©1999
Huntington Quarterly
Magazine
By Mike Whiteford
If you were looking for the quintessential student-athlete in America
today, you would have to find your way to the rolling hills of
Huntington, West Virginia, home of rising power Marshall University and
its fair-haired quarterback, Chad Pennington. Here's a guy who maintains
a 3.75 grade point average, works for the campus newspaper and radio
station and plays football well enough to be considered one of the best
quarterbacks in the nation.
And as if that weren't enough, he's always willing to perform his duties
as a role model in the community - speaking at schools, churches, civic
clubs, senior citizen groups and an assortment of other get-togethers.
"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.
Pennington's message varies. "It depends on what the teachers or the
administrators want me to speak about," Pennington said. "It could be
drugs and alcohol, it could be staying in school, it could be treating
people right. There are a lot of topics up for discussion. Whether we
like it or not, we're looked up to as role models. The least we can do
as players is show our appreciation for the support the community gives
to us." Quite a refreshing change from Charles Barkley....
He's also in big demand from the media, who view him as not only the
Herd's star player but the most articulate and accommodating. When
Sports Illustrated visited Huntington for a story touting Marshall as
the nations No. 24 team, Pennington was the only person quoted and
pictured in the magazine's full-page spread in its college football
issue. Pennington already commands such respect among NFL scouts that
he may be one of the first quarterbacks taken in next year's draft. He's
a
Heisman Trophy candidate who may equal or surpass Randy Moss'
fourth-place finish in 1997.
Pennington was the man who got the ball to Moss (the NFL Rookie of the
Year) during their sophomore year where they shattered NCAA records and
led the team to a 12-3 season and a trip to a bowl game. When Moss
turned pro the following year, Pennington got even better leading the
Thundering Herd to a 12-1 campaign and a convincing 48-29 bowl victory
over highly-touted QB Chris Redman and his Louisville Cardinals. In that
game, Pennington passed for 411 yards and four touchdowns. This year,
the sky's the limit.
But Pennington acknowledges that his success wouldn't be possible
without the leadership of Head Coach Bob Pruett or his talented
teammates. Pruett, recognized this year by College Football News as the
seventh best coach in America, has compiled a remarkable 38-4 record in
his three years at Marshall.
As for his teammates, the Herd is loaded with talent on both sides of
the ball. Offensive stars include running back Doug Chapman, wide
receiver Nate Poole and center Jason Starkey. On defense, standouts
abound including linebacker John Grace, lineman Giradie Mercer,
cornerback Daninelle Derricott and safety Rogers Beckett.
The Heisman talk started this summer. Given his incredible numbers and
comments from the likes of former teammate Moss who remarked, "He could
play in the NFL today," Pennington is a serious contender for college
football's most prestigious award.
He's already garnered a closet full of hardware including the Anson
Mount Award (given by Playboy to the top student-athlete in the
country), first-team GTE Academic All-American, Most Valuable Player of
1998 Motor City Bowl and pre-season Offensive Player of the Year by
Street & Smith's College Football among others. And then there's the
letter sent to him by the Downtown Athletic Club requesting information
as one of only 12 players considered a "likely contender" for the
Heisman Trophy. If that doesn't convince you that Chad Pennington is the
real deal, both on and off the field, well then....
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