planomateo
Member
Awesome read.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://theodysseyonline.com/alabama/prattville-power-house-emergence-nick-perry/103554
From Prattville to Power House: The Emergence of Nick Perry
An unsung Hero and his one chance to make his dream a reality.
Cole Thompson in Sports on Apr 29, 2015
Tradition.
A word so simple but powerful at the same. To some, it just means keeping the same path and doing things a certain way. To others, those nine letters mean a hell of a lot more.
For the fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide, tradition is replaced by another word, winning. A winning season is tradition to the Crimson Tide faithful, and a loss or two means failure in their eyes. Tradition is everything to the fans who fill the streets in front of Bryant-Denny Stadium in the fall. Still, tradition means more to the members of the elite squad known as the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Some play to win, some play to be the best there ever was, but for Nick Perry, tradition is a whole lot more then winning a ring.
Every day is the same for Perry. One could find him lifting weights in the Mal Moore athletic complex early in the morning. Others could find him sprinting for dear life in the afternoon, working on getting better footwork during defensive back drills. While Perry's time as a member of Crimson Tide may be done, his dream and goals have just begun. His goal: to hear his name called by Commissioner Roger Goodell the weekend of May 1st, at the 2015 NFL Draft.
To truly understand Perry, one would have to travel the 81 miles south of Tuscaloosa to Prattville to learn where it all began. From the time he was little, Nick loved football. He can recall playing with a plastic football, running through his house, juking out defenders, pretending he was the next great running back. Tackle football, however, was out of the question for a while.
"My dad wouldn't let me play football", Perry said. "He said I just wasn't ready yet.".
While he couldn't make tackles yet, Perry decided to get faster in the pools. He joined the swimming team and for three years, his legs would only get stronger with age. When he was 11, Perry was finally able to join the Pop Warner football league. Knowing he was athletic enough, Perry began playing with the older kids.
"My dad put me in the age group with the older kids", Perry said. "When I was 11, I'd go up against 13 year olds...I knew I was athletically gifted.".
In Prattville, Football could be compared to that of Dillon, Texas, a fictional town in Friday Night Lights. The town would shut down, and everyone would pile into the "The Jungle", or better known as Stanley-Jensen Stadium. Here on the hallowed fields, players such as Roman Harper and Kevin Turner would destroy their competitors, and bring glory to the town. Perry was a only a few years away from adding his name to the books.
"I saw greats like Roman (Harper) play out there", Perry said." I wanted to be just like him when I got to high school.".
In 2006, Perry became a freshman at Prattville High School, home of the Lions. Under current UAB head coach Bill Clark, Perry would slowly gain his coach's trust, to be put on the field the next year. In 2007, Perry made the varsity team as the Lions entered the 6-A playoffs. Then, in middle of the playoffs, Perry was called into the game.
"It was surreal", Perry said. "In Prattville, it's unheard of for a 10th grader to contribute on the field.".
Perry ended up playing in 5 games making 17 tackles, and a forcing a fumble as the Lions would claim the 2007 6-A State Championship.
“If you were on the field as a sophomore, you were a special player", former Pratville head coach Jamey DuBose said. “ He was an athletic player who moved really well and had great instinct to the ball.".
While it was unheard of for sophomore to start in Prattville, college teams were taking notice of the future star. Clark left the program the following year and was replaced by DuBose for the rest of Perry's career. As he began moving into the starting free safety role like former Pratville great Roman Harper, offers slowly began pouring in. In his junior year, Perry came home to a letter from Vanderbilt.
"I barley had done anything yet and I was already being recruited", Perry said. "If I could get letters off of five games, imagine what I could get with a full season.".
Perry continued to be a leader on and off the field for the Lions, leading the team to back to back State Championships in 2008. He was vital in winning the State Championship that season, with a interception returned for a touchdown late in the game.
