Chapter 81

The warm weather of the previous weekend continued, along with fog and rain. The rain and warm temperatures washed away the blanket of snow from the weekend before. School went off without delays or cancellations.

My Wednesday first period lecture to the AP Comparative Government and Politics class about the Cuban constitution went well. The seniors were surprised at all the guarantees in their constitution – freedom of speech, of press and of religion, guarantees of medical care, housing and jobs. All of these guarantees sounded pretty good, until I pointed out the article near the end of the constitution that stipulated that no one could disparage or put down the communist party. The article basically invalidated the rest of the constitution's promises.

Tuesday night's trip out to Pro Train's Cherry Hill gym took half an hour. Thankfully rush hour was over when I went. I knew from listening to local radio the last few weeks that I-95, the Betsy Ross Bridge and I-73 in New Jersey could get jammed with traffic at the wrong time of day.

Steve met me at his site. He had me warm up and then work on the drills I would be doing at the Combine. About an hour into my workout I noticed two muscular guys walk into the gym. I knew they had to be athletes from their build. They looked kind of familiar too, but I couldn't place them. The white guy was my height but huskier. The black guy accompanying him was shorter, maybe six foot tall and sleeker than his compatriot. They went to work on their own, without any help from the staff.

I wrapped up my work a little before nine o'clock that evening.

"You're on for Thursday night, right Kyle?" Steve asked.

"Yes, I'm game for it," I agreed.

"Do you want to meet a couple of your fellow pros?" Steve added.

"Sure, why not?" I responded. Steve led me over to the two guys I suspected were athletes.

"Brent, Jeremy, could I take a minute of your time and introduce you to a soon-to-be pro?" Steve asked. As soon as Steve said their names, I figured out why they looked familiar. They both played for my favorites, the Eagles. The guys agreed.

"Brent, this is Kyle Martin from Penn State," Steve said. I shook Brent's hand. "Kyle is getting ready for the combine."

"I've read about you," Brent replied. "The Philly paper has big Penn State write-ups after every game. You've been featured in most of the articles."

"Jeff Morgan has been very kind to me," I answered.

"Kyle, this is Jeremy Maclin," Steve added.

"Jeremy, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said as I shook hands with the big Eagles receiver. "I cheered myself hoarse the day the Eagles drafted you."

"Your fame has preceded you, Kyle," Jeremy said pleasantly. He made a mock scowl. "Did you really have to break virtually all my college records?"

"Sorry about that," I replied. "I was just playing football." Jeremy gave me a big grin.

"I'm just yanking your chain, man," Jeremy said. "You shouldn't apologize for what you've done on the field. You beat out Brian Westbrook and Jerry Rice. No apologies needed."

"You would have done that too, if you had stayed in school for four years," I answered.

"Maybe," Jeremy allowed. "I made a good name for myself while I was at Mizzou. The Eagles pay me well too." Jeremy snorted. "Anyway ... you left my freshman all-purpose yards record intact."

"Penn State has never been strong believers in giving freshmen playing time," I replied.

"Good luck at the Combine and the draft," Jeremy said.

"Maybe we'll end up teammates," Brent added.

"I can't imagine that, as much as the Eagles fan in me would love it," I responded. "Coach Reid has one of the best receiving corps in the NFL. I doubt he will use a high draft pick on someone like me."

"Good luck wherever you end up, Kyle," Jeremy said. "It's nice to meet you.

"Same here," Brent added.

"Good luck next season, guys," I said as we parted. "I'll be cheering for you a little ... assuming I don't get drafted by the Cowboys, Giants or Redskins. Tell Cuch I said hi."

"You might see him another time," Jeremy added. "He often works out with us. He and his wife had a thing tonight."

I felt pretty good when I left the gym. Real professionals that didn't know me from college accepted me as their colleague, no questions asked. The camaraderie I experienced with college players, even when we were on different teams, was still there on the professional level. I liked that feeling of belonging to a larger fraternity.

Thursday's two lectures on the Philippines for the ninth grade World Cultures course were harder than I anticipated. The kids in both classes were antsy. I had some trouble keeping them focused on my lecture. John explained my problem after the first class was dismissed. The weatherman was expecting a storm late in the afternoon or early evening. Approaching rain affected the behavior of the kids.

