Saints How many of you played or coached football (High School, College or Pro)? (1 Viewer)

[Goatman Saint]

Played up through junior in high school. Finally stopped when my lack of size couldn’t be overcome by wrestling background and sheer toughness. If I was 6 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier I would’ve been a great DE. Darn genetics....

 

[Sumdude34]

Played in HS. Was a S, but really more of a rover type. Lol that's why I'm constantly defending Marcus Williams and other Safteys on here.

I loved my postion because it was really just Chess against the OC. I was pretty good about knowing when they were setting us up for something big on third down or whatever and then shutting it down. I wasn't big, but I had good instincts. It really let everyone else just focus on their one assignment and play loose. I really liked the in-game challenge of figuring out the patterns in playcalling and basiclly crippling the other team's whole game plan. I didn't go on to anything more after HS.

As much as I loved playing the game, I hated everything else about it. Such a uniquely toxic environment to be a part of. Football is a culture, much more so than a sport, and I just never really fit into that part of it.

 

[reason2believe]

Only played high school. Coached a little.

 

[NOLA or bust]

Played QB in High School and coached for 2 years after graduating. RBs my first year and then TEs my second.

 

[LoE]

Playing football was the most fun I've ever had.

 

[BigOdin504]

Played until 9th grade
Realized I was better at baseball

 

[ANKOMA33]

Played my junior and senior year in High School - cornerback position.

I attended Catholic High - Baton Rouge. Most memorable team mate was Travis Minor (RB). We've had a lot of success with running backs over the years but IMO Minor was a special talent. I thought he'd be better than Dunn (older but also attended Catholic) in college and the Pros.

Good times.

 

[v3kt0r]

I never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

 

[BigFrosty]

I played Defensive and Offensive tackle, 9th and 10th grade, JV. I quit when I started failing my classes. Then I got a car and found out chasing tail was more fun than chasing RB's.

 

[WestCoast Saint]

Girard all the way through to Brother Martin! Go ‘saders!

 

[DCSaints_Fan]

Yes I played high school all four years. Had not played when coming out for freshman football. I was a big kid so played line (both ways). We stunk - didn't win a single game though came close once. Sophomore year was JV - again played line both ways. We practiced with varsity in training camp. I never forgot that first Saturday after a week of two-a-days, the first day we were allowed to wear full pads and go full contact, and not just run around and hit the sled. it came time for a scrimmage, I was put up at nose guard against a center who who was a senior, returning starter. Pretty big kid. "Down ... set .... go." Ball is snapped. He drives me like 5 yards back and pancakes me.

Still, I did well enough to start both ways again. Offensive tackle and defensive guard (the equivalent of a DT, but for some reason we called them guards - I gues because we would always line up on outside shoulder of the offensive guard) But, our team was alot better this time - going 5-2. We got alot of help from juniors who didn't make varsity. We even beat the JV team of the state champs.

Junior year was a real watershed moment for. me As a lineman there was alot of competiion from the seniors. I was a big kid (like ~215), but short (5'8) Most were bigger than me, at least in terms of height. Some stronger. There was also one sophomore guy who was huge - I'm talking NFL pedigree, at least in terms of size - he was 6'5, 280. Nevertheless, I made it a personal goal that I was not only going to make the varsity team next year but start.

I really worked my butt off in the offseason, I came our for wrestling that year also (didn't do it freshma year, as grades were slipping) and had a decent season (granted, at JV level), having a winnign record and placing third in a ~12 man tournament, and they gave me a little bronze medal. I wrestled at heavyweight, they didn't have the 215 class, I was going to try to drop to 189 but was holding my own at HW. I tangled with some big boys - some were 260+.

After wrestling was over, hit the weight room, did agility drills/sprints, basically everything I reasonably could, short of juicing.

Camp comes around. I do alot better. I distinctly remember, one time they did pas rush drills, and I whupped everyone's but. No one could prevent me from getting to that bag. Still, there was some competition.

Some guys had some minor injures, though nothing to end the season. And that huge guy with NFL pedigree, for some reason, was not cutting the mustard. I think he was too slow, at least then. I was in a close competition with another senior, who I was kind of short of friends with. He had my build but a little taller, and put up more reps that me on bench.

So its coming to the end of training camp, the varsity team, but not quite the starters, is announced in a team meeting. The coach personally calls me out, saying that he and the other coaches had had me pegged for JV, but that I impressed enough to make Varsity. Awesome.

A few day before the season starts, and the coach finds me in the halls in the morning before class starts, and brings me his office for a sitdown in with the D-coordinator. He explained to me the situation, that basically it came down to me and the other senior guy, there was some disagreement among coaches about who should start at defensive tackle. Some thought it was a close competition with this senior guy, others didn't think it was so close - him included. The policy was that in a close competition, they start the senior. But he felt it wasn't close.

He informed me that I was the starter, and would be announced first home game. (They announce each starter on the PA before the game starts)

Man, that moment

I responded with something like "Man, thats great coach. But this guy, he's worked probably just as hard as me. Him being a senior and all, could you maybe announce him as the starter, at least give him that, maybe we could do a rotation." So he basically agreed. He was announced. But he never got alot of playing time.

Senior year, Im returning starter. There were actually quite a few talented freshman, some of whom made varsity. I don't think I was ever in seious jeopardy of losing my position though there was a time or two where our team, got our ******* handed to us. On the other hand, we went up against the state champs, and I had a good game against them. They were mostly about skill position players though.

That year, I got three defensive player of the game awards, as well as defensive player of the year. Our defense wasn't good though, so I never made All-Dstrict.

And thats my story . In the grand scheme of things, what I did was small potatoes. But for me, there hasn't been much, at least physical wise, where I pushed myself to the limit, over such an extended period of time (and not just a day), where I set a goal and achieved it.

 

[cajunman9]

I was a running back and safety in high school.

 

[saintsfan78]

My high school football career lasted about an hour, but I have watched all levels since before there were Super Bowls and I am the size of an NFL defensive tackle. Does that count?

As a senator from Connecticut I can proudly say I played in the superbowl in the early 70's and caught a pass from Joe Namath.

 

[OhioSaint]

defensive end and tight end from 7th grade thru high school.