While being an example on the field, letters began pouring in one by one: Stanford, Duke, Southern Miss, Clemson, and LSU, all came to Perry's doorstep, however no in-state schools were among the letters. Perry dreamed of playing for the Crimson Tide, but it seemed as if that dream was going to be just that, a dream.
With the start of his senior year, Perry was dubbed by rivals.com as a four star safety prospect and a top 25 player in the state of Alabama. Not only that, but Perry was now the true leader of the Lions defense, and was starting to get looked at by in state schools. On October 17th, 2009, Perry, along with several of his friends, was invited to Tuscaloosa by defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, to attend the Alabama-South Carolina game. Perry entered the campus off route 82, and never wanted to looked back.
"Prattville to Alabama was like a pipeline to kids", Perry said. "I automatically fell in love with the place when I arrived...I knew this was the place meant for me.".
While Alabama still had yet to offer, Perry remained a dominant player for the Lions, collecting 55 tackles and six interceptions on his way to earning the title of ASWA 6A All-State honors. Then, after a long process and a time of waiting, on the same night that rival school Auburn offered, Perry received a phone call from Kirby Smart.
"Coach Smart told me that they would wait two weeks for me to make my decision, but that in two weeks, Nick Saban would be at my door." Perry said.
After two weeks, Perry came home and saw the post man delivering the mail. According to Perry, he didn't even let the mailman put the letter in the box. Alabama had finally offered, and Perry's choice seemed to have been made.
In his first year for the Crimson Tide, Perry gained the respect of coach Saban, playing in six games that year, and making two tackles. Just like at Prattville, freshman playing at Alabama, is almost unheard of.
"My first game was at Bryant-Denny Stadium. I remember getting called into the second quarter." Perry said. " I was able to make a couple of plays and started getting my feet wet. It was so crazy...I felt like I arrived.".
Season began flying past his eyes, as Perry began slowly moving up the depth chart, and closer to a starting role. Unfortunately for him, future first round picks Mark Barron and Ha'Sean "Ha-Ha" Clinton-Dix were in his way. Even though Perry wasn't a starter, he still contributed in Alabama's two national championship seasons. Perry continued to be a leader for the Tide and he kept pushing forward on getting his chance to start.
In 2013, during a practice in early September, while competing for a starting spot with sophomore Landon Collins and junior Vinnie Sunseri, Perry suffered a shoulder injury. Worse then expected, Perry was forced to have surgery, ending the senior's season early. Many, including Coach Saban, would miss Perry's ability on the field.
"Nick has been a really good player for us in a lot of ways", Saban said on his radio show in September of 2013. "We'll miss his leadership and experience.".
In high hopes after the surgery, Perry was granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA. On September 26, 2013 , Perry tweeted out to the world to let everyone know that he would beat the odds, and come back stronger then before.
For his senior campaign, Perry was no longer the big safety on campus, that role belonged to Landon Collins who made an impact in the 2013 season after Vinnie Sunseri also had a season-ending injury. While some would take it as an insult, Perry saw it as an advantage.
"It was all about my confidence", Perry said. "Teams always wanted to throw to my side rather then Landon's. I was able to make tough plays and it worked out in my favor.".
Throughout the year, Perry only became a better player, adding tackles upon tackles, game in and game out. Not only that, but he was also turning into a leader for the Crimson Tide defense.
"Nick was an all-around great person to be around", a member of the Crimson Tide equipment staff, who wishes to remain anonymous, said. "People gravitated to him because he was so positive in practice. He was always trying to put a smile on people's faces in the game.".
Perry finished his senior season with 80 tackles and two interceptions, the fourth most on the team. Not only that, but he was honored as player of the week when Alabama took down number 1 ranked Mississippi State for control of the SEC west. In five years playing under Coach Saban, Perry believed this season was different then any other.
"This season was the most fun I ever had playing football." Perry said. "It was something special. It was a whole different story this year. The team work makes the dreamwork...it wasn't just a game, it was a show.".
