As Kenneth Darby's senior season soured, he knew what was wrong.
It started in the head. It concluded with a broken heart.
And he didn't want to talk about it. "I never brought it up during the regular season. I didn't want there to be excuses," the University of Alabama running back said after a Senior Bowl practice this week.
"But my mind wasn't about football. I was too concerned about my dad's health and with my mom's well being. My coaches and teammates knew what I was going through, but I couldn't tell anyone else."
A preseason All-American candidate at Alabama, Darby, a Huntsville product, was zeroing in on Shaun Alexander's career rushing record as he prepared for the 2006 season.
But before the pursuit could begin in earnest, life as Darby knew it began falling apart.
Darby's father, Winston Woods, took ill before the start of two-a-days. The son was summoned to Huntsville to spend time with his father.
When two-a-days began and Woods' condition worsened, Darby left the team, with permission. He saw his father pull through, at least temporarily.
But within a day of returning to practice, Darby injured a knee. The injury wasn't serious enough for surgery, requiring just a few days of rest.
But it threw him off kilter.
Just as the illness threw his life out of balance."I wasn't myself. I went into the season weighing 220 (pounds)," said Darby, who had played at 205 as a junior. "It was the most I've ever weighed. I wasn't in shape. And I wasn't ready."
After two straight 1,000-yard seasons, Darby never got on track as a senior. His per carry average (3.9) was the lowest of his career by nearly a yard. With a chance to pass Alexander, he whiffed instead, finishing with 835 yards and nary a touchdown.
Darby believes Tide coaches might have been too loyal to him because of past performance, keeping him in the lineup even as he struggled this year.
"I never told Sparky (Woods, the Tide's former running backs coach) that I wanted to take off. I didn't want to be away from my teammates.
"I didn't want to let them down. I was too competitive."
Complicating matters was the decline of his father. Woods passed away two days after the Iron Bowl.
Tragedy wasn't new to Darby, it had merely been absent since his senior year of high school, when his 3-month-old nephew, Dakota, died in a child care-center fall. But his father's death, after four mostly idyllic years on campus for the player, rattled Darby's world.
"Before my father departed, he told me something that will stay with me the rest of my life: `Do my part, and he'll do his part.' I feel now that my Dad is my guardian angel looking over me.
"It's hard. He wanted me to graduate, and I did in December. But he wasn't around, and that was very emotional. He wanted to see me in the Senior Bowl, but he's not here with me."
This week's Senior Bowl isn't Darby's last chance to impress NFL scouts.
Darby's headed to the invitation-only NFL Combine after the Mobile all-star game.
But he knows that scouts and general managers are questioning his disappearing act, wondering if the real Darby peaked as a collegiate junior or is set to return this week.
"I didn't have the breakout season everyone expected but I'm still the same player," Darby said. "Hopefully, that comes out this week and people see the Kenneth Darby of old.
"I'm more comfortable than I've been. I'm more explosive. My weight is down to 210 - that's exactly where I wanted to be. I feel like I haven't felt in a long time."
As Reported By The Birmingham News
DSegrest
Friday, January 26, 2007
Tide picks up three-star quarterback prospect from Texas
Alabama added a second quarterback to its 2007 recruiting class and perhaps put some teeth in coach Nick Saban's "you shop, we shop" philosophy.
Nick Fanuzzi of San Antonio, rated by Rivals.com as a three-star prospect, became Saban's second commitment Monday.
Alabama also picked up a commitment from defensive back Kareem Jackson of Macon, Ga.
The timing of Fanuzzi's commitment was curious. It came a day after Robert Marve, a quarterback already committed to Alabama, returned from an official visit to Miami.
Ironically, Fanuzzi had been committed to Miami when he made an official visit to Alabama over the weekend. Fanuzzi was recruited by Tide assistant Major Applewhite, a former Texas quarterback.
"In the end, I just felt like Alabama was the best place for me," Fanuzzi told BamaOnline.com.
Marve committed to Alabama last summer and had developed a close relationship with former Tide coach Mike Shula, who was fired in November.
