Fitton Center studio named
Sneak peek at 'Runway' finale
'Suor Angelica' rehearsal
Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2009 > August > 02 > Entry
E.J. Junior: Looking to Upset OSU
WILBERFORCE — When he first heard the proposition, he thought it was a joke.
E.J. Junior was the defensive coordinator at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri when Kellen Winslow called this past March.
The new Central State athletics director was making drastic changes in his fledgling football program. Last year’s head coach Al West, offensive coordinator and former CSU All-American Henderson Mosley and a couple of other coachers were out after a 2-7 campaign.
“He asked me if I’d throw my hat into the ring,” Junior said. “But I know he’s a practical joker, so all I could say the first five minutes of our conversation was ‘Are you kidding me?’”
The two men — both former All Americans and trumpeted NFL pros — had played against each other in college and the NFL.
“The way he tells it, his DNA is under my fingernails,” Junior laughed. “But I’m here to tell you, my DNA is under his. His San Diego (Chargers) team usually got the best of us.”
From that DNA, Winslow knew that in Junior he was getting a guy who had played for some of the legendary coaches in the game, had himself coached at the pro and college level, was an ordained minister and also could impart some sobering life lessons learned away from football.
Junior talked to me abouit all this and much more a couple of days ago and that’s the subject of my column in today’s newspaoper. The story is also posted up above on this web page
Although he has no scholarships to offer this year and CSU has won just 10 games in the four seasons since football’s revival on campus — following eight years in mothballs — Junior has put together a staff that includes four former NFL players, believes his 2009 team will play with more discipline and be in better shape than he thinks last year’s Marauders were in and already is embracing some far-reaching dreams for the future:
“Eventually our goal is to become a competitive NCAA Division I-AA team and be able to play Ohio State or the University of Cincinnati in their backyard…and beat ‘em.”
Think what you want, but to E.J. Junior, that proposition is no joke.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment |
Comments
By Greg Honors
August 2, 2009 4:57 PM | Link to this
Give the man a chance for god sake, hes the only coach since central has been back who has some major experience, well see their first game against West virgina state thatll set the tone for his career as head coach and the marauders seasonBy Coach
August 2, 2009 3:40 PM | Link to this
Give him two years of losses to Lane, Ky St., Elizabeth City St. and FUBU and he’ll won’t able to get back to the NL fast enough. CSU is just a way stage stop for coaches comin’ and goin’By nyc
August 2, 2009 1:00 PM | Link to this
BEAT THOSE DAYTON FLYERS!!!!!