Wake Forest Athletics
In Saturday's Football Game Program...
8/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 30, 2006
Wake Forest football players have a lot on their plates during the season - practice, lifting, meetings, tutors and class. When spring rolls around, it's time for a break from the hectic pace and the competition. Right?
Wrong. At least not for Demon Deacon football standouts Kevin Marion, Willie Idlette, Boomer Peterson and Kerry Major. They simply lose the pads and the helmet and don the black and gold singlet of the Wake Forest track team.
Working hard to help the Demon Deacons on the gridiron in the fall and training with the track team in the spring makes Marion, Major, Idlette and Peterson a rare breed of student-athletes at Wake Forest. Of the 363 student-athletes that competed for Wake Forest during the 2005-06 school year, only seven participated in a second sport (not counting those who ran cross country in addition to track and field).
Marion, Major, Idlette and Peterson didn't just add depth to director of track & field Annie Bennett's team. Last spring they ranked among some of the top track performers in the ACC.
Marion and Idlette joined forces for the 4x100 relay team that won the ACC Outdoor Championships and smashed the school record by 10 seconds in 2006. Specializing in the throwing events, Peterson finished 11th at the ACCs in the shot put and first in the same event at the Wake Forest Open. Major finished third at the ACC's in the long jump and fifth in the 100-meter dash.
In fact, the four student-athletes combined for 56 of the Demon Deacons' 106 points in the championship meet. As a group, they helped lead the Wake Forest men's team to a third-place finish in one of the nation's strongest track conferences.
"Kevin, Kerry, Willie and Boomer were a huge part of our success last season because they are dedicated, talented and hard-working young men," Bennett said. "They were very motivated to help our team succeed this past year.
"Willie has been a part of the program since his freshman year and I think he motivated the others to join. Since then, they have all been big impact players. They have really pushed themselves and the rest of the team to succeed."
Idlette has been a vital part of both programs. In his true freshman year he ran track and field after taking a redshirt during the football season. In the spring, he finished his first full track season with a 19th-place finish at the ACC Championships in the 400 meters.
"Track has definitely influenced my football career," Idlette said. "With track, we focus on how to run. You learn what muscles do what and how to prevent injury and, in turn, it helps a lot with your speed and endurance on the football field."
The next fall, Idlette's experience from track helped him burst onto the football scene. He earned ACC All-Freshman honors and finished the year as the ACC's top freshman in all-purpose yardage and punt returns. In addition, he set new Wake Forest redshirt records in all-purpose yards, receptions, rushing average and touchdowns scored. For his effort he was named to the Scripps/FWAA Freshman All-America team in the all-purpose position.
"I have been competing in multiple sports since I could walk, so it is a lot of fun for me to do both football and track and field," Idlette said. "Each sport feeds off one another, especially with track and football. "Running track helps me with my endurance and speed on the football field and with football, the whole power aspect helps me on the track. Because they feed off each other, doing both helps me to be successful in each one."
Since the 2003 football season, Idlette has continued to make a mark on the track, qualifying for the USA Junior Nationals and regularly finishing among the top five in meets. Last season, Idlette closed out his track and field eligibility with a second-place finish in the 400 meters at the ACC Championships.
"Last year was a great year for me on the track and it was nice for me to go out on a positive note," Idlette said. "In my final season of football, I want to do whatever I can to help the team -- whether it is on punt returns, kickoff returns or just being a leader among the wide receiver corps.
"One of the reasons why I think we will be successful in football this year is because we were a team on the track. We are going to be able to carry that over and depend on each other. Track has helped us grow as a team and that will translate this fall."
Joining Idlette as a wide receiver is Marion, a redshirt junior. Easily one of the fastest football players in the ACC, Marion was a member of the 4x100 team that won the ACC Championship and competed in the NCAA East Regional. Individually, Marion finished second in the 200 meters and fourth in the 100 meters at the ACC Championships.
"Running a full season of track last year was great," Marion said. "The chemistry was already there because of football and then we just added one more person. It was a great feeling when we won at the ACC Championships because we were at our home track and we had our football teammates and coaches out there to support us."
On the football field Marion is regarded as one of the team's big-play threats and is the team's primary kickoff returner. He finished the 2005 season fourth on the team in all-purpose yards and second in 2004. "The difference between football and track is that it is a team sport versus an individual sport," Marion said. "When you win in track, it is just you and you pat yourself on the back. In football, you have 10 other people covering you and supporting you. The team aspect of football is great."
Not only do the players work together, but so do the team's two head coaches. During the track & field season, the football team is starting spring workouts. Only allowed 15 practices during the spring, each time the team is on the field, it is important to the program.
"We work very closely with the football coaches," Bennett said. "The first thing we do when an athlete wants to run is to speak with head coach and see if we can share them. Coach [Jim] Grobe is very good. He is flexible and if they have done their academic work, which is always the first priority, then we communicate regarding practice.
"We work their training around football practices. We don't let the athletes miss any football requirements. They do the same amount as their football teammates."
As far as the coaches are concerned, cross-over athletes can benefit both sports.
"When the guys are on the football field, we do get a little bit nervous when we see them go down. We all hold our breath and hope that they get up quickly," Bennett said. "We take a lot of pride in their accomplishments, both on the football field and on the track. We are a family and it makes us feel more connected to the football program by having them on our team. "These young men are excellent student-athletes. They respect their coaches and they do a great job of making both programs at Wake Forest successful."
