Saint_LB

Speaking of NCAA and rules and Alabama...here's my true story.

After I graduated high school, I was offered a partial scholarship to SE La. in Hammond, along with my best friend...only he was on a full scholarship. I was told by Coach Roland Dale, a former Ole Miss assistant who had just accepted the AD and Head Coach job at SE, that I would receive my full scholarship after the first season if everything went well.

Coach Dale had recruited me and my friend for Ole Miss, but when he left and went to SE, he brought us with him.

After two weeks of 2-a-days, we were allowed to leave campus and go home for the weekend, and the 1st game would be the following week-end.

When I got home, my parents showed me a letter from the Navy telling me that I had been moved-up from alternate to principal scholarship, and was being assigned to Ole Miss. Yes...a full-paid 4 year NROTC scholarship.

I went back to SE and explained the situation to Coach Dale, and he said he couldn't do anything further at this point for me at SE, so I made the switch right before school started. I was reluctant at first, but when my father reminded me that I could go try-out for kicker at Ole Miss, and knowing that their kicker had just graduated and the job was wide open, it was enough for me to take a shot.

When I arrived at Ole Miss, I went out for the football team the next day, and was assigned to the freshmen team. At Ole Miss at that time the freshmen practice field was elevated from the varsity practice field, and I could see the 2 new freshmen kicking candidates kicking-off and practicing FG's and PAT's. I thought I was better, so the next day I went to the varsity coaches' locker room and introduced myself to the kicking coach and he gave me my shot.

He was impressed with my kicking and notified me that I was to practice with the varsity from now on. After a couple of weeks, I was allowed to practice with the first string kick-off team, and I thought I had made it.

It was then that the head coach, Billy Kinard, asked me to meet with him in his office the next day. At that meeting he explained to me that I was ineligible to play because I was on a NROTC scholarship. He said that if a player walks-on and is receiving any type of scholarship other than football, that they have to count him as a football scholarship.

For them, it wasn't about the money...it was about the numbers of scholarships. He explained to me that they were allowed 45 scholarships in a two year period, and he has just used 23 and only had 22 left. He went on to explain that he had just used one of those on a freshmen who only kicked...so the chances of him using another scholarship on just a kicker were slim to none.

He explained to me that several years back, Bear Bryant at Alabama had used several swim team and other non-football scholarships to recruit football players with, so they felt the need to put the rule in place.

So it turned out that even though I had walked-on and beat the other two guys out, I couldn't play unless I gave my scholarship up. I don't think I've gotten over that to this day.

The story goes on from there, and it involves a 2nd meeting with the head coach, a head-on car accident I was involved in after the 1st game against Memphis State, and so-on, but I've wasted enough space already. If you want me to tell the rest of the story...just ask.

Whether you think you can or think you can't...you're right!