44INAROW
04-21-2008, 08:42 AM
Major Stops in Cuero (http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/793/story/232599.html)
there is also a video is anyone if interested.....
BY MIKE FORMAN - ADVOCATE SPORTS WRITER
April 20, 2008 - 11:00 p.m.
CUERO – Major Applewhite looks almost exactly the same as when he was playing quarterback at the University of Texas and his love for football and his alma mater hasn’t changed.
“I’ll be going on the road and starting recruiting,” Applewhite said. “It only seems fitting to be starting in Cuero.”
Applewhite shared his thoughts about returning to Texas as running backs coach and the upcoming season Sunday evening with the Cuero Chapter of Texas Exes.
Applewhite, 29, left Alabama in January to become the running backs coach at Texas where he started 30 games and became one of the Longhorns’ most beloved players. Applewhite had a 22-8 record and set school records for career (8,353) and season (3,357/1999) passing yards and career touchdown (60) passes.
“There’s a lot of different factors,” said Applewhite, who was introduced by former Texas center and Cuero graduate Matt Anderson. “You look at your family and right now it’s just Julie and I and the possibility of starting a family and you want to be in an area where your families can be around your kids and also your alma mater and a place where you played ball, a place where your wife got her degree as well. It’s a great part of the country. Until I became a coach and kind of saw it from a coach’s eyes and went to different parts of the country, you don’t really understand what kind of a job you have in Texas. Knowing the school with the quality of high school football in the state, the quality of city you’re living in, it’s a really unique job for a college football coach and a great place to do what we do.”
Applewhite began his coaching career in 2003 as a graduate assistant at Texas before becoming the quarterbacks coach at Syracuse in 2005, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Rice in 2006 and the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Alabama last season.
“I think the calendar pretty much stays the same,” Applewhite said. “There’s differences, people may have a recruiting weekend or different crowds or different type of fanfare. As far as the differences in universities, one is in the Big East where maybe football is not the biggest thing, you come to Rice where it’s much more of an educational institution as it is a sports school and then you go to Alabama where football is much like at Texas. There’s a lot of spot differences, but for the most part it’s recruiting and getting the best players you can and try to put them on the field.”
Applewhite is looking forward to coaching running backs for the first time. Texas must find a replacement for Jamaal Charles and Chris Ogbonnaya, Vondrell McGee and Foswhitt Whitaker were all trying to impress Applewhite during spring drills.
“Jamaal was such a productive back for us last year,” Applewhite said. “He really gave us the ability because of his breakaway speed to hit the home run and gave us two and three play drives at times. This year, we’re going to have to earn it more. We have guys that have the potential but to do it on a consistent basis as a guy who kind of possesses that kind of speed is going to be difficult, so all three of them can contribute in their own way. They all have unique characteristics, but they’ve all done the right things in the offseason and the spring and have showed toughness and taken care of the ball so all three will get a chance.”
Applewhite is thankful Texas coach Mack Brown gave him the chance to return to Austin. Applewhite’s goal is to win over the hearts of Texas fans as a coach in the same way he did as a player.
“There’s very few jobs in this country where you’re expected to win them all at,” Applewhite said. “They’re special jobs and I’ve been fortunate at a young age to be at two of them. I’m excited about this opportunity and this one’s even more special because I played here.”
Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com.
To see a video:
The Man
there is also a video is anyone if interested.....
BY MIKE FORMAN - ADVOCATE SPORTS WRITER
April 20, 2008 - 11:00 p.m.
CUERO – Major Applewhite looks almost exactly the same as when he was playing quarterback at the University of Texas and his love for football and his alma mater hasn’t changed.
“I’ll be going on the road and starting recruiting,” Applewhite said. “It only seems fitting to be starting in Cuero.”
Applewhite shared his thoughts about returning to Texas as running backs coach and the upcoming season Sunday evening with the Cuero Chapter of Texas Exes.
Applewhite, 29, left Alabama in January to become the running backs coach at Texas where he started 30 games and became one of the Longhorns’ most beloved players. Applewhite had a 22-8 record and set school records for career (8,353) and season (3,357/1999) passing yards and career touchdown (60) passes.
“There’s a lot of different factors,” said Applewhite, who was introduced by former Texas center and Cuero graduate Matt Anderson. “You look at your family and right now it’s just Julie and I and the possibility of starting a family and you want to be in an area where your families can be around your kids and also your alma mater and a place where you played ball, a place where your wife got her degree as well. It’s a great part of the country. Until I became a coach and kind of saw it from a coach’s eyes and went to different parts of the country, you don’t really understand what kind of a job you have in Texas. Knowing the school with the quality of high school football in the state, the quality of city you’re living in, it’s a really unique job for a college football coach and a great place to do what we do.”
Applewhite began his coaching career in 2003 as a graduate assistant at Texas before becoming the quarterbacks coach at Syracuse in 2005, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Rice in 2006 and the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Alabama last season.
“I think the calendar pretty much stays the same,” Applewhite said. “There’s differences, people may have a recruiting weekend or different crowds or different type of fanfare. As far as the differences in universities, one is in the Big East where maybe football is not the biggest thing, you come to Rice where it’s much more of an educational institution as it is a sports school and then you go to Alabama where football is much like at Texas. There’s a lot of spot differences, but for the most part it’s recruiting and getting the best players you can and try to put them on the field.”
Applewhite is looking forward to coaching running backs for the first time. Texas must find a replacement for Jamaal Charles and Chris Ogbonnaya, Vondrell McGee and Foswhitt Whitaker were all trying to impress Applewhite during spring drills.
“Jamaal was such a productive back for us last year,” Applewhite said. “He really gave us the ability because of his breakaway speed to hit the home run and gave us two and three play drives at times. This year, we’re going to have to earn it more. We have guys that have the potential but to do it on a consistent basis as a guy who kind of possesses that kind of speed is going to be difficult, so all three of them can contribute in their own way. They all have unique characteristics, but they’ve all done the right things in the offseason and the spring and have showed toughness and taken care of the ball so all three will get a chance.”
Applewhite is thankful Texas coach Mack Brown gave him the chance to return to Austin. Applewhite’s goal is to win over the hearts of Texas fans as a coach in the same way he did as a player.
“There’s very few jobs in this country where you’re expected to win them all at,” Applewhite said. “They’re special jobs and I’ve been fortunate at a young age to be at two of them. I’m excited about this opportunity and this one’s even more special because I played here.”
Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com.
To see a video:
The Man