azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Small-school roots no big deal to Wells
Paola Boivin
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 10, 2004 12:00 AM
During a scrimmage, he is sandwiched between symbols of two tradition-rich football programs - Texas and Ohio State - and stares Nebraska right in the face. If Cardinals left guard Reggie Wells, of Division II Clarion University, is intimidated, he's hiding it.
"Doesn't botha him at all, this small-school stuff," said Bob Wylie, the offensive line coach with a wicked Rhode Island accent. "I try to botha him - 'What's a Clarion?' - but he doesn't care."
Wells' roots may be insignificant to him but not to others. He isn't simply the only Division II player on the Cardinals roster, but in the span of one year, he has landed a starting job on an offensive line that includes Texas' Leonard Davis at left guard and Ohio State's Alex Stepanovich at center.
How does that happen? How could a player who weighed just 215 pounds as a high school senior become a 6-foot-4, 323-pound NFL starter who can be seen giving Stepanovich tips in practice?
Was it Clarion's Nebraska-like training table?
"Oh, yeah, right, we have a meal program," Wells said. "It's called the cafeteria."
That small? How big is Clarion, Pa., anyway?
"When school is in session or not?" Clarion Athletic Secretary DeDe VanEpps said.
OK, we get the idea.
The lead story in the Clarion News on Monday was that 100 years of pigeon, uh, droppings had to be removed from the old jail tower so that its structural soundness could be examined.
Wells grew up a few hours away in Liberty, Pa., and attended Clarion, where his father, Reggie Sr., was an All-America basketball player, because "there wasn't a lot of demand for a 215-pound offensive lineman," Reggie Jr. said.
Even though Clarion, a former teachers college, didn't have an offensive line coach, Wells excelled, not allowing a sack in his final three seasons.
During his senior year, when Wells played left tackle, Clarion's running game was ranked No. 1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and No. 6 in Division II play.
Still, to excel at a small school such as Clarion (enrollment: 6,000) is no guarantee of a professional career. The last player from Clarion drafted by the NFL was Alex Sandusky, who went to the Baltimore Colts in the 16th round in 1954.
"That's one of the things that feels great," said Wells, who was drafted by the Cardinals in the sixth round last year. "A lot of people I played with got to enjoy the experience (of being scouted and drafted) with me."
Said VanEpps, "He's a big deal around here. Not just because he was a great player but because he's a bright, decent person. You could tell by how he treated people."
The school retired his No. 56 jersey in February and he was honored at halftime of the men's basketball game against Slippery Rock.
Of course, that means little to Cardinals coach Dennis Green, who doesn't care about reputation. Just ask center Pete Kendall, who was cut, or left tackle L.J Shelton, who was demoted.
Wells, who started one game last year for an injured Shelton, has held onto his spot at left guard, which says something in the Cardinals' show-no-mercy camp.
Even during his first camp last year, he made an impression on Kyle Vanden Bosch, a Nebraska product who faced Wells daily.
"Reggie has good feet," Vanden Bosch said then. "He also has some pop and some upper-body strength. He's going to surprise some people. I don't see any difference in him and guys who have been here for a few years."
Except his alma mater. Everyone on the team seems to rib him about Clarion, including guard Raleigh Roundtree, who rarely flexes his alma mater muscles.
Roundtree, you see, went to Division I-AA South Carolina State.
"I can take it," Wells said, smiling. "I'm just happy to be here."
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/04cardscamp/0810boivin0810.html
Paola Boivin
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 10, 2004 12:00 AM
During a scrimmage, he is sandwiched between symbols of two tradition-rich football programs - Texas and Ohio State - and stares Nebraska right in the face. If Cardinals left guard Reggie Wells, of Division II Clarion University, is intimidated, he's hiding it.
"Doesn't botha him at all, this small-school stuff," said Bob Wylie, the offensive line coach with a wicked Rhode Island accent. "I try to botha him - 'What's a Clarion?' - but he doesn't care."
Wells' roots may be insignificant to him but not to others. He isn't simply the only Division II player on the Cardinals roster, but in the span of one year, he has landed a starting job on an offensive line that includes Texas' Leonard Davis at left guard and Ohio State's Alex Stepanovich at center.
How does that happen? How could a player who weighed just 215 pounds as a high school senior become a 6-foot-4, 323-pound NFL starter who can be seen giving Stepanovich tips in practice?
Was it Clarion's Nebraska-like training table?
"Oh, yeah, right, we have a meal program," Wells said. "It's called the cafeteria."
That small? How big is Clarion, Pa., anyway?
"When school is in session or not?" Clarion Athletic Secretary DeDe VanEpps said.
OK, we get the idea.
The lead story in the Clarion News on Monday was that 100 years of pigeon, uh, droppings had to be removed from the old jail tower so that its structural soundness could be examined.
Wells grew up a few hours away in Liberty, Pa., and attended Clarion, where his father, Reggie Sr., was an All-America basketball player, because "there wasn't a lot of demand for a 215-pound offensive lineman," Reggie Jr. said.
Even though Clarion, a former teachers college, didn't have an offensive line coach, Wells excelled, not allowing a sack in his final three seasons.
During his senior year, when Wells played left tackle, Clarion's running game was ranked No. 1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and No. 6 in Division II play.
Still, to excel at a small school such as Clarion (enrollment: 6,000) is no guarantee of a professional career. The last player from Clarion drafted by the NFL was Alex Sandusky, who went to the Baltimore Colts in the 16th round in 1954.
"That's one of the things that feels great," said Wells, who was drafted by the Cardinals in the sixth round last year. "A lot of people I played with got to enjoy the experience (of being scouted and drafted) with me."
Said VanEpps, "He's a big deal around here. Not just because he was a great player but because he's a bright, decent person. You could tell by how he treated people."
The school retired his No. 56 jersey in February and he was honored at halftime of the men's basketball game against Slippery Rock.
Of course, that means little to Cardinals coach Dennis Green, who doesn't care about reputation. Just ask center Pete Kendall, who was cut, or left tackle L.J Shelton, who was demoted.
Wells, who started one game last year for an injured Shelton, has held onto his spot at left guard, which says something in the Cardinals' show-no-mercy camp.
Even during his first camp last year, he made an impression on Kyle Vanden Bosch, a Nebraska product who faced Wells daily.
"Reggie has good feet," Vanden Bosch said then. "He also has some pop and some upper-body strength. He's going to surprise some people. I don't see any difference in him and guys who have been here for a few years."
Except his alma mater. Everyone on the team seems to rib him about Clarion, including guard Raleigh Roundtree, who rarely flexes his alma mater muscles.
Roundtree, you see, went to Division I-AA South Carolina State.
"I can take it," Wells said, smiling. "I'm just happy to be here."
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/04cardscamp/0810boivin0810.html