John asked me to stick around after school for a bit to discuss techniques he learned for dealing with distracted students. I listened carefully. John's ideas sounded good.

I headed over to Cherry Hill to Pro Train after dinner for a couple hours' workout with Steve Sanderson. Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek were there with Dominic Cuchiella and his backfield mate, Nate Allen.

Cuch and I got a chance to catch up on his and Gina's life. Gina was expecting. Their son was due April 10th. I wished Gina the best. Cuch asked me to send his regards to Marco next time I saw him. I expected to see him at the Thon. Pretty much the whole team took shifts supporting the dancers.

Penny and I packed for our trip down to Tallahassee after I returned home. We pre-positioned our luggage in my car. We wouldn't have much time Friday afternoon after school to catch our flight.

John Waters assigned me five lectures for next week, one a day, covering all five classes that we taught. I was going to have plenty to do on the flight south and then again on the return trip home getting lesson plans ready for next week. John let me depart minutes after the students at the end of the day. He knew getting to the airport by five o'clock was going to be difficult.

I called home before pulling out of the school parking lot to warn Penny I was on the way. Traffic was busy but moving as I headed back to our apartment. I called from a traffic light on Lancaster Avenue to warn Penny to get ready. She was on the sidewalk at the front door of our building when I double parked on 38th Street. She hopped in and I headed for the airport. Traffic was ugly between Powelton and the airport. I pulled into the long term parking lot a few minutes after five. Thankfully the line at the check-in desk wasn't long. We cleared check-in and security in time to catch our plane. We grabbed soft pretzels and bottles of water to have on the plane before we boarded.

Penny and I grabbed supper when we arrived in Charlotte. We had an hour and a half layover before we caught the CanadaAir RJ commuter jet that took us to Tallahassee. It was a few minutes before midnight when we arrived in Tallahassee. The Tallahassee Quarterback Club had a limousine waiting for us.

The early morning air outside the airport was hot and muggy. Penny and I had no need for the winter coats we wore from Philly. The driver dropped us off at the Residence Inn Marriot in downtown Tallahassee.

The night manager greeted us warmly when we checked in. She gave us a packet of information from the Tallahassee Quarterback Club, our hosts. We had a briefing with the dinner organizers at 11:00 AM in the morning. They scheduled me for a press conference at 3:30 PM. The packet included vouchers for meals at our hotel.

Penny and I headed upstairs to our room. To our pleasant surprise, we were booked in a two bedroom suite.

"I can't believe they gave us a suite," Penny marveled.

"It's good to be the guest of honor," I commented.

"I guess the second bedroom is so we can keep the appearance of propriety," Penny said.

"If only they knew," I joked. "What would they say if they knew we've been spending nights together since we were fourteen?"

"That is information the public doesn't need to know," Penny answered. "Are you ready to go to bed? I'm beat from the travel."

"You bet," I agreed.

I left us a ten o'clock wakeup call when we checked in the previous evening. That helped Penny and me catch up on our sleep. We didn't get to bed until almost 2:00 AM the previous night. We had time to grab brunch at the hotel before heading to the conference room for our morning briefing.

We met with Tallahassee Quarterback Club president Gary Huff and his Biletnikoff Dinner chair Brett Ewing. The men filled us in on our schedule for the weekend. Jim Kelly was the featured speaker for the dinner. The club was taking us to lunch where we would meet our guides. They would take us on a tour around downtown Tallahassee. Penny and I would have time to relax after the press conference that afternoon and before the dinner.

Mr. Huff and Mr. Ewing took us to Harry's Bar and Grille, a well-known local restaurant. I got a pleasant surprise when we got the restaurant. Quinton MacElree, the Senior Bowl South Team quarterback from Florida State, had agreed to be our guide for the afternoon. I introduced Quinton to Penny. He introduced us to his girlfriend Megan DiFiore.

Harry's specialized in New Orleans cooking. I had a Shrimp Po'boy. Penny decided to try the fish tacos. I was glad the Tallahassee Quarterback Club was picking up the fare. The food was pretty good but I thought $15.00 for a sandwich, a beer and tip was expensive.

