Football players continue career with local team

Three former MSU football players are playing for the Wichita Falls Nighthawks, a minor league football team that beat the North Texas Stampede Feb. 17 in their first home game.

All three said they have different reasons for playing.

Danny Jackson left MSU in 2009 after playing college football for four years.

“The main goal for the team is to get at least one player in the NFL tryouts and to give families in this town entertainment,” he said.

His love for football was not the only reason Jackson said he wanted to play for the Nighthawks

Jackson said he also wanted to be productive in other team events as well.

For instance, the group is participating in the Special Olympics and playing flag football on Sheppard Air Force Base with Cub Scouts.

“I like being around kids, and one of my main goals is to change kids and be a role model for all of them,” Jackson said.

And Jackson still has memories of playing college ball.

“I miss playing for MSU, but I like playing for the Nighthawks more because we do more work in the community,” Jackson said. “Also, playing for the Nighthawks feels more professional because it involves a few experienced players from the NFL tryouts.”

Three hundred athletes showed up at Memorial Stadium in October for the Nighthawks’ tryouts, and 58 now play.

Although coaches selected Jackson, he was left with some disgruntled former friends because of his success.

“It felt good to make the team because a lot of people didn’t. Unfortunately, those of us who did, lost friends who also tried out,” Jackson said.

Although Jackson said he is happy to be on the team, he also said there is a different kind of pressure involved in playing for a professional team than when he played in college.

For instance, the team’s management and marketing group have expectations for the players and their behavior on and off the field because of the level of high exposure they get in the community.

“We had to erase certain pictures from Facebook and pay a lot more attention to things we say and do through social media,” Jackson said. “We also have to carry ourselves better off the field and make smarter, more responsible decisions.”

Jackson said he has thought about trying out for the NFL if the opportunity ever presented itself.

“It’s different when you just love doing something,” he said. “I love the game, but if I could get some good highlights and good film to earn myself a tryout, that would be great.”

Vaughn Howard, a senior in criminal justice who used to play on scholarship, said he wants to be on the team more for the memories.

“It feels good to be part of something bigger than ourselves. I felt like making the team was an honor because of the selection process, and because we had to put so much into it,” Howard said.

Although he used to play for the university, Howard stopped playing to focus on his academics. However, he had different reasons for wanting to play on the Nighthawks’ team.

“It was more of an incentive to want to play because there were more career opportunities made possible. I also get to play at a different level, and it would be an absolute dream come true to go pro.” Howard said.

But, for Howard, being on the team is more than just a hobby or playing a game. He said it is a chance to continue his passion for football.

“It felt good to get out there and play in front of a crowd at Cowboys Stadium,” Howard said. “Being on the team has helped me grow by learning to be a professional, more responsible, role model and an overall better member of society.”

PJ Grundy, a fall 2012 graduate in mass communication, has his own views about being a member of the team.

In the fall of 2010, he was on the field for his senior year. However, during the spring semester, Grundy was no longer eligible to play. Therefore, he said he was excited when he was picked to play for the Nighthawks.

“I was really excited when I got picked, but to be honest, I am a competitor and I have confidence, so it was kind of expected when I found out,” Grundy said. “It would have been more surprising to me had I not made the team, but I am definitely honored that I did.”

Although he owns a business and website in Dallas, which helps people save money on cell phone and utility bills, Grundy said he favors playing football, but knows that he needs to have something to fall back on if his football career does not happen as planned.

“Football is in my heart, but I’m a business man in my head. But, as long as I’m alive, my business is going to be running from anywhere because it is global website,” Grundy said.

He also said the reason he graduated from MSU was because he knew it could help him earn multiple incomes. However, he plans on doing more with his future in terms of football.

“With the experience I’m getting, I definitely want to either move to Canada and play for the CFL, or play for the NFL,” Grundy said.

Grundy said he likes playing for the team because the team’s general manager, Jerry Hughes, has made the organization as professional as possible.

“He’s spent a lot of time and money into making the team successful. As long as he accomplishes what he wants for the team, and we do our part, everybody wins,” he said.

Although there is hope for success, he believes there are some weaknesses for this new team.

“Our weakness is we haven’t practiced or played together as long as the other teams we’re playing against,” Grundy said. “A lot of the teams we’re going to play have been together more than four or five years, and we’ve only been together for about five months. So even though I think we have good chemistry, it will only get better once we play more games.”

However, Grundy also has a perception of what the team’s strengths are that will make them a successful group.

“Everyone on our team takes this seriously, and everyone was one of the best on their old college teams,” he said. “We have a ton of big play-makers and experienced athletes who are serious about the game.”

Daren Coats, the Nighthawks’ head coach, said he believes in the team because of how successful the players were in the past, and they are better contributors because of their experience on the field.

“If you have more experienced players, it is easier to teach the players, and the team will be better,” Coats said. “We teach next level thinking.”

Coats said the more successful they are as a team, the more they can get scouts out to watch the games. And when it comes to Grundy, Howard and Jackson, he said they make his job easier.

“All three of those guys have great work ethics and it’s fun when you get to coach guys that know what they’re doing,” Coats said.