Marve, who set a handful of Florida passing records as a senior at Tampa's Plant High, said he is still committed to Alabama. But his affinity for the Hurricanes appears to be growing.
"Miami is right there with Alabama," Marve told the Tampa Tribune in a Monday story. "I have to sit down with my family some more. We need to do more research, make sure everything is right and give (Miami) the same shot as we did Alabama."
Should Marve choose to sign with Alabama on national signing day Feb. 7, the scholarship will presumably still be available. Saban has said he will honor commitments made to Shula.
If both Marve and Fanuzzi sign, Alabama will have five scholarship quarterbacks on campus in August. Starter John Parker Wilson will be a junior, followed by sophomore Jimmy Barnes and redshirt freshman Greg McElroy.
Fanuzzi's father played quarterback at Kentucky and his brother played at Texas Tech.
Fanuzzi was selected to play in the U.S. Army all-star game on Jan. 6.
Jackson will start classes today at UA, according to BamaMag.com.
Jackson played for Fort Union, Va., Military Academy last fall and had five interceptions. He was a running back in high school in Macon, Ga.
Jackson, rated a two-star prospect by Scout.com, was committed to Vanderbilt.
As Reported By: The Huntsville Times
By PAUL GATTIS
Times Sports Staff
Nick Fanuzzi of San Antonio, rated by Rivals.com as a three-star prospect, became Saban's second commitment Monday.
Alabama also picked up a commitment from defensive back Kareem Jackson of Macon, Ga.
The timing of Fanuzzi's commitment was curious. It came a day after Robert Marve, a quarterback already committed to Alabama, returned from an official visit to Miami.
Ironically, Fanuzzi had been committed to Miami when he made an official visit to Alabama over the weekend. Fanuzzi was recruited by Tide assistant Major Applewhite, a former Texas quarterback.
"In the end, I just felt like Alabama was the best place for me," Fanuzzi told BamaOnline.com.
Marve committed to Alabama last summer and had developed a close relationship with former Tide coach Mike Shula, who was fired in November.
Marve, who set a handful of Florida passing records as a senior at Tampa's Plant High, said he is still committed to Alabama. But his affinity for the Hurricanes appears to be growing.
"Miami is right there with Alabama," Marve told the Tampa Tribune in a Monday story. "I have to sit down with my family some more. We need to do more research, make sure everything is right and give (Miami) the same shot as we did Alabama."
Should Marve choose to sign with Alabama on national signing day Feb. 7, the scholarship will presumably still be available. Saban has said he will honor commitments made to Shula.
If both Marve and Fanuzzi sign, Alabama will have five scholarship quarterbacks on campus in August. Starter John Parker Wilson will be a junior, followed by sophomore Jimmy Barnes and redshirt freshman Greg McElroy.
Fanuzzi's father played quarterback at Kentucky and his brother played at Texas Tech.
Fanuzzi was selected to play in the U.S. Army all-star game on Jan. 6.
Jackson will start classes today at UA, according to BamaMag.com.
Jackson played for Fort Union, Va., Military Academy last fall and had five interceptions. He was a running back in high school in Macon, Ga.
Jackson, rated a two-star prospect by Scout.com, was committed to Vanderbilt.
As Reported By: The Huntsville Times
By PAUL GATTIS
Times Sports Staff
UA to Jags: Thanks a million ... maybe
Shula reportedly going to coach in Jacksonville, saving school money
The $4 million golden parachute Alabama gave former coach Mike Shula has been slashed.
But even after Shula was hired Thursday as quarterbacks coach by the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, the school that fired him as its head football coach exactly two months ago today still owes him a hefty amount of his severance package.
It's possible, though, that Shula's new job could save Alabama close to or possibly more than $1 million.
The Jaguars did not make an official announcement on Shula on Thursday. But the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville posted on its Web site Thursday that Shula had been hired, citing a team spokesman,
According to clause 5.01(i) in Shula's contract, his buyout would be reduced by the gross amount of his new salary.
