Post by fwp on Jun 28, 2009 22:20:42 GMT -5
www.clarionledger.com/article/20090628/SPORTS030104/906280395/1097/SPORTS/Blackwell+saga++Potential+unreached
Tim Blackwell says he doesn't have any regrets, and that might surprise those who know the former Mize High School star and Southern Miss running back.
For as much potential as Blackwell possessed, the Mount Olive native also had his demons.
On the field, Blackwell was gifted. He was a highly sought recruit who could sidestep a linebacker on one play and bowl over the same guy on the next.
"He was no doubt one of the best athletes we ever recruited," former Golden Eagle coach Jeff Bower said. "He was a guy that could do a lot of things - very, very talented."
But Blackwell struggled off the field so much that he was dismissed twice from the USM football team - the final time in 2003. Away from football, he's had trouble holding a job.
On the field, he's bounced around from one indoor football league to the next, playing for five different teams in the past three years.
Now, at 27, and playing for the Austin (Texas) Turfcats of the Southern Indoor Football League, Blackwell believes he's left his problems in the past and that a bright future is still in front of him.
"This is what I expected I could do," said Blackwell, who ranks second in the SIFL with 156 rushing yards. "But I was listening to the people who were doubting me, so I was doubting myself."
Blackwell played mainly wide receiver as a freshman at USM in 2000. He only had two catches for 17 yards and no touchdowns, but he was a valuable part of a team that went 8-4 overall, including a victory in the GMAC Bowl over TCU.
In 2001, Bower moved Blackwell to running back, where he showed promise immediately, rushing for 78 yards and three touchdowns in his first game and 97 yards in his next.......article continues in link.
Tim Blackwell says he doesn't have any regrets, and that might surprise those who know the former Mize High School star and Southern Miss running back.
For as much potential as Blackwell possessed, the Mount Olive native also had his demons.
On the field, Blackwell was gifted. He was a highly sought recruit who could sidestep a linebacker on one play and bowl over the same guy on the next.
"He was no doubt one of the best athletes we ever recruited," former Golden Eagle coach Jeff Bower said. "He was a guy that could do a lot of things - very, very talented."
But Blackwell struggled off the field so much that he was dismissed twice from the USM football team - the final time in 2003. Away from football, he's had trouble holding a job.
On the field, he's bounced around from one indoor football league to the next, playing for five different teams in the past three years.
Now, at 27, and playing for the Austin (Texas) Turfcats of the Southern Indoor Football League, Blackwell believes he's left his problems in the past and that a bright future is still in front of him.
"This is what I expected I could do," said Blackwell, who ranks second in the SIFL with 156 rushing yards. "But I was listening to the people who were doubting me, so I was doubting myself."
Blackwell played mainly wide receiver as a freshman at USM in 2000. He only had two catches for 17 yards and no touchdowns, but he was a valuable part of a team that went 8-4 overall, including a victory in the GMAC Bowl over TCU.
In 2001, Bower moved Blackwell to running back, where he showed promise immediately, rushing for 78 yards and three touchdowns in his first game and 97 yards in his next.......article continues in link.