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.
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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.
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When we came back to the practice field the following Monday, the five of us were suddenly part of a large group again. We didn’t know what was going on, and were concerned that we would have to tryout against those guys as well. Even though we were ready for it, we were relieved to discover that the big group was actually the rest of the team. Apparently, they were off the previous week due to the heat. Since they were already on the team they didn’t need to suffer during the hottest time of the year. The five of us were pulled to the side and explained our role.
Even though we were official Dragons, and just as much a part of the team as any of the other players, we had the important role of being on the scout team. The scout team consisted of 23 players; 11 on defense, 11 on offense, and one kicker. Each of us had our own position with no backup. The coaches figured that if we needed to take a break during practice, we didn’t need to be on the team. It was our responsibility to learn the plays and formations of the teams that the Dragons would be playing against. During the practice week, we would emulate that team so that USM would know what they were up against at the end of the week. The following week, we would have to quickly learn the plays and formations of another team. The coach then gave us the rest of the bad news. Even though we were given the difficult task of studying 12 different teams over the course of 12 weeks - without ever taking a break - the scout team was not allowed on the sidelines during the game, and would not travel with the team.
On the scout team, there were two coaches. Mine was the offensive coach. His job was to make sure our offensive group memorized and emulated flawlessly the team we were scouting for each week. He told us that even though we were on the scout team, we should still be proud of ourselves for being part of the team as a whole. We had a very important role because we allowed our guys to be better prepared for the week. More preparation meant a better chance of winning the game. It was up to us to be flawless during practice because if we messed up, our team of starters could not practice efficiently. Rather than viewing ourselves as the scout team, it was suggested that we view ourselves as players from major college football teams from all over the country; a different player every week. If we still struggled with all of that, there were many others out there who were willing to take our place.
After being inspired by the coach, we were ready to be assigned our positions for what would be the rest of the season. It was easy to figure out who would take what positions on our offensive line. One of our guys was the center on the team that won the National Junior College Title Game the previous season. Two more were considered the best linemen in Michigan high school football but weren’t good enough to earn scholarships and they felt they were too good to play at the junior college level. One was a left guard, while the other was a left tackle. A fourth guy played right guard at Byron Junior College the previous season, which conveniently left me with the right tackle position. Our offensive line was made up of the best offensive linemen who couldn’t make the USM depth chart, but could’ve easily started for any junior college. Although it would’ve been impossible for us to win any games at this college level, we made it our goal not to be losers.
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The scout team spent the rest of the summer training with the rest of the team. The summer practices were similar to the practices I endured at Whitaker Junior College. The entire team spent the summer together working on our speed and strength. Our scout team was full of athletes with various college playing experiences, so the coaches wanted to make sure that we were all on the same level. It was their goal to get us all to the same intensity so that we could compete with the starters. We spent long days under the hot sun running, blocking, and hitting with the rest of the team.
The weight room was nothing like I had ever seen before. The room itself was amazing. All of the machines were brand new, and the room included any piece of equipment imaginable. While in the weight room, the coach had a specific workout routine created for each of our position groups. The routine for the offensive linemen was more intense than any routine I had ever created for myself. The routine also came with a meal plan which allowed for healthy eating while rapidly increasing muscle growth. Those routines would make us stronger and leaner than ever before and would allow us to compete at the major college level.
As the summer went on, I could feel myself getting stronger. I had already gained 10 pounds of muscle, and added more weight to my bench press. I was even losing inches off of my waist. Although I was a
lready on a high protein diet, it was the first time that I was actually watching what I was eating. Not only was I getting stronger, but I could also run faster and breathe easier.
Mike didn’t change as much as I did over the summer. He had already been on the team for two seasons, so the coaches had plenty of time to mold him into the player they needed. As a candidate for the Gilreath Award, he had to work on his speed. The teams we would be playing against that season would make it their primary objective to stop him. They would have to catch him first, though.
Practices weren’t fun by any means, but after two years, at least we were back on the same field again. As teammates, Mike and I were able to push each other, and keep each other focused on what needed to be done for the upcoming season. When we weren’t practicing, we spent the summer in our air conditioned dorm room playing video games and surfing the internet. Not only were we hanging out together on a daily basis like we used to, but we were finally able to do it without worrying about breaking rules or getting into trouble with a judge. We just simply felt like adults able to make our own decisions.
A week before regular season practice was set to begin, we were given a week off. The coach wanted to reward us for a good summer practice, and wanted our bodies to be prepared for the upcoming season. Mike and I decided to go home that week. We drove in a car that we had bought together. The car that his parents bought for him had already died and since, thanks to my parents, I didn’t have to pay for college, I was able to put some money towards a more reliable car. The car got us home safely where we spent a week with our families and old friends. I was able to visit my former junior college coach and brag about making the team. The week flew by as it was time to say goodbye to our families. We headed back to campus for four months of college football fun.
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We came back to practice the Monday following our break. The scout team was separated from the regular team. After spending the summer getting in shape with the rest of the team, we were given our own practice field where we could run our own practices. While on the field, our scout team coach explained to us the plan for the week ahead. During the first two days of practice, we would be working on scouting the team that the Dragons would be playing at the end of the week. The first day we would watch their game film and study what our individual roles would be. The coaches would use that time to look at the other team as a whole, and understand what plays they ran during specific situations. The second day, we would work on the selected plays in our small groups. The last two days, we would work with the rest of the team so they could see what plays the other team ran. First we would walk through those plays and how they aligned with our team’s plays. Then, on that last day, we would run a scrimmage that would be similar to a dress rehearsal. In the scrimmage, both the starting offense and defense would play against the scout team. The team was given Friday off to recover; that day would also be used as a travel day for away games. On game days, the scout team would only be able to watch the games from the stands and only if we bought a ticket for the game. Our weight room time during game week would be spent with the rest of the team after practice, which allowed us to work out in our positional groups.