I knew Quinton a little from the Senior Bowl, but not a lot. I spent my time getting to know the three North quarterbacks, not the South quarterbacks. Quinton seemed like a personable guy to spend an afternoon with. Megan was as sweet as could be.

Half a dozen people stopped by to talk with Quinton, including two state representatives and a state senator. He was very much the big man on campus (or in town). Mr. Huff and Mr. Ewing headed off after lunch. The weather in Tallahassee was great compared to back home. The sky was sunny and the temperature was near seventy degrees. Philly would be lucky if the temperature went above freezing that day.

Quinton took us across the street, where he parked his car. It was a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee. The cars came with the full package of accessories. It had to have cost a small fortune.

"You have nice wheels," I commented as he pulled out of the lot. "Have you had it long?"

"I've had it three weeks," Quinton answered. "My agent gave me an advance. It was past time to dump that old beater of a car I had. What do you think?"

Penny and I agreed the car was very nice. It was also exactly the kind of extravagant spending Max had warned us to avoid right now. I had no interest in going further into debt than I already was to my parents. Quinton's agent may have called it an advance, but it really was a loan. I kept those thoughts to myself.

"I'm satisfied with my old VW," I said. "The neighborhood where Penny and I live isn't the safest. A car like this would disappear off the street in no time at all, if it were parked there."

"That's what I love about Tallahassee," Quinton responded. "It isn't a big city. I don't have to worry about anything like that."

Quinton gave us a driving tour of downtown Tallahassee. We saw the capitol building and the state supreme court building. He took us through the Florida State campus. Quinton gave us a complete tour of the football facilities at the Moore Athletic Center. He had no problem convincing security to allow us out on the field at the stadium. Quinton and Megan got us back to our hotel in time to freshen up before the press conference.

About thirty reporters showed up for the press conference, including six camera crews. ESPN, Fox and CBS were there with the remainder coming from local TV stations. Most of the questions were routine. One question cropped up from the Senior Bowl week.

"Kyle, are you definitely going into the NFL next season?" Adam Chadwick from ESPN asked. "What are your plans over the next month or two?"

"I'm student teaching during the day and working out to get ready for the Combine in two weeks," I replied patiently. "I hired a trainer to improve my techniques for the Combine drills because I plan to play in the NFL."

"There have been concerns that you have a list of teams that you would refuse to play for," Adam added. "Which teams are on your list? I heard a rumor that you wouldn't play for the Raiders." I gave him a big smile.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Al Davis when I talked with him two weeks ago," I answered. "I love the vertical passing game. Get me the ball deep to drive the secondary off the line. My deep threat opens up the whole field for the team. Doesn't that sound like classic Raiders football?"

"It does," Adam agreed. "How about the..."

I cut him off. "I'm not going to go through the league team by team to talk about whether I will play for them or not. I have no list of teams that I will or won't play for. I fully expect to be on the field next fall with whichever team drafts me. I hope that puts this issue to bed."

Thankfully a local sports reporter threw me a softball question next. He wanted to know which players most influenced me over the last four years. I happily credited Zack Hayes, Aaron Morano, Bo Cherry and Anders Voight for their on field help. I thanked Bobby Engram, Joe Jurivicius, Glenn Tucker and Deon Butler for their advice. The rest of the press conference went well.

Penny and I had some time to relax before heading over the dinner. We showered and changed into our dress clothes before catching our limo ride over to Florida State's University Center Club on campus.

We arrived for the pre-dinner reception at 5:30 pm. Mr. Ewing introduced Penny and me to Jim Kelly and his wife. I felt honored to meet the Hall of Fame quarterback. We had a couple minutes to talk before we started our duties.

Jim teased me about Joe Paterno. Jim is from a small town in western Pennsylvania and had wanted to attend Penn State when he was in high school. Jim wondered if Joe had changed his mind yet whether Jim Kelly would be a better quarterback than a linebacker, which is the position JoePa wanted Jim to play. I allowed that Joe probably was right. Jim would have made a hell of a linebacker if he had gone to Penn State, not that his going to Miami as a quarterback hadn't worked out OK too.

