Chapter 14

I left and arrived at the college in time to check into the athletic dorm and have supper. A schedule was handed to us when we checked in. I had to admit that the athletic dorm had larger rooms, more bathrooms, and nicer furnishings.

I had a roommate. He had chosen a bed so I took the one left. I didn’t care. I met Bob who was from Atlanta. As we talked, I found that he was on a full scholarship for football which was his only sport. He was surprised about why I had no scholarship. I explained why I hadn’t been willing to sign a commitment letter last winter. His only concern was about the new coach and how he might fit into the new offensive plan. It was time for supper and we went downstairs to eat.

[Auth. Note: I’ve never played much organized football, and particularly not at the college level. This is made up for the story. If you know, write about it and post it. If you think your imagination is better, write about that and post it.]

The meal was quite good and well-organized with the new head coach speaking to welcome us. He then went over some expectations for this first week of practice. He did say that Friday afternoon would be given over to discussions about being on the team and scholarships.

He sat down and we all ate our dinners. It was a little bit bigger meal than we had been given during orientation. Mentally, I shrugged. The food was good but all the food I had eaten at the college had been good. I had brought the schedule with me and noticed that we would start at seven with breakfast and then meet with the offensive and defensive coordinators at eight until nine. Each group would go out for exercise after that until lunch.

We would then meet with our specific area coaches for the afternoon and get play books. I realized that they had this pretty well organized. That really didn’t surprise me. I went to our room and pulled out my Kindle planning to read. Bob headed downstairs to watch TV. I noticed there was one in the room but that it wasn’t hooked up. Bob would have to do that or ask me. I didn’t care that much for TV. There wasn’t a TV in the dorm rooms during orientation. After reading for a while, I called Alice.

We talked for most of an hour. I was just getting off the phone when Bob walked back in. He saw me putting my phone to one side. “Am I interrupting anything?”

“No, I was just getting off from talking to Alice, my girl. We met at orientation and have spent time at each other’s homes. It’s working out very well.”

“I had gone with a cheerleader in high school but she didn’t make it into college. I broke up with her. I want someone where I am.” He grinned. “I get horny.”

“I can understand even though that’s not my program. I’ll be back in the regular dorms once classes start.”

“Why? This dorm is nicer than those other dorms and has better food. I was in one during orientation. It wasn’t bad but this is better.”

“I understand that. However, I’m taking physics and math. I will want study partners as well as to see Alice. It fits me better. I’m also running track and playing baseball on scholarship.”

“Gee, that’s tough. Is that why you don’t have a scholarship for football? I know the old coach wouldn’t give commitment letters to any guys who wouldn’t stay in the athletics’ dorm or who played other sports.”

“Yes, he would also require me to change majors. I talked with my dad and we decided to pass on the program. The new head coach had the defensive coordinator reach out to me. That’s why I’m here. I don’t need football to get through college.” I shrugged. “We’ll have to see how it all works out.”

I sat back and read some more before preparing for sleeping. In the morning, I was easily up, showered and shaved in time for breakfast. Bob was slower. We went to the dining hall together. We ate together and then split up since we played on opposite sides of the ball.

I joined the other defensive players and met with the defensive coordinator. He went over those present. The school was light on linebackers. Now, I understood a little better. The coordinator spoke for a bit about expectations and introduced the defensive coaching staff along with the weight and conditioning coach. He then split us into smaller groups with the specialist coaches. As he finished, he said, “Short, stay a moment.”

“Sure, coach.” I resumed my seat as the rest filed out.

He said, “You’re an odd bird. We are really looking for men with a more serious commitment to football; Have you thought about living in the athletic dorm?”

“Yes, sir. However, nothing has suggested that it would be wise for me. I don’t need tutoring but won’t find study partners in physics or math in this dorm. I don’t need specialized meals because I eat carefully anyway.”

“We need linebackers so we can bend to work with you if you’re good. Go see Coach Wilkins.”

Yes, sir.” I left for a smaller conference room. There were only five students in the room after I got inside it. I sat down. Coach said, ‘You’re Jerry Short, aren’t you?” I nodded. “I’m Coach Wilkins.”

He then continued, “We’ll have to work hard and smart this year. As you can see, we’re thin at linebacker. We will push you to be and stay in shape and to avoid injury. The defensive plans call for linebackers to be mobile and quick. We will work with you on conditioning as well as strength. I will be recruiting more linebackers for next year but you guys will be the leaders. It’s going to be a challenge. Work with me and we will help you be successful here.”

We had a break and I found that three of my mates here were on scholarship. Another guy and I were “walking on” because of the prior coaches attitude. The other guy was a talented outfielder and slugger. He was a little bit taller and heavier than I.

We went out to exercise. We were running sprints and defensive pass routes for practice. I was second fastest of the five linebackers. The exercise period ended. I noticed some guys were really dragging. I wasn’t going long enough to get winded at any point. However, I was ready to quit when the time for lunch came.

We went into the dining room for lunch. There was a lot and it was well-prepared. I ate what I wanted planning to leave the rest. One of the linemen was next to me and asked if he could have the rest of mine if I were finished. I smiled and waved over it to him. He was pretty heavy already but I wasn’t either one of his parents or his coach. We finished our meals and then went to our specialist areas with the appropriate coaches.

We were each handed a playbook. Everyone looked through them. Coach Wilkins said, “Gentlemen, most teams in college play an up-tempo offense. It’s designed to, among other things, wear a defense down. For that reason, you have to be in shape. As you can see, most of these defensive alignments have been designed for three linebackers. We will be creating some new ones for two linebackers. We have extra defensive linemen and a good number of defensive backs. Short, you are going to be put in a weak safety spot as well as linebacker. I think you can learn both positions.” I shrugged. He looked at Greg, the other walk-on, and said, “Jackson, you will be looked at for dual positions also. I think both of you will be able to handle multiple positions.”