Big Dawg
October 23rd, 2008, 09:55 PM
http://cmsimg.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=CD&Dato=20081019&Kategori=FAMU03&Lopenr=810190801&Ref=PH&Item=33&MaxW=550&MaxH=600&DsRadius=5&Q=90&BgColor=B4DAAD
http://rattlernews.tallahassee.com/article/20081023/FAMU03/810230333
Originally published October 23, 2008
FAMU cranks it up before kickoff
Players have various ways to prepare before games
By St. Clair Murraine
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Call him quirky when it comes to his footwear, but on game day receiver Kevin Elliott wouldn't have it any other way — he has to put on two pairs of socks before going onto the field. And they must be Nikes.
Sometimes when they are suiting up, the players who make up FAMU's defensive front gather in a circle and sing their "goon song." Return specialist LeRoy Vann usually makes the rounds predicting on which side of the field he'll take back a punt or kickoff.
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While Elliott's choice of two pairs of socks is a habit that he's had since his days in middle school, every other player in the Rattlers' locker room has their individual ways of getting zoned in.
The pre-game locker room rituals for some may be as simple as a prayer or listening to music. Some say their locker room behavior before a game is habit. For others it's just a way to get the adrenaline flowing.
Vann said his antics are a way of handling the nerves and helping his teammates stay loose.
"You've got to be serious when you get on the field, but you've got to be able to have fun and enjoy the game," he said. "You just can't go out there and try to be too perfect. You've got to loosen up in the locker room. When you go on the field, that's the time to get focused on what you're doing."
http://cmsimg.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=CD&Dato=20081019&Kategori=FAMU03&Lopenr=810190801&Ref=PH&Item=34&MaxW=550&MaxH=600&DsRadius=5&Q=90&BgColor=B4DAAD
http://rattlernews.tallahassee.com/article/20081023/FAMU03/810230333
Originally published October 23, 2008
FAMU cranks it up before kickoff
Players have various ways to prepare before games
By St. Clair Murraine
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Call him quirky when it comes to his footwear, but on game day receiver Kevin Elliott wouldn't have it any other way — he has to put on two pairs of socks before going onto the field. And they must be Nikes.
Sometimes when they are suiting up, the players who make up FAMU's defensive front gather in a circle and sing their "goon song." Return specialist LeRoy Vann usually makes the rounds predicting on which side of the field he'll take back a punt or kickoff.
ADVERTISEMENT
While Elliott's choice of two pairs of socks is a habit that he's had since his days in middle school, every other player in the Rattlers' locker room has their individual ways of getting zoned in.
The pre-game locker room rituals for some may be as simple as a prayer or listening to music. Some say their locker room behavior before a game is habit. For others it's just a way to get the adrenaline flowing.
Vann said his antics are a way of handling the nerves and helping his teammates stay loose.
"You've got to be serious when you get on the field, but you've got to be able to have fun and enjoy the game," he said. "You just can't go out there and try to be too perfect. You've got to loosen up in the locker room. When you go on the field, that's the time to get focused on what you're doing."
http://cmsimg.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=CD&Dato=20081019&Kategori=FAMU03&Lopenr=810190801&Ref=PH&Item=34&MaxW=550&MaxH=600&DsRadius=5&Q=90&BgColor=B4DAAD