©1999
Huntington Quarterly
Magazine
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If there was ever a person who deserved all the "media hype" that often
surrounds sports figures, it would have to be Chad Pennington. Put
simply, the Marshall University senior quarterback and standout
student-athlete is the real deal.
On the field, he is the Thundering Herd's most prolific passer in
history, a legitimate contender for the Heisman Trophy and a
highly-regarded NFL prospect who many claim will go in the first round
of the draft.
In the classroom, he is equally accomplished carrying a 3.75 grade point
average (4.0 in his major) where his journalism studies have him calling
games on the radio and writing articles for the student newspaper.
In the community, he frequently volunteers his time to appear at civic
functions, speak to school children and work with the area's
underprivileged. "He probably needs a full-time secretary," notes
assistant coach Mark Gale, who coordinates public appearances and sees
first-hand the deluge of requests for the star quarterback.
But perhaps Pennington's most impressive quality of all is one that
isn't easily defined. If you have ever met Chad or shaken his hand, you
probably know what I mean. There is a genuineness to him that is rare
these days. He looks you directly in the eye, grasps firmly, and, while
often smiling, says, "Nice to meet you Mr. Smith." He never seems
bothered or hurried, and actually appears to enjoy meeting people. At
a
recent fund raiser for the School of Journalism, Pennington limped among
a crowd of fans, his leg bandaged from a cheap shot taken in the Bowling
Green game, signing autographs (including articles in Sports
Illustrated, ESPN and Playboy), smiling, talking football, fishing and
anything else the group was interested in discussing. He didn't have to
be there that Friday afternoon standing on a bum leg for an hour. Rumor
was he hadn't practiced all week because of the injury and was
questionable for the upcoming Temple game. But he did it anyway and went
on to play the next day, passing for 406 yards and three touchdowns.
Tough, smart, athletic, generous, real. Those are the qualities that
earn a young man a place on the cover of a magazine.
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