Anyway, he had a nice rememberance of Hank Stram.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2100503
I've pulled another interesting fact out of this, as well.
Given his own stature, Stram had a soft spot for vertically-challenged
players, no doubt. At the same time, though, he was fascinated by raw size.
He brought the tallest player in NFL history, 6-feet-10 tight end Morris Stroud,
into the league in 1970. Not only did he design red zone plays specifically
to create size mismatches for Stroud, but Stram also positioned him under the goal
posts, where he was instructed to try to swat away long field goal attempts.
Little known is that Stram once spent several hours attempting to convince
the splendid seven-footer Wilt Chamberlain to give the NFL a try.
I do remember Morris Stroud. Given how athletic big men in college basketball are nowadays, it surprises me that there isn't a Morris Stroud for this generation.
I remember watching Antonio Gates play basketball for Kent State. I actually think I have videotape of him playing against Miami U in some MAC tourney game somewhere. He was a great college basketball player. But that's not what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about someone like Lawrence Roberts from Mississippi State. Or better yet, Dwayne Jones of St. Joes, who wasn't drafted. 6-11, 250. Put him in a weight room for a year, have him run 100 end zone patterns a day, and in 2006 you have a real matchup problem for other teams.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
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