Jim and I were expected to schmooze with the VIPs at the pre-dinner party and have our pictures taken with each of them. The hors d'ouevres looked good, but I only knew by look. I spent the entire reception shaking hands, talking and posing for pictures with the VIPs.

I was introduced to Fred Biletnikoff during the pre-dinner reception. He was friendly and down to earth. I enjoyed the couple minutes I spent talking with him. A number of football coaches were invited to the dinner. Les Miles from LSU was there.

He greeted me warmly when we met. "I was disappointed to lose you at LSU, but I guess you did well up at Penn State," Coach Miles said. "Congratulations on an outstanding college career."

"Thank you," I replied. "I have been very fortunate."

"How did things work out for you and your high school girlfriend?" Coach Miles asked. "I remember you wanted to see if I could help get her into LSU as an undergrad and into our veterinary school."

"Things worked out well, in the end," I answered. "Let me introduce you to that girlfriend, and now my fiancée. Coach Miles, this is Penny Edwards. Penny, this is Coach Les Miles from Louisiana State University."

"It's very nice to meet you, Coach Miles," Penny said as she shook the coach's hand.

"I guess everything worked out for the two of you," Coach Miles observed. "I know Penn State does not have a veterinary school. Did you give up on that dream, Penny?"

"No, I attended the University of Pennsylvania," Penny said. "I start veterinary school there this fall."

"It can be very difficult to maintain a long distance relationship," Coach Miles said. "How did the two of you manage it?"

"We didn't," I replied. "We had an ugly breakup when we were freshmen. I was incredibly fortunate that she was willing to take me back last spring."

"To win back a beautiful woman like Penny," Coach observed, " ... you are indeed fortunate, Kyle. I wish the best of luck to both of you."

I got to meet Coach Lou Holtz. He was engaging and funny. Coach and Mrs. Burton arrived near the end of the reception.

"I hear you had another run in with Dr. Henderson last week," Coach Burton observed. "Joe helped you get things straightened out."

"I think it is safe to say, Coach Paterno was instrumental in getting me reinstated to the student teaching program," I answered. "How did signing day go? I'm out of touch down in Philly."

"We did very well," Coach Burton replied. "All our expected signees signed their letters. We got a bonus. Blake Drummond, a four star tight end out of Texas, switched to us at the last minute. His father and grandfather both graduated from Penn State, but the family moved to Texas fifteen years ago. I frankly expected him to end up at Texas or Oklahoma instead of with us."

"That's excellent," I replied. "I'm glad things went well."

Mr. Ewing came over and escorted Penny and me to the head table. We were seated with Jim and Mrs. Kelly, Mr. and Mrs. Ewing and Mr. and Mrs. Huff. Bobby and Mrs. Engram arrived just before the banquet started. They were seated at our table too.

The University Center Club did a nice Pecan Crusted Chicken with mashed sweet potatoes and a vegetable medley. We had a choice of crème brûlée with fresh berries or a bittersweet chocolate mousse layered with chocolate sponge cake. Chocoholics through and through, Penny and I both had the mousse.

I enjoyed talking non-football topics with Bobby. We had talked before but always about football. He was friendly and engaging. He had the table laughing with some of his JoePa stories. Deanna Engram seemed delightful too.

During a lull in the conversation I asked, "How is retirement treating you?" Bobby hung up his cleats after his 2010 season with the Browns. "Do you miss football?" Bobby let out a loud laugh.

"You haven't heard the news?" Bobby retorted, still laughing. "I was hired to coach for the 49ers three weeks ago."

"Really?" I responded. Bobby nodded yes eagerly. "I hadn't heard that. I interviewed with your boss a couple weeks ago."

"I know," Bobby replied. "Now I need to convince Jim that we need to draft you. I'd love to see you in 49ers colors."

"Good luck with that, Bobby," I answered. "I wouldn't mind playing for you at all."

Mr. Ewing excused himself during our conversation. He conferred with the master of ceremonies briefly. The program started shortly thereafter. The emcee talked about Fred Biletnikoff's career at Florida State and with the Raiders. There was a joke or two about "stick-um", something I never heard of.

Bobby leaned in and whispered to me, "Decades ago players in the NFL were allowed to use a sticky gum called 'stick-um' to help them hold onto the balls. Fred was notorious for using a lot of 'stick-um.'" Bobby gave me a wink. "None of that detracts from his performance on the field. He still had to get open, make the catch and then move the ball down the field, just like in my day and like you will too."

