I Was Always In Search Of A

My Work Ethic Came From My Parents And My Fear Of Failure. I Came From A Small, Predominantly Black School And I Didn't Want To Let Them Down.

I Was Always In Search Of A Perfect Game And I Never Got It.

As A Fan, You Want To Be Able To Go To A Football Game, You Want To Feel Secure, You Want To Be Able To Just Watch The Game, Root For Your Team, And That's The Way It Should Be.

Coming From The South, I Just Felt You Had To Work Just A Little Bit Harder. It Was Not Going To Be Handed To You. I’d Get The Letters From All The Major Schools But No One Came Out To Talk To Me Face To Face Until This Small, Dominant Black School, Mississippi State Valley University Sent A Coach Out To Me. I Had A Chance To Talk To Him And He Said, ‘hey Jerry, We’re Going To Be Doing Some Great Things At Mississippi Valley State University And We Would Love To Have You There.’

To Me, It Was Never About What I Accomplished On The Football Field. It Was About The Way I Played The Game. I Played The Game With A Lot Of Determination, A Lot Of Poise, A Lot Of Pride And I Think What