After five years on training under a man who is known for sending players to the NFL, Perry was ready for his chance to make his dream a reality. The sad thing with dreams is, sometimes they don't go the way people plan them to. Perry had no idea what was about to come his way.
When the selection committee for the Senior Bowl met in Mobile, Alabama's Blake Sims, Jalston Fowler, and Austin Shepherd were selected to play for the South team. Perry wasn't among those selected. When the NFL combine committee sent out invitations to players, 11 Crimson Tide players were invited to go to Indianapolis to impress scouts. Perry once again was not selected. For the first time in a while, Nick Perry would possibly have to imagine a life without football.
"It really hurt, it was like a slap in my face after the season I had." Perry said. "However, I understand that a certain number of people can only be invited to those events .".
While Perry maybe wasn't impressing scouts in Mobile and Indianapolis, he was selected to College Gridiron Showcase in Arlington, Texas. While he may not have played the entire game, he did impress Mike Taddow, who tweeted out:
"Alabama's Nick Perry (Safety) just destroyed a RB. Good lord.".
“ He can turn on the switch", DuBose said. “When he's on the field, the nice guy he is off the field goes away.".
Instead of leaving Tuscaloosa to train in Florida or California, Perry decided to stay, along with eight other Crimson Tide members, to train for Alabama's pro-day on March 11th.
"We wanted to keep the same level of intensity going on like we did during the season", Perry said. "I been working with these guys my entire college career, why change it up now?".
While training in Tuscaloosa, scouts began to look at the strengths and weaknesses that Perry could bring to the table. College Gridiron executive director Jose Jefferson believed that Perry impressed the scouts in Arlington with just one violent hit.
"I thought he was very poised. For a guy as good as he is, and coming from a program like Alabama, he was very humble. I don't know where he's going to go", Jefferson said in an interview with reporters after the game. "I'll tell you what. He's going to make a good pro because he works hard, he's disciplined, and he understands defenses. And I'll tell you what. He's not afraid of contact.".
In the early morning of March 11, 2015, Perry awoke to 32 teams waiting for him and 16 other former Alabama players to arrive. After 2 1/2 long months of training, Perry was finally ready to prove what he could do. For some players, that day was just meant for improving their draft stock. For Perry, it was his one final shot to make his dream a reality.
"I grinded 2 1/2 months for this moment", Perry said. "I knew immediately when I walked on the field, it was my only chance to give an impression to the scouts...they say you only get one time to make a good first impression, this was mine.".
Perry cleared his head, shut the door on the outside world, and began running drills for the scouts. Perry ended his day running a 4.6 unofficial 40 time, and preformed admirably in his defensive back drills. Scouts seemed to agree, since after his pro-day, he was approached by several scouts to congratulate his performance. After injury, devotion, heartbreak, and a bit of luck, Nick Perry emerged from a kid running around his house with a plastic football, to a legitimate NFL prospect.
This Thursday, Perry will leave Tuscaloosa and travel the 81 miles to his home in Prattville to celebrate with his family on a job well done. All together, they will sit in front of a television and cheer on former Alabama players as well as his friends he met along the way. Although it is a long shot, he will hear his name called in the first round on Thursday night. Perry will support his teammates, his brothers in their achievements.
"I'm in full support of all my teammates." Perry said. "You meet a lot of great people along the way, I want to show them I care.".
While some believe Perry will make a great safety in the NFL, scouts and NFL owners will sit down to decide if he has the makings to be on an NFL roster. With players such as Mark Barron, Robert Lester, "Ha-Ha" Clinton-Dix, and Vinnie Sunseri all playing in the NFL today, Perry can hope to keep the tradition of being yet another Alabama safety selected in this NFL draft.
“Good things happen to good people", Dubose said. “My odds are with Nick Perry being successful. Whether on the field or in the business world, he's going to be successful in life.".