Shula's salary with the Jaguars was not available Thursday. But quarterback coaches in the NFL usually have a range of $150,000 to $200,000.
The buyout in the Alabama contract calls for Shula to be paid monthly, which would be about $66,667 per month on a $4 million package spread over the remaining five years of the contract.
If Shula receives a $200,000 salary from the Jaguars, he would make about $16,667 per month. And that would reduce Alabama's monthly payments to about $50,000 - trimming about $1 million from the balance of the buyout.
Shula, of course, received a new six-year contract last May that called for him to make about $1.8 million per year. The contract also had a $3 million buyout, plus $200,000 for each year remaining on the contract - which added $1 million when Shula was fired Nov. 26 after the Tide had a 6-6 regular season.
According to the contract, Shula has 14 days from taking a new job to inform Alabama of his new employment and provide "complete details" of his new compensation package.
Shula's job with the Jaguars came after he interviewed for at least two other jobs.
He interviewed twice with the Miami Dolphins about replacing Nick Saban as head coach and also with Jaguars about becoming offensive coordinator.
The Dolphins hired Cam Cameron and the Jaguars chose fired Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter, respectively, for those positions.
Pursuing employment was also a stipulation of Shula's buyout.
This will be Shula's fourth NFL team. He's also had stints with the Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears. Shula was the Dolphins quarterbacks coach when he was hired at Alabama in May 2003.
Three of his assistant coaches at Alabama have taken new jobs: Buddy Wyatt is the defensive line coach at Nebraska, Charlie Harbison is the defensive backs coach at Mississippi State and Chris Ball is the defensive backs coach at Pittsburgh.
As Reported by: The Huntsville Times
By PAUL GATTIS
Times Sports Staff
The $4 million golden parachute Alabama gave former coach Mike Shula has been slashed.
But even after Shula was hired Thursday as quarterbacks coach by the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, the school that fired him as its head football coach exactly two months ago today still owes him a hefty amount of his severance package.
It's possible, though, that Shula's new job could save Alabama close to or possibly more than $1 million.
The Jaguars did not make an official announcement on Shula on Thursday. But the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville posted on its Web site Thursday that Shula had been hired, citing a team spokesman,
According to clause 5.01(i) in Shula's contract, his buyout would be reduced by the gross amount of his new salary.
Shula's salary with the Jaguars was not available Thursday. But quarterback coaches in the NFL usually have a range of $150,000 to $200,000.
The buyout in the Alabama contract calls for Shula to be paid monthly, which would be about $66,667 per month on a $4 million package spread over the remaining five years of the contract.
If Shula receives a $200,000 salary from the Jaguars, he would make about $16,667 per month. And that would reduce Alabama's monthly payments to about $50,000 - trimming about $1 million from the balance of the buyout.
Shula, of course, received a new six-year contract last May that called for him to make about $1.8 million per year. The contract also had a $3 million buyout, plus $200,000 for each year remaining on the contract - which added $1 million when Shula was fired Nov. 26 after the Tide had a 6-6 regular season.
According to the contract, Shula has 14 days from taking a new job to inform Alabama of his new employment and provide "complete details" of his new compensation package.
Shula's job with the Jaguars came after he interviewed for at least two other jobs.
He interviewed twice with the Miami Dolphins about replacing Nick Saban as head coach and also with Jaguars about becoming offensive coordinator.
The Dolphins hired Cam Cameron and the Jaguars chose fired Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter, respectively, for those positions.
Pursuing employment was also a stipulation of Shula's buyout.
This will be Shula's fourth NFL team. He's also had stints with the Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears. Shula was the Dolphins quarterbacks coach when he was hired at Alabama in May 2003.
Three of his assistant coaches at Alabama have taken new jobs: Buddy Wyatt is the defensive line coach at Nebraska, Charlie Harbison is the defensive backs coach at Mississippi State and Chris Ball is the defensive backs coach at Pittsburgh.
As Reported by: The Huntsville Times
By PAUL GATTIS
Times Sports Staff
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