Читать книгу Trust the Grind - Jeremy Bhandari - Страница 14

“People think that I’m a four or five-star recruit, but I wasn’t. I didn’t start on the varsity team until my junior year. My peers around me—they were better athletes than I was.”

The first son to Marilyn Heard, Terrell Owens grew up in Alexander City, Alabama. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. When Marilyn was young, Alice, Terrell’s grandmother, raised her in a relatively restrictive environment. Marilyn was not allowed to play with the other children in the neighborhood and was forced to come straight home after school. Had she broken any of her mother’s rules, you can bet there were heavy repercussions.

Terrell was brought up no differently. He was whipped regularly and was not allowed to spend time with friends. There were often times where Owens would glance across the street and see his friends shooting hoops or throwing a ball around, but, because of his firm, unbending grandmother, Owens couldn’t do more than observe the kids having fun. Despite this, Terrell loved his grandmother, who taught him strength and truly made him into the person he has become today. In his emotional Pro Football Hall of Fame speech, Owens made sure the first people he thanked were his mother and late grandmother.

Ever since he was young, Owens was heavily active in sports. He played baseball and basketball, swam, ran track, and, of course, played football. However, the man who ranks third all-time in receiving touchdowns was not always the undisputed best player on the field.

As a high schooler, Owens did not regularly start on the varsity football team at Benjamin Russell High School until his senior year. In fact, during his junior year, Terrell was given the opportunity to get his first career start simply because the starter at his position got sick on the day of the game.

When he was in the lineup, a lanky Owens, wearing a jersey that appeared oversized because of his lack of muscle, turned into a solid receiver for the Wildcats.

While no big-name college football program had reached out to recruit Terrell, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga had taken notice. Not in a traditional way, however. While the Chattanooga coaches were breaking down film of one of Terrell’s teammates, they noticed the athletic Owens making a few plays and decided to offer him a scholarship.

Not only did he play football for the Mocs, but Owens was also the first man off the bench for the basketball team. During his senior year, Owens ran track after the coach invited him last minute. He went on to compete in the 4 x 100 relay at the NCAA championship.

However, it was on the football field where Owens truly made a name for himself. Despite the team winning just thirteen games during his four years at Chattanooga, Owens starred for the Mocs. He led the team in receiving yards in three straight seasons (1993–95) and, despite often being double covered by defenders, currently ranks third in the program’s history with 19 receiving touchdowns. So, how did a kid who didn’t regularly start on his high school team turn into a collegiate star? Simply put by Owens: “My desire, my dedication, and my discipline.”

For the majority of students, college vacation breaks are a glorious time. You get to go home to family and friends, catch up on some sleep, and not worry about dedicating much of your time to academics.

While all of his peers used the summer and winter breaks as vacation time away from the university, Owens decided to stay on campus. Coming from a lower-income family, it was tough for Owens to travel back to Alabama. Plus, he understood that there was nothing going on in Alexander City.

Eager to improve on his game, Terrell would beg his coaches for the keys to the gym. He said, “I wanted to get myself bigger, stronger, faster.” Despite no one being around to spot him, Owens grinded in the weight room. Bench press, squats, free weights, you name it. Sometimes struggling to get the bar off his chest during heavy workouts, Owens looked at this time in his life as nothing but positive. “Going through hard times is what made me stronger,” he said. “I took advantage of being on the campus by myself. I did the hard, grind work when no one was watching.” Owens later went on to state, “I wasn’t going to allow my circumstances to dictate my future.”

By his junior year at Chattanooga, Owens’s dominant play was catching the eyes of NFL scouts. Owens, who weighed maybe 170 pounds in high school, was now turning into a physical beast at six foot three inches and 213 pounds. He was a versatile talent, alternating between playing wide receiver, running back, and quarterback, while also returning kicks.