Astounding young man, extraordinary football player, true leader, and loyal friend: in the eyes of those closest him, Nick Perry has already kept the tradition alive. The tradition of being an upstanding member of the Alabama Crimson Tide alumni.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://theodysseyonline.com/alabama/prattville-power-house-emergence-nick-perry/103554
From Prattville to Power House: The Emergence of Nick Perry
An unsung Hero and his one chance to make his dream a reality.
Cole Thompson in Sports on Apr 29, 2015
Tradition.
A word so simple but powerful at the same. To some, it just means keeping the same path and doing things a certain way. To others, those nine letters mean a hell of a lot more.
For the fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide, tradition is replaced by another word, winning. A winning season is tradition to the Crimson Tide faithful, and a loss or two means failure in their eyes. Tradition is everything to the fans who fill the streets in front of Bryant-Denny Stadium in the fall. Still, tradition means more to the members of the elite squad known as the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Some play to win, some play to be the best there ever was, but for Nick Perry, tradition is a whole lot more then winning a ring.
Every day is the same for Perry. One could find him lifting weights in the Mal Moore athletic complex early in the morning. Others could find him sprinting for dear life in the afternoon, working on getting better footwork during defensive back drills. While Perry's time as a member of Crimson Tide may be done, his dream and goals have just begun. His goal: to hear his name called by Commissioner Roger Goodell the weekend of May 1st, at the 2015 NFL Draft.
To truly understand Perry, one would have to travel the 81 miles south of Tuscaloosa to Prattville to learn where it all began. From the time he was little, Nick loved football. He can recall playing with a plastic football, running through his house, juking out defenders, pretending he was the next great running back. Tackle football, however, was out of the question for a while.
"My dad wouldn't let me play football", Perry said. "He said I just wasn't ready yet.".
While he couldn't make tackles yet, Perry decided to get faster in the pools. He joined the swimming team and for three years, his legs would only get stronger with age. When he was 11, Perry was finally able to join the Pop Warner football league. Knowing he was athletic enough, Perry began playing with the older kids.
"My dad put me in the age group with the older kids", Perry said. "When I was 11, I'd go up against 13 year olds...I knew I was athletically gifted.".
In Prattville, Football could be compared to that of Dillon, Texas, a fictional town in Friday Night Lights. The town would shut down, and everyone would pile into the "The Jungle", or better known as Stanley-Jensen Stadium. Here on the hallowed fields, players such as Roman Harper and Kevin Turner would destroy their competitors, and bring glory to the town. Perry was a only a few years away from adding his name to the books.
"I saw greats like Roman (Harper) play out there", Perry said." I wanted to be just like him when I got to high school.".
In 2006, Perry became a freshman at Prattville High School, home of the Lions. Under current UAB head coach Bill Clark, Perry would slowly gain his coach's trust, to be put on the field the next year. In 2007, Perry made the varsity team as the Lions entered the 6-A playoffs. Then, in middle of the playoffs, Perry was called into the game.
"It was surreal", Perry said. "In Prattville, it's unheard of for a 10th grader to contribute on the field.".
Perry ended up playing in 5 games making 17 tackles, and a forcing a fumble as the Lions would claim the 2007 6-A State Championship.
“If you were on the field as a sophomore, you were a special player", former Pratville head coach Jamey DuBose said. “ He was an athletic player who moved really well and had great instinct to the ball.".
While it was unheard of for sophomore to start in Prattville, college teams were taking notice of the future star. Clark left the program the following year and was replaced by DuBose for the rest of Perry's career. As he began moving into the starting free safety role like former Pratville great Roman Harper, offers slowly began pouring in. In his junior year, Perry came home to a letter from Vanderbilt.
"I barley had done anything yet and I was already being recruited", Perry said. "If I could get letters off of five games, imagine what I could get with a full season.".
Perry continued to be a leader on and off the field for the Lions, leading the team to back to back State Championships in 2008. He was vital in winning the State Championship that season, with a interception returned for a touchdown late in the game.