Just like the coach said, we went right into the team film room. Our scout team watched a game from last season involving the team we would be playing. Even though our schedule would start with four weaker teams outside of our conference, our coaches still took every game seriously. I watched their right offensive tackle the entire time during that first film. After the film room, we went to the weight room to work out with the rest of the team. The offensive linemen and I had already created a bond, so I found those guys fun to work out with and looked forward to that part of the day.
The following day, we worked again in our scout team. It was a pretty easy day for me as my job wasn’t too challenging. But two days into the week, I was given an opportunity to finally block a real defender. As a lineman in junior college, no one got by me. I was only hoping I would have that kind of success for another season. My power and speed had grown rapidly over the summer, but I would still be blocking against a defender who was a starter for two New Year’s Day post-season games.
After two unchallenged years, my success was finally halted. I think my nerves got the best of me because, when the ball was snapped, I froze. The giant defensive end got past me in record time. For the next play, I got my head back in the scrimmage; I had to if I wanted to stay on the team. I imagined the other guy was just another player in junior college. When I stood up, I was no longer intimidated. I did what came naturally and held the guy up at the line. For the rest of the day, he struggled against me. At the end of the scrimmage, I was confident in my job and knew I could handle football at this new level.
We again went back to the weight room at the end of practice. I was extremely motivated because I finally felt the results of the new workout routine with my new group. Those results told me that my hard work in the weight room was paying off, and as I worked harder, the outcome would be even better. Once we were done with work out, the coach told the players on the team where and when to meet on game day. And just like that, the week was over for me. I had three days off to myself. I knew I should’ve been happy for the extended weekend, but I instead felt left out.
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I spent the entire weekend getting ready for the start of classes. I didn’t know what the semester would bring, but I knew I would have to be prepared if I wanted to keep up my impressive grades. Classes hadn’t started yet, so there wasn’t any school work to study. Instead, I studied the campus and how to get to my classes from where I was. I also looked up my teachers online so that I had an idea of who would be teaching my classes. Finally, I made sure I had all of my supplies, clothes, essentials, etc.
During the game on Saturday, I watched the guys on our team. I knew most of them and I wanted them to do well. They were the people that I had worked hard with in practice and I knew they deserved success. I kept a good eye on the defensive end that I worked against in practice. Rather than viewing him as competition on the line, I was able to see him as a student and wanted him to use my lessons of getting past a tough offensive tackle. Every time he did, I felt better about myself as a teacher. I felt like all of my hard work at practice was paying off, not just for me, but for him as well.
A few days later, I was ready for my first class. It was held in the lecture hall I had expected two years ago. It was a room of nearly 300 students. The chalkboard was the size of a billboard, and the professor looked like anything you could imagine from TV. We never introduced ourselves, nor did we get a chance to say anything. He spent the entire two hours talking, and we spent the entire two hours taking notes.
The next class was nearly similar. The only difference was, in that class, I noticed her. She was perfect. Christine was the prettiest girl in the class, and she made me smile just by looking at her. Her eyes seemed to speak to me. After class, she came over to me and told me she had been in my previous class. She could tell that I was keeping up with the professor. She apologized because she knew I was a football player and that, at first, she thought I was just another dumb jock. She suggested that we could hang out sometime during the week to exchange notes. We then exchanged numbers.
I nearly ran to the dorm to tell Mike about her. He told me that my symptoms were common for someone who was falling in love. I had never been that crazy about a girl before, so I didn’t know what to do next. He told me he had been in love numerous times while at school, and would be able to give me great advice. He told me to treat the situation like I would a practice. Instead of worrying about the end result, I would have to do what I was used to doing and worry only about the task at hand. In that situation, what I was used to doing was being myself. The task at hand was simply exchanging notes without letting my feelings trip me up.
After seeing Christine the following day in yet our third class together, I knew it was meant to be. After practi
ce that day, I called her up to study. She came over to our dorm because we had air conditioning that actually worked. After exchanging notes for an hour, we exchanged conversation. We didn’t stop talking until morning. The next day, Mike teased me for not getting past first base, but I was happy to just be on the field.
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The next five weeks felt like they could not have gotten any better. I continued to become stronger and no one got past me on the line. I could tell by our scrimmages that I was easily the most athletic lineman on the scout team’s offensive line. The defender that I blocked against was also reaping the rewards because he already had the most defensive linemen tackles in our conference. He told me that after going against me in practice, the guys on the other teams were a cake walk. The team was doing great because, after six games, they hadn’t lost yet. Mike was even doing great and remained the top candidate for the Gilreath Award. In those first five games, we were able to beat four non-conference teams, as well as one team in our conference. Because we hadn’t lost in the conference, we were tied for first place. Our team was also ranked in the top-10 of all major college football teams. Finally, and most importantly, in those five weeks, I spent a lot of time with Christine. Some of that time was actually spent studying as she and I became close friends and really good students.
Midway through the sixth week of practice, those five weeks somehow got better. After a particularly intense lifting session, one of the linemen asked me if I wanted to go to the bar with him. I knew it was trouble because neither one of us were old enough to drink and probably wouldn’t even be allowed in a bar. Even if we were old enough, players weren’t allowed to party during the week. I backed out by telling him I had a big date with my girlfriend (which I actually did).
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