Along with his football abilities, teams relished the fact that he was a multi-sport athlete. One team in particular, the San Francisco 49ers, really liked what they saw in Owens. So much so that they decided to select him with the eighty-ninth overall pick in the 1996 NFL draft. Terrell was the twelfth receiver chosen in the draft, but he wasn’t concerned about any of that. In fact, Owens was ecstatic. Not only was he now a professional football player, but he would also be sharing the field with his idol, 49ers receiver Jerry Rice. After Owens was drafted, 49ers receivers coach Larry Kirksey noted, “He’s a big, strong athlete who plays faster than his speed. He’s raw in some areas, but that’s what we’re here for.”

It didn’t take long for San Francisco fans to get familiar with Owens. Following the 49ers’ initial practice in training camp, Niners defensive backs were going around softly asking reporters, “Hey, who’s number fifteen?” The answer, of course, was Owens. When the second minicamp was over, it was clear that the rookie needed immediate playing time. Although he was forced to learn over two hundred passing plays, after having only ten in college, Owens kept his head in the books, worked hard after practice, and continued to stay focused.

In the 49ers’ preseason opener, Owens knocked down two Denver Broncos with one block while also catching three passes for 44 yards. In the second game, he led all players with 87 receiving yards. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers’ offensive coordinator Marc Trestman noted that Terrell was “dedicated and passionate about doing the job. We’re fortunate to have Jerry ahead of him so we can work him in and see how he handles different situations.”

Through the first six regular-season games, Owens was targeted only seven times, hauling in three passes for a total of 32 yards. However, after a season-ending injury to Niners’ wide receiver J.J. Stokes, who needed surgery on his dislocated wrist, Terrell slid into the starting lineup. In game number seven against the Cincinnati Bengals, Owens caught four passes for 94 yards, including a fourth-quarter, 45-yard touchdown that tied the game and set up the 49ers’ quarterback Steve Young’s game-winning run. The following week, against the Houston Oilers, Owens hauled in the game-winning 20-yard touchdown pass.

While 49ers fans were elated with how their rookie receiver was playing, Scott McKinney, the director of sports information at Chattanooga, knew it was only a matter of time for Terrell to succeed in the NFL. During the Mocs’ preseason two-a-day practices, the players ran multiple 40-yard sprints. On any given practice, the athletes would usually run as many as fifty sprints during the hot, dry August days. McKinney would watch in awe as Owens would not only finish his sprints but also yell out words of inspiration and run aside his teammates who were struggling to keep up.

Following these harsh practices, Owens would spend an hour and a half in the weight room. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, McKinney noted, “If Jerry Rice is the hardest working guy in the NFL, the second hardest working guy is Terrell Owens. His workout regimen would kill a common man. I mean kill him dead.” McKinney would go on to say “He is one of the nicest kids to ever walk on campus, football player or non-player. He’s almost too good to be true. He’s Ken Griffey Jr., Walter Payton, and Forrest Gump all rolled into one.”

Not only did McKinney speak highly of Owens, but Steve Young also appreciated the production that Owens had brought to the team. He said, “He’s won two games in a row. He’s going to be a force because of his strength. He’s the consummate receiver, like Jerry Rice, with the strength to get off the line of scrimmage, get open, catch the ball and really shed defensive backs.” Predicting the future is something Young can add to his résumé.

Owens would wrap up his rookie season with 520 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. The following year, in the 49ers season opener, Jerry Rice, San Francisco’s star receiver, tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his knee after being ripped down by Warren Sapp of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rice was forced to miss the next fourteen weeks, giving Owens a chance to shine.

Just like he took advantage of his high school teammate getting sick and Stokes going down his rookie year, Owens thrived in his new role. He went on to lead the 49ers in receptions (60), receiving yards (936) and receiving touchdowns (8). It was now clear that if you want to win, you need to give Terrell Owens the football. In 1998, with Rice back in the lineup, Owens continued to flourish. He had his first career 1,000-yard receiving season and led the 49ers with 14 receiving touchdowns.