While being an example on the field, letters began pouring in one by one: Stanford, Duke, Southern Miss, Clemson, and LSU, all came to Perry's doorstep, however no in-state schools were among the letters. Perry dreamed of playing for the Crimson Tide, but it seemed as if that dream was going to be just that, a dream.
With the start of his senior year, Perry was dubbed by rivals.com as a four star safety prospect and a top 25 player in the state of Alabama. Not only that, but Perry was now the true leader of the Lions defense, and was starting to get looked at by in state schools. On October 17th, 2009, Perry, along with several of his friends, was invited to Tuscaloosa by defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, to attend the Alabama-South Carolina game. Perry entered the campus off route 82, and never wanted to looked back.
"Prattville to Alabama was like a pipeline to kids", Perry said. "I automatically fell in love with the place when I arrived...I knew this was the place meant for me.".
While Alabama still had yet to offer, Perry remained a dominant player for the Lions, collecting 55 tackles and six interceptions on his way to earning the title of ASWA 6A All-State honors. Then, after a long process and a time of waiting, on the same night that rival school Auburn offered, Perry received a phone call from Kirby Smart.
"Coach Smart told me that they would wait two weeks for me to make my decision, but that in two weeks, Nick Saban would be at my door." Perry said.
After two weeks, Perry came home and saw the post man delivering the mail. According to Perry, he didn't even let the mailman put the letter in the box. Alabama had finally offered, and Perry's choice seemed to have been made.
In his first year for the Crimson Tide, Perry gained the respect of coach Saban, playing in six games that year, and making two tackles. Just like at Prattville, freshman playing at Alabama, is almost unheard of.
"My first game was at Bryant-Denny Stadium. I remember getting called into the second quarter." Perry said. " I was able to make a couple of plays and started getting my feet wet. It was so crazy...I felt like I arrived.".
Season began flying past his eyes, as Perry began slowly moving up the depth chart, and closer to a starting role. Unfortunately for him, future first round picks Mark Barron and Ha'Sean "Ha-Ha" Clinton-Dix were in his way. Even though Perry wasn't a starter, he still contributed in Alabama's two national championship seasons. Perry continued to be a leader for the Tide and he kept pushing forward on getting his chance to start.
In 2013, during a practice in early September, while competing for a starting spot with sophomore Landon Collins and junior Vinnie Sunseri, Perry suffered a shoulder injury. Worse then expected, Perry was forced to have surgery, ending the senior's season early. Many, including Coach Saban, would miss Perry's ability on the field.
"Nick has been a really good player for us in a lot of ways", Saban said on his radio show in September of 2013. "We'll miss his leadership and experience.".
In high hopes after the surgery, Perry was granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA. On September 26, 2013 , Perry tweeted out to the world to let everyone know that he would beat the odds, and come back stronger then before.
For his senior campaign, Perry was no longer the big safety on campus, that role belonged to Landon Collins who made an impact in the 2013 season after Vinnie Sunseri also had a season-ending injury. While some would take it as an insult, Perry saw it as an advantage.
"It was all about my confidence", Perry said. "Teams always wanted to throw to my side rather then Landon's. I was able to make tough plays and it worked out in my favor.".
Throughout the year, Perry only became a better player, adding tackles upon tackles, game in and game out. Not only that, but he was also turning into a leader for the Crimson Tide defense.
"Nick was an all-around great person to be around", a member of the Crimson Tide equipment staff, who wishes to remain anonymous, said. "People gravitated to him because he was so positive in practice. He was always trying to put a smile on people's faces in the game.".
Perry finished his senior season with 80 tackles and two interceptions, the fourth most on the team. Not only that, but he was honored as player of the week when Alabama took down number 1 ranked Mississippi State for control of the SEC west. In five years playing under Coach Saban, Perry believed this season was different then any other.
"This season was the most fun I ever had playing football." Perry said. "It was something special. It was a whole different story this year. The team work makes the dreamwork...it wasn't just a game, it was a show.".
After five years on training under a man who is known for sending players to the NFL, Perry was ready for his chance to make his dream a reality. The sad thing with dreams is, sometimes they don't go the way people plan them to. Perry had no idea what was about to come his way.
