Message from Mark Clayton: There's room for futbol in football
Published: 5/16/2010 11:38 PM
Last Modified: 5/16/2010 11:38 PM
Last August, we were all trying to get to know Oklahoma football newcomer Cameron Kenney. We asked wide receivers coach Jay Norvell about him.
"He reminds me of Juaquin Iglesias in a lot of ways," Norvell said. "He's strong, he's explosive, he runs really well with the ball afterwards. He's physical and tough. We needed a durable guy to come in here and kind of be mature like 'Wick' (Iglesias) was because we lost some guys... He's got a lot to learn but he's off to a good start."
There was just one problem.
"He's a soccer player," Norvell bemoaned.
This was a big problem.
"I told my son he was only allowed to play soccer till he was old enough to play a real sport," Norvell teased. "It's a great sport until you get to be about seven. Then you play real sports. He's got those funny-looking shoes on, too."
Kenney showed up for two-a-days in his soccer cleats.
"He blew a pair out the other day," Norvell said. "It's kind of a sore subject for me. They're not used to running in an aggressive manner and having physical play. They're not quite used to football. I think he'll be able to wear them, as long as we can tolerate him in them."
Norvell, tongue in cheek, was very good-natured about the whole thing. But the truth is, football coaches' tolerance for soccer doesn't extend much beyond the fact that their placekickers grew up playing the sport. Well, that and the fact that their kids, like Norvell's, typically play it for a while.
So when an NFL veteran like Mark Clayton, who just so happens to be a former OU All-American wide receiver, says something positive about soccer, it seems only fair to let Norvell and the football coaching frat in on it.
Clayton was back at OU over the weekend to pick up his communications degree. I saw him Friday and asked if his 2-year-old son, Ayden, had begun catching footballs.
"I don't know, he's into soccer," Clayton replied. "That kid runs and kicks like a champ. He's a soccer dude."
For shame?
Not exactly.
"It's good," Clayton smiled. "He's working his feet, getting his legs right. I think that's a great basis for a young kid who is athletically inclined."
Not that you're going to start seeing the Sooners kick soccer balls around their practice field next two-a-days, or hosting World Cup watch parties this summer. But at least now Kenney has some ammo to fire back at his coach.
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
