LaRod will be great for Pitt


… and Pitt will be great for LaRod 

You might have missed LaRod Stephens-Howling on the football field. Many people have tried and have failed to catch him there.

The diminutive speedster excelled in high school for the Greater Johnstown Trojans, earning him a scholarship to play for the Pitt Panthers from 2005 until 2008.

Then he was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 and became one of the best kick returners in the NFL over four seasons.

LaRod a classy guy

However, what I remember about him is the first time that I interviewed him. This was a telephone interview, and he was just a sophomore in high school.

What struck me as impressive about him was how polite he was. "Yes, sir. no sir." "Thank you sir." "Could you please, sir."

Why is that important in an athlete and a coach?

Give me time.

Perhaps I could have remembered his being trapped in the backfield for a loss as a GJHS Trojan, when eleven players have him surrounded, and then somehow, he would slip through the line and sprint for an 80-yard TD.

Perhaps I could have talked about one of the many kickoff returns that he had playing for the Cardinals from 2009 until 2012.

Perhaps I could tell you about how reaching the NFL is very difficult for a guy who is just 5-8 or 5-9, just about 170 pounds, give or take a few.

I bring up the polite demeanor because he was just hired by Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi as a graduate assistant who is focused on recruiting and operations.

Returning to his alma mater

LaRod's personality is great for coaching and in particular, recruiting. Since part of his job will be selling athletes on why they should attend Pitt, this is a great match for both Pitt and LaRod.

Here is why that politeness and his people skills will matter. When recruiting high school players, a coach has to go through the parents: mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, just to talk with him. Being polite is a major advantage there. Families can spot the phonies, and LaRod is definitely not a phony.

He is the real deal.

Greater Johnstown

As a Johnstown Trojan, he smashed the career rushing mark of Artrell Hawkins Sr. by more than 1,000 yards: 4,597 career rushing to Hawkins' 3,552.

In his junior season, he also broke the single season rushing record with 2,226 yards, again eclipsing Hawkins' mark.

He made the Associated Press first-team Class AAA all-state running back for both his junior [2003] and senior [2004] seasons.


LaRod played four years for the NFL Arizona Cardinals [2009-12], being used primarily as a kick returner and also a running back. He signed with the Steelers in 2013, but a knee injury ended his career.


I have some links below to read some of his stories. They come from the Arizona Cardinals' website, the Tribune-Democrat site, ESPN and Wikipedia.

His accomplishments are impressive.

Returns to Pitt

Narduzzi's offer provides him with a nice return to his alma mater. As a grad assistant, coaches generally have an opportunity to return to class and earn an advanced degree. That is something that can be costly if someone has to pay for it himself.

This is a great opportunity, and he has worked hard to reach this point.

Good luck, LaRod!

URLs

Arizona Cardinals LaRod

http://www.azcardinals.com/team/roster/LaRod-Stephens-Howling/0e7dd19d-4442-48be-bcab-cb172a10130b

ESPN: LaRod stats

http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/12730/larod-stephens-howling

Tribune-Democrat story

http://www.tribdem.com/sports/former-johnstown-high-standout-nfl-player-stephens-howling-joins-pitt/article_7716fbc2-6638-11e6-bb5f-7714371049fc.html

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaRod_Stephens-Howling

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