When the selection committee for the Senior Bowl met in Mobile, Alabama's Blake Sims, Jalston Fowler, and Austin Shepherd were selected to play for the South team. Perry wasn't among those selected. When the NFL combine committee sent out invitations to players, 11 Crimson Tide players were invited to go to Indianapolis to impress scouts. Perry once again was not selected. For the first time in a while, Nick Perry would possibly have to imagine a life without football.
"It really hurt, it was like a slap in my face after the season I had." Perry said. "However, I understand that a certain number of people can only be invited to those events .".
While Perry maybe wasn't impressing scouts in Mobile and Indianapolis, he was selected to College Gridiron Showcase in Arlington, Texas. While he may not have played the entire game, he did impress Mike Taddow, who tweeted out:
"Alabama's Nick Perry (Safety) just destroyed a RB. Good lord.".
“ He can turn on the switch", DuBose said. “When he's on the field, the nice guy he is off the field goes away.".
Instead of leaving Tuscaloosa to train in Florida or California, Perry decided to stay, along with eight other Crimson Tide members, to train for Alabama's pro-day on March 11th.
"We wanted to keep the same level of intensity going on like we did during the season", Perry said. "I been working with these guys my entire college career, why change it up now?".
While training in Tuscaloosa, scouts began to look at the strengths and weaknesses that Perry could bring to the table. College Gridiron executive director Jose Jefferson believed that Perry impressed the scouts in Arlington with just one violent hit.
"I thought he was very poised. For a guy as good as he is, and coming from a program like Alabama, he was very humble. I don't know where he's going to go", Jefferson said in an interview with reporters after the game. "I'll tell you what. He's going to make a good pro because he works hard, he's disciplined, and he understands defenses. And I'll tell you what. He's not afraid of contact.".
In the early morning of March 11, 2015, Perry awoke to 32 teams waiting for him and 16 other former Alabama players to arrive. After 2 1/2 long months of training, Perry was finally ready to prove what he could do. For some players, that day was just meant for improving their draft stock. For Perry, it was his one final shot to make his dream a reality.
"I grinded 2 1/2 months for this moment", Perry said. "I knew immediately when I walked on the field, it was my only chance to give an impression to the scouts...they say you only get one time to make a good first impression, this was mine.".
Perry cleared his head, shut the door on the outside world, and began running drills for the scouts. Perry ended his day running a 4.6 unofficial 40 time, and preformed admirably in his defensive back drills. Scouts seemed to agree, since after his pro-day, he was approached by several scouts to congratulate his performance. After injury, devotion, heartbreak, and a bit of luck, Nick Perry emerged from a kid running around his house with a plastic football, to a legitimate NFL prospect.
This Thursday, Perry will leave Tuscaloosa and travel the 81 miles to his home in Prattville to celebrate with his family on a job well done. All together, they will sit in front of a television and cheer on former Alabama players as well as his friends he met along the way. Although it is a long shot, he will hear his name called in the first round on Thursday night. Perry will support his teammates, his brothers in their achievements.
"I'm in full support of all my teammates." Perry said. "You meet a lot of great people along the way, I want to show them I care.".
While some believe Perry will make a great safety in the NFL, scouts and NFL owners will sit down to decide if he has the makings to be on an NFL roster. With players such as Mark Barron, Robert Lester, "Ha-Ha" Clinton-Dix, and Vinnie Sunseri all playing in the NFL today, Perry can hope to keep the tradition of being yet another Alabama safety selected in this NFL draft.
“Good things happen to good people", Dubose said. “My odds are with Nick Perry being successful. Whether on the field or in the business world, he's going to be successful in life.".
Astounding young man, extraordinary football player, true leader, and loyal friend: in the eyes of those closest him, Nick Perry has already kept the tradition alive. The tradition of being an upstanding member of the Alabama Crimson Tide alumni.