When I spoke with Terrell, I was interested to know what his life was like during his first few years in the NFL. While he had a taste of what it is like to be on top, Owens was never content. He said, “I wasn’t satisfied with the little success I had. I wanted to be the best I could be.” I later asked about how he spent his time away from football during the late ‘90s. In his first three seasons with the 49ers, Owens lived with his grandmother. During the offseason, he would train, jump rope, and run 40-yard dashes in the street right outside of his grandmother’s house. The professional football star said, “I would run from my home to the high school, workout with the high school team while they were doing two-a-days, and then go back and do my own workout.”

During the season, Tuesday was usually the day off for the 49ers team. However, as you can probably tell at this point, there were no days off for Owens, who would head down to Oakland to play pickup basketball with the local residents at a nearby 24-Hour Fitness. This, of course, was to work on his lateral quickness. A budding star in the NFL who would spend his off days playing hoops and summers training outside of his grandma’s house, Owens never lost focus of trying to be not just good, but legendary.

To prolong his career, Owens took exceptional care of his health. T.O.’s breakfast consisted of egg whites, oatmeal, and either a chicken or turkey sausage. He stayed away from fried foods and, although never a big drinker, made sure from 2000 onward to not consume any alcohol during the season.

From 2000 to 2002, Owens made three straight Pro Bowls and was selected First-Team All-Pro at the end of each season. During that three-year span, Owens led all NFL players with 42 receiving touchdowns. After another solid season in 2003, it was time for a new chapter in T.O.’s football life. In March 2004, Owens became a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, who were coming off back-to-back seasons of reaching the NFC Championship Game. With Owens now out wide, the sky was the limit. While many Philly fans expected big things, I don’t think anyone anticipated the impact that Terrell Owens was about to have on the franchise in 2004.

In his debut game, Owens pulled down three touchdowns. Through the first ten games of the year, he led all NFL players with 13 receiving touchdowns. After a December win over the Washington Redskins, the Eagles, poised to make a Super Bowl run, led the NFC with a record of 12–1.

However, the next week, against the rival Dallas Cowboys, Owens sustained his first major injury. After being ripped down on a horse-collar tackle by Cowboys safety Roy Williams, Owens was in pain. He refused to get on the medical cart. Instead, T.O. limped off the field and headed toward the bench. After the game, the medical results were in. Owens had severely sprained his ankle and fractured his fibula. The injury would require surgery, which included the insertion of a screw into his leg. T.O.’s season appeared to be over.

Philadelphia finished the regular season at 13–3, earning a first-round bye in the 2004 NFL Playoffs. With Owens on the sidelines, they defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Divisional Round and took down the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game a week later. Philadelphia was headed to their first Super Bowl since 1980.

Although they stayed afloat without Owens, it was clear that Philly would be overmatched without their star receiver against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. The Patriots had won two of the previous three Super Bowls and lost only two games during the 2004 season.

Despite being on one leg and receiving disheartening information from doctors who said he wouldn’t be able to walk in time for the gridiron showdown, Owens made sure he would not miss the big game. “Anything is possible if you keep faith in Him,” Owens told me. With his faith in God, the use of Microcurrent, and a hyperbaric chamber, Owens was ready to go. Since the doctors did not clear him to play, he was forced to sign a medical waver to release the Eagles of any liability. In a Boston.com article, Dr. William Morgan of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center said, “He could suffer a career-ending injury if someone hits him in a certain way below the knee.”

Many would not even dare to attempt what Terrell was about to do, but that’s what separates Owens from the herd. He was built for these types of moments. All that time grinding alone in the weight room at college. All that time running sprints outside his grandma’s house. All that time spent down on the courts in the gyms of Oakland. Owens was a driven warrior who sacrificed too much to miss this.

Although Philadelphia ultimately fell short in the game, Owens played out of his mind. On one leg, the receiver defied the odds and caught nine passes for 122 yards. To this day, it is one of the most memorable performances in Super Bowl history.