me, but when I was there I always like a son. I had that special kind of a relationship with him. I always, always knew that he had my best interests in mind when he made decisions. I think that at some of these programs, with coaches being paid so much money, and the pressure from the media and boosters is so great, that they don't always have the players' best interest in their heart. They have to win, they have to make people happy, they fall for that.
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Payton the third best back of all-time? Now Thrilla, I would have thought Payton was still the best. Even if E. Smith breaks the record. Good stuff in your post though.
 
DaHill,
That is a sore spot with me as well, but I take in consideration that Payton was ill and his son has his own mind. I don't think Payton would have pulled a Kellen Winslow on his kid and forced him to JSU. But it has definitely been a BAD move for Jarrett. We will see if he emerges next year with Portis gone early to the NFL. but Miami is loaded with other great rbs. Plus a kid like Payton had money and didn't go to Miami for the reason the not so fortunate black player with stars in their eyes does. I am sure he went because of the program and not the cars, money and flash. He already had that. No different than Grant Hill going to Duke or Jabar Gaffney going to UF.
 
But Payton's son is not Walter Payton. We know that he didn't go to Miami for the money, he already has money. He went to that program because it's probably a school/team he always wanted to be a part of. That's okay...I really have no problem with that decision.

But that doesn't mean he thinks they will do more for him in terms of getting prepared for the pros or anything of that nature. It was a personal choice. But remember this, Jared Payton cannot be used and exploited by Miami. He is financially secure from his dad's investments and business smarts. It's those young men who are duped into believing that their overall best interest will be served by attending some of these PWCwhen we know they are just a piece of meat.

I can't speak for other universities, because I only attended GSU. But at Grambling, our athletes fit in with everyone else. They were expected to attend class just like everyone els. They didn't get preferential treatment from faculty or student body. I'm sure some of them had popularity to some extent, but really even the girls didn't trip on that stuff. Everyone pretty much hung out with each other based on how they got along and reacted to each other. It wasn't all about who played sports or whatever. We were a family, I just don't think that exists across the board at LSU or any of the other schools.
 
This is such a waste of server space.:rolleyes: You act like i'm against HBCU's or somethin, which isn't the case at all. After all, I did go to one. But the fact remains that when it comes to talent, PWC's get the major bulk of it. Facts are facts. If you want to compare facts, give me a list of all successful running backs, wide receivers, DB's, quarterbacks, tight ends, and fullbacks in the NFL from each. True, Walter Payton was the best RB, but isn't his record in jeopardy, or hasn't it already been broken?:confused:
 
Yeah Biggs summed up what I was saying. I agree.


Unknown,
Sure more talent goes to the PWCs. But what is not measured is the desire and great work ethic the players from the HBCU have or even other 1-AA or D2 schools. If you list alot of the stars from yesterday and the present, there are more busts from the PWC than the HBCUs(% wise I mean). I mean Mc Nair is one of the best Qbs in the NFL, he carried the Titans this year. Jimmy Smith is all pro. Aneas Williams is all pro and headed to Canton(ask Brett Favre). Speaking of Favre, he has 2 Wr's on his team from JSU and Alcorn. Elvis Joseph of SU was a FA and beat out the PWC backs in camp in J'ville. My point is yes the PWC has the overall numbers, but the HBCUs are well represented and we don't have many busts. Our stars always seem to make it if given a chance. Unlike the coddled PWC player. Payton, Doug Williams, Jerry Rice , and Steve McNair are arguably the SWAC's best players in the last 30 years and guess what they all have in common. They all played in the Super Bowl. Not many PWCs can say their stars all made it like ours have. Just my opinion though.
 
A perfect illustration, is Aeneas Williams. Here's a dude who was not even heavily recruited out of Fortier High School. I even talked with a former teammate of Williams who said that he can remember when Aeneas was "forced" to stand up on the bus to games becuz all the seats were for the starters and key reserves during his high school days.

Dude went to SU on an academic scholarship, but continued to work out just for the fun of it. Finally, some of his homeboys urged him to come out for the team. Now the man will someday take the bus ride (sitting down) to Canton, Ohio and the Hall of Fame.

Not a blue chip athlete that was coddled, but a young man who got an opportunity and worked his azz of in the process. That's not to say that all athletes at PWC's are coddled, but it shows that if you believe in yourself and is willing to work hard, we have the coaching and guidance to help get you on the way to success
(on and off the field)
 
Unknown,

If Maurice Hicks gets drafted this year (which would have been a no-brainer before his ACL injury) A&T will currently have it's last three starting running backs now on NFL rosters. (Maurice Smith and Michael Basnight being the others). He still is listed as the 25th best running prospect in this year's draft by the Sporting News. We also had a cat named Reggie Shueford (95-97) who played RB for the Carolina Panthers a few years ago but I'm not sure if he is still in the league.

Anyway, Hicks would be the third straight running back to come out of Blue Death Valley and then go on to make it in the NFL.

How many D1 teams can boast of an accomplishment like that? These players were considered talented when they came to A&T and even more talented when they left.
 
Talking about being coddled...

Some of you may remember Leeland Mc Elroy from Texas A&M. He was supposed to have made a tremendous impact on the NFL after coming out of school early, but ended up on the bench and had selective time on kickoff teams.

Anyway, while at A&M he was given the world. A co-worker of mine told me how he would not come to class on lecture days and ONLY on test day. He would have his exam completed before all other students and passed the class with a B+ (I guess he crammed). This frustrated the hell out of some students who weren't into athletics but other students saw it as "just the facts of life".

On days it would rain, he would have his "entourage" walking him around campus holding two umbrellas over him so he wouldn't melt.

*please note that this story was not fictitously dramatized or taken out of context... this was an actual account of his college career*

Now I had two classes with Micheal Strahan (International Business and Business Statistics) and those professors held him (and myself) accountable for our assignments and exams as if we was on an academic scholarships or paying for school out of mommas pockets. He was not given a thing. Their motto was, you aren't guaranteed a thing in life. Life is what you make it.
 
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