Spring Break
Injury changes RB's life focus
Chris Bernardi
Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: Sports
When it was time to start looking at colleges, letters piled in from various Big Ten schools, including hometown favorite Ohio State University, and the college of his dreams, Northwestern University.
After running a 4.36 in the 40-yard dash for former head coach Ryan Walker at Northwestern, Calhoun immediately received an offer that he said he would commit to without hesitation.
Coach Walker, who coached with such a passion for the game before his sudden passing at the age of 52 in 2006, gave Calhoun some advice that shaped the rest of his future. Walker advised Calhoun to experience several other schools before he threw himself into a situation he would be miserable in at a later date. This led Calhoun to Miami University.
"Miami was a completely different school than any other school I've been to," Calhoun said. "As soon as I walked into that locker room, every player, even the guys that were fifth years and I'd never play with were coming up to me shaking my hand, talking to me. Ben Roethlisberger put his arm around me. I felt welcome from the first day I stepped into Miami's locker room."
After that moment, Calhoun found himself in Miami head coach Terry Hoeppner's office, locked in a handshake. As Hoeppner stared Calhoun in the eyes, hetold him that if they were to shake hands, it would create a bond that Calhoun couldn't break.
For Calhoun, the decision became clear: pursue a career as a Redhawk. Calhoun red-shirted his freshman year, but during his sophomore year, he got the opportunity to display the power and speed he showed throughout his previous career. Though he saw minimal action, Calhoun took advantage of his opportunities allowing him to score a touchdown against Big-Ten powerhouse Ohio State.
"Jimmy was a player who we had high expectations for," said Miami head coach Shane Montgomery. "When he first came here he was a bigger running back who had good speed."
But things changed when Calhoun faced an injury his sophomore year. After a season where Calhoun began to find his role and fit into the offense, his knee popped while being pushed in the back at a spring ball game. Calhoun could no longer endure the pain he went through each day after conditioning.
After running a 4.36 in the 40-yard dash for former head coach Ryan Walker at Northwestern, Calhoun immediately received an offer that he said he would commit to without hesitation.
Coach Walker, who coached with such a passion for the game before his sudden passing at the age of 52 in 2006, gave Calhoun some advice that shaped the rest of his future. Walker advised Calhoun to experience several other schools before he threw himself into a situation he would be miserable in at a later date. This led Calhoun to Miami University.
"Miami was a completely different school than any other school I've been to," Calhoun said. "As soon as I walked into that locker room, every player, even the guys that were fifth years and I'd never play with were coming up to me shaking my hand, talking to me. Ben Roethlisberger put his arm around me. I felt welcome from the first day I stepped into Miami's locker room."
After that moment, Calhoun found himself in Miami head coach Terry Hoeppner's office, locked in a handshake. As Hoeppner stared Calhoun in the eyes, hetold him that if they were to shake hands, it would create a bond that Calhoun couldn't break.
For Calhoun, the decision became clear: pursue a career as a Redhawk. Calhoun red-shirted his freshman year, but during his sophomore year, he got the opportunity to display the power and speed he showed throughout his previous career. Though he saw minimal action, Calhoun took advantage of his opportunities allowing him to score a touchdown against Big-Ten powerhouse Ohio State.
"Jimmy was a player who we had high expectations for," said Miami head coach Shane Montgomery. "When he first came here he was a bigger running back who had good speed."
But things changed when Calhoun faced an injury his sophomore year. After a season where Calhoun began to find his role and fit into the offense, his knee popped while being pushed in the back at a spring ball game. Calhoun could no longer endure the pain he went through each day after conditioning.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Dave
posted 4/22/08 @ 4:51 PM EST
I'm pretty sure the head coach at Northwestern would have been Randy Walker, not Ryan Walker. You know, he was only the head coach at Miami before Hoeppner. (Continued…)
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