"Thanks for the info," I whispered back.

Fred Biletnikoff acknowledged the crowd but didn't speak that evening. Jim Kelly was up next. Jim spoke eloquently about perseverance – in sports and in life. He talked about the struggle he and his wife Jill had when they found out their son Hunter had Krabbe Leukodystrophy. He talked about how perseverance and faith in God had helped them through their trying times. Hunter's life gave Jim's post-football life a sense of purpose. He spoke briefly about his Hunter's Hope Foundation before concluding his speech.

The emcee recognized various members of the Tallahassee Quarterback Club to thank them for organizing the dinner. The emcee called forward the high school players who were receiving scholarships and recognized them.

It was Bobby Engram's turn after that. Bobby was at the dinner both as the first recipient of the award as well my presenter that evening. He talked about the parallels between his career at Penn State and mine. Bobby reviewed the various records I broke in the past couple seasons. He gave me a big smile when it was time for the finale.

"It is a great honor and privilege to present this award to my fellow Penn Stater," Bobby said. "Kyle D. Martin, please come forward to be recognized."

I stepped onto the stage with Bobby and shook hands. "Congratulations on winning the 2012 Biletnikoff Award for the outstanding collegiate wide receiver." Bobby handed me the trophy showing Fred Biletnikoff stretching out to make a tiptoe catch at the edge of an imaginary field.

"I want to thank the Tallahassee Quarterback Club for giving me this honor," I said as I stood at the podium. "You have been very generous and gracious hosts to me and my fiancée, Penny Edwards." I blew Penny a kiss. "I want to thank Walter Caffrey, the high school coach who saw something in a skinny eighth grader and convinced me to try out for football. His coaching started me on the road to where I am today. I want to thank Zachary Hayes, now at Green Bay, for demanding that I learn to play my position with skill and determination. I want to thank Coach Joe Paterno, who brought me into the Penn State family. Coach Robert Burton, Coach John Schroeder and Coach Paul Adams taught me how to compete at the top level collegiately.

"I want to thank my parents for their help, support and forbearance of my football obsession over the past eight years. My brothers and my sister have always supported me on the football field too. Thank you, all. Most of all I want to thank my lovely fiancée, Penny Edwards. Penny has the patience of a saint. She has managed to put up with all my foibles and mistakes over the past eight years.

I paused for a moment and looked at the statuette. "I see one thing that should be corrected on this trophy. The only name on it is mine. It really should recognize the entire Nittany Lions team. Football is the ultimate team sport. Whether it's the offensive linemen buying time for Zack or Chip to get me the ball deep; the running backs making our ground game go so the secondary has to close up on the line; or the special teams players opening big holes for me to return the ball through; everyone has a hand in making me successful. Even the defense plays a part. They made the stops we needed and gave us good field position so our offense could operate at full effectiveness.

"I will share these sentiments with my teammates so they know the honor all of you have done recognizing them through me. Thank you again for this award and this wonderful weekend here in Tallahassee."

Fred Biletnikoff come up and congratulated me and presented me with the Biletnikoff Award ring. The officers of the club came up to congratulate me before the end of the banquet.

I endured more photos after the banquet ended. Many of the patrons at the banquet stopped by to personally congratulate me afterward. Penny and I didn't get a ride back to our hotel until after eleven o'clock. I was on an emotional high after the awards banquet and feeling amorous.

Penny and I changed and cleaned up for the night. We climbed in bed together. I snuggled up to my sweetie. I kissed the back of her neck and whispered, "Do you want to make love tonight?"

Penny rolled over to face me. "I'm sorry, honey," she answered. "I feel a little crampy already. It's going to be that time of month tomorrow. How about later next week, after I'm done? Maybe Thursday night since we're going to be busy dancing next weekend."

"That sounds wonderful," I said, concealing my disappointment. "I can't wait for Thursday night." I gave Penny a kiss before she rolled over. I spooned against her before falling asleep.

The wake up service at the hotel rang our room at 4:00 am, as we requested. Penny and I stumbled through our morning routine. We were down at the front desk, ready to check out and head to the airport at 4:30 am, as scheduled. The morning was cold and rainy, quite unlike the nice weather the previous day. We breezed through check-in and security and had breakfast before we boarded our plane.

The flight to Charlotte and then the one on to Philadelphia went routinely – on time with no more snow. Thank God! The plane pulled up to the gate in Philly and opened the door so we could debark just before eleven o'clock that morning.

We grabbed our bags and boarded a bus over to long term parking. The sky was bright and clear. The temperatures were in the mid-twenties, more normal by our standards for a February Sunday.

I spent part of the afternoon reading the paper and the remainder preparing for my lectures the next week. John Waters assigned me a lecture a day, one for each of the five classes we taught. I knew my workload at school was going to continue to increase until I was virtually taking over the teaching duties for his classes by the end of April.

The week flew by. I did my Econ lecture on Monday, two lectures to the AP U. S. Government and Politics classes on Tuesday and Modern European History on Wednesday. During the break period Wednesday John had me take a first stab at preparing the next test for the AP Comparative Government class. I lectured that class first thing Thursday morning. Professor Buchanan observed. John and my professor were pleased with my progress when they reviewed the lecture with me afterward.

Aaron Morano called on Thursday evening to confirm all the arrangements for the Thon weekend. I lectured the World Cultures class on the French colonial period in Indo-China on Friday. Penny texted me a few minutes after the car picked her up at our apartment. The message said: "IN LIMO, ON WAY."

I observed John lecture through the remainder of eighth period. I gathered up my things as soon as the kids were dismissed and headed for the door. John called out, "Which city are you jetting off too this weekend? I don't think you've spent a weekend in Philly since you moved down here."

"You know I'm going to State College this weekend," I responded. I gave him a wink. "I'm taking my sweetie dancing for the weekend. By the way, thanks for the contribution to the Thon."

"Good luck with Thon," John answered. "Get a good night's sleep Sunday night. You're giving the lecture first period Monday."

"I got it covered, John," I replied as I breezed out the door. The limo was parked right outside the main doors to the school, putting on too much of a show.

"Nice ride, Mr. Martin," someone called out as I opened the door. I turned to see Alex D'Antonio. "Good luck at Thon. Say hi to Jen for me if you see her."

"I'll do that, Alex," I promised. ""Have a good weekend."

I climbed in the back of the limo beside Penny. "What do you think of this?"

She grinned and responded, "Would you like some wine for the trip to the airport?"

"Maybe a small glass," I replied. "Do you like the ride?"

"I couldn't believe it when the limo pulled up to pick me up," Penny said as she poured my wine. "Thank Aaron and Zack the next time you talk to them. This is pretty incredible."

We sipped our wine and talked for a bit about our day. Penny was in a bubbly mood.

"Have you ever done it in a limo, Kyle?" Penny queried.

"Done it? Sex?" I asked. "No, I've never done that. This is the fourth time in my life I've ridden in a limo. You were there the first time when we took one to the senior prom. The second time was in December during the ride from the airport to the hotel for the Heisman announcement. Then there was last weekend. I did NOT have an opportunity that time."

"Wouldn't it be naughty?" Penny giggled.

"On the Route 30 Bypass through the middle of Chester County?" I retorted. "I don't think so."

Penny rolled over into my lap hugged and kissed me. "If not the limo, how about joining the mile high club?" Penny purred between kisses.

"You're certainly excited this afternoon," I replied.

"It's been six days since we made love," Penny answered. "You're not the only who has gotten used to regular loving. What do you think of the mile high club?"

Penny smothered any answer with kisses. Half an hour later when we arrived at the G. O. Carlson Airport outside Coatesville, I was ready for most anything. Mile high club? Oh hell, yeah!

Our limo pulled off the bypass and drove down to Business Route 30 and over to the airport. An attendant was waiting for us at the parking lot with a sign with my name on it. He helped us carry our overnight bags over to a Learjet near the terminal.

"A limo to the airport? A Learjet?" Penny said, laughing. "What kind of world have you gotten me into, Kyle?"

"My friends do live life well, don't they?" I responded. "Get used to it. We may be able to afford little extravagances too, after the draft."