Former New York Jet Takes a Shot at the PGA Tour
South Floridian, former New York Jet goes from the Gridiron to the Greens
It is challenging to uncover two sports activities that are polar opposites a lot more than golf and soccer, Stevie Anderson is creating the circumstance that there are some similarities concerning the two athletics. Anderson, who spent 5-several years completing acrobatic catches in the National Soccer League (NFL), is connecting the dots in between the sports by producing severe inroads in his warm pursuit of a PGA tour vocation.
Anderson is 1 of three brothers from Jonesboro, Louisiana – a compact bucolic city – who remarkably all played in the NFL. Now he finds himself, in of all spots, on the links, where he is touring all over the region taking part in PGA qualifying tournaments.
Although it is evident by the power of his swing that Anderson has the bodily goods to participate in on the tour, it is nonetheless a gargantuan challenge that he has forward of him. Anderson has expended his complete life-time conquering hurdles. He defied all odds when he was drafted in the NFL’s eighth round by the Arizona Cardinals in 1993, immediately after actively playing at Grambling Point out, an obscure university with an enrollment just shy of 5,000 pupils.
Anderson was a really exclusive player at Grambling Point out, a historic, black college exactly where he had the luxurious to enjoy for famous soccer mentor Eddie Robinson, the second winningest coach in division a single school football historical past. However, enjoying for Robinson experienced its negatives.
Robinson maintained a demanding rule, in which each individual senior on the crew – regardless of whether you were being a superstar or bench-hotter – was offered an opportunity to perform. In Anderson’s case, this resulted in 50 % a recreation enjoying time. Robinson used this evaluate to give seniors the opportunity to be seen by scouts.
Even though this unconventional coaching philosophy was noble of Robinson, it severely handicapped Anderson’s ability to set up the lofty quantities as a broad receiver typically expected from players on teams that are not on the NFL scouts’ radar.
Anderson’s senior year was by far his most productive. He created the most out of absolutely everyone of his 36 receptions by changing them into a staggering 12 touchdowns. For math geeks, this translates into a person touchdown for each and every a few receptions.
These numbers were being good more than enough for Anderson to be invited to enjoy in the Hawaiian Hula Bowl – college football’s all-star recreation – a rarity for players from small courses like Grambling Point out, even with their heritage to develop NFL alumni, which listing includes Doug Williams, the to start with African American quarterback to acquire a Tremendous Bowl in league heritage.
Anderson, the 6-6, 215 pound huge receiver – gifted with blazing speed, measurement, and size – was rewarded appreciably for his stellar collegiate profession when he was drafted in the 8th spherical by the Arizona Cardinals in 1993. Anderson went on to engage in five-years in the NFL with equally the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets.
In his fifth NFL time while competing from the Seattle Seahawks, he endured a vocation ending harm just after managing a regime move pattern. Anderson’s defender tripped him and subsequently landed awkwardly on his knee – tearing his Posterior Essential Ligament (PCL). Right after his football career ended, Anderson effectively transitioned into a modeling vocation and his existence appeared to be on observe.
Now the activity of golf is his avocation. If record repeats by itself for Anderson – the comeback child – you will see him competing on the same environmentally friendly grass as Tiger Woods just one day in the not so distant potential following an illustrious profession on the gridiron.
