Post by krazykev on Sept 28, 2006 5:07:36 GMT -5
By Rob Daniels
Staff Writer
GREENSBORO -- The main purpose of the Florida recruiting trip was to establish relationships and build contacts with an eye toward the Class of 2007. But almost as an aside, new N.C. A&T football coach Lee Fobbs asked assistant Dwike Wilson to poke around his territory for unsigned, credible players with academic and character references.
Theoretically, you would find a polar bear in Palm Beach before you would unearth Spencer Spane in May 2006. But here he is: the tight end who came in from the cold.
Almost unknown as graduation day neared in Terry, Miss., Spane is starting for the Aggies, thanks to a benefactor in Tampa, a nice piece of timing and a team that was in no position to say no.
"No matter where I had ended up, I would have made the most of the opportunity I had," said Spane, who caught his first pass in a game at Hampton two weeks ago. "No one can tell me what I'm going to do with my life. You're in control of your own life."
But as Spane well knows and happily acknowledges, it doesn't hurt to have friends.
Like most college football teams, A&T announced its scholarship signees Feb. 1. Don't bother looking for Spencer Spane on that list. Back then, he was playing basketball for Terry High School and apparently bound for Jackson State, 17 miles north of home.
Spane's plight wasn't his fault. His prep football coach hadn't compiled a highlight tape or otherwise communicated with colleges, and the offense included a tailback who ran for 2,600 yards, 33 touchdowns and had an offer from Mississippi State. Spane's work consisted of blocking for that guy, Anthony Dixon, and almost nothing else. He caught four passes all season.
As the religious observance of Signing Day came and went in the Magnolia State, Spane's parents remembered a friend from their college days at Mississippi State. Tyrone Keys, a member of the acclaimed 1986 Chicago Bears' championship defense, had moved to Tampa and created a charity known as All Sports Community Service.
"My heart goes out to young people who get overlooked and who have a dream and a desire to continue an extracurricular activity in college," Keys said. "I look for kids who have done everything asked of them in high school."
According to its latest available tax return, the organization disbursed $118,755 in 2004 to more than 150 aspiring college students. Sometimes its assistance is subtle. Like making a highlights package that college coaches will watch.
"No coach is going to take the time to look at 10 games worth of tape," Keys said. "We took what (Spane) had and showed him how we could put it together in a marketable package."
In its final form, it looked much like a top 10 plays countdown on ESPN "SportsCenter." Soon, Mississippi State and Alabama were talking about asking Spane to walk on.
When Wilson made his trek from Greensboro, he stopped in Tampa, called on Keys and was given a copy of the Spane Show.
Wilson "called me almost the next minute," said Spane, 6-feet-3 and 240 pounds. "He asked me the same question everybody else asks me: 'Why didn't schools recruit you more?' Luckily, those guys got to see me. Coach Wilson and Coach Fobbs offered me a scholarship the next week."
Contrary to popular myth, not all football signings occur the first Wednesday of February. Spane became an Aggie in May, joining a team with zero returning starters on offense.
"Every now and then kids slip through the cracks," Fobbs said. "Spencer is one of them. His potential is out there for him. I told Coach Wilson this was just the kind of young man we wanted at our university."
Preseason practice bore that out. The Aggies don't throw to the tight end much, but they realized Spane would be a reliable blocker -- perhaps more.
"As a freshman," Spane said, "you worry if you're big, strong and fast enough. I sensed I was right there with these guys. I learned how to block and how to do those other aspects of being a tight end. The coaches saw I was working hard, and they put me in a starting position.
"I'm humbled by it, but I also know I worked really hard in the spring and summer to get my body ready for college football."
Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rdaniels@news-record.com
N.C. A&T AT NORFOLK STATE
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, Va.
Records: N.C. A&T 0-1 MEAC, 0-3 overall; Norfolk State 0-1, 2-1
More online: For audio clips from players and coaches, go to www.news-record.com/nr/links Email this Article Print this article
Staff Writer
GREENSBORO -- The main purpose of the Florida recruiting trip was to establish relationships and build contacts with an eye toward the Class of 2007. But almost as an aside, new N.C. A&T football coach Lee Fobbs asked assistant Dwike Wilson to poke around his territory for unsigned, credible players with academic and character references.
Theoretically, you would find a polar bear in Palm Beach before you would unearth Spencer Spane in May 2006. But here he is: the tight end who came in from the cold.
Almost unknown as graduation day neared in Terry, Miss., Spane is starting for the Aggies, thanks to a benefactor in Tampa, a nice piece of timing and a team that was in no position to say no.
"No matter where I had ended up, I would have made the most of the opportunity I had," said Spane, who caught his first pass in a game at Hampton two weeks ago. "No one can tell me what I'm going to do with my life. You're in control of your own life."
But as Spane well knows and happily acknowledges, it doesn't hurt to have friends.
Like most college football teams, A&T announced its scholarship signees Feb. 1. Don't bother looking for Spencer Spane on that list. Back then, he was playing basketball for Terry High School and apparently bound for Jackson State, 17 miles north of home.
Spane's plight wasn't his fault. His prep football coach hadn't compiled a highlight tape or otherwise communicated with colleges, and the offense included a tailback who ran for 2,600 yards, 33 touchdowns and had an offer from Mississippi State. Spane's work consisted of blocking for that guy, Anthony Dixon, and almost nothing else. He caught four passes all season.
As the religious observance of Signing Day came and went in the Magnolia State, Spane's parents remembered a friend from their college days at Mississippi State. Tyrone Keys, a member of the acclaimed 1986 Chicago Bears' championship defense, had moved to Tampa and created a charity known as All Sports Community Service.
"My heart goes out to young people who get overlooked and who have a dream and a desire to continue an extracurricular activity in college," Keys said. "I look for kids who have done everything asked of them in high school."
According to its latest available tax return, the organization disbursed $118,755 in 2004 to more than 150 aspiring college students. Sometimes its assistance is subtle. Like making a highlights package that college coaches will watch.
"No coach is going to take the time to look at 10 games worth of tape," Keys said. "We took what (Spane) had and showed him how we could put it together in a marketable package."
In its final form, it looked much like a top 10 plays countdown on ESPN "SportsCenter." Soon, Mississippi State and Alabama were talking about asking Spane to walk on.
When Wilson made his trek from Greensboro, he stopped in Tampa, called on Keys and was given a copy of the Spane Show.
Wilson "called me almost the next minute," said Spane, 6-feet-3 and 240 pounds. "He asked me the same question everybody else asks me: 'Why didn't schools recruit you more?' Luckily, those guys got to see me. Coach Wilson and Coach Fobbs offered me a scholarship the next week."
Contrary to popular myth, not all football signings occur the first Wednesday of February. Spane became an Aggie in May, joining a team with zero returning starters on offense.
"Every now and then kids slip through the cracks," Fobbs said. "Spencer is one of them. His potential is out there for him. I told Coach Wilson this was just the kind of young man we wanted at our university."
Preseason practice bore that out. The Aggies don't throw to the tight end much, but they realized Spane would be a reliable blocker -- perhaps more.
"As a freshman," Spane said, "you worry if you're big, strong and fast enough. I sensed I was right there with these guys. I learned how to block and how to do those other aspects of being a tight end. The coaches saw I was working hard, and they put me in a starting position.
"I'm humbled by it, but I also know I worked really hard in the spring and summer to get my body ready for college football."
Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rdaniels@news-record.com
N.C. A&T AT NORFOLK STATE
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, Va.
Records: N.C. A&T 0-1 MEAC, 0-3 overall; Norfolk State 0-1, 2-1
More online: For audio clips from players and coaches, go to www.news-record.com/nr/links Email this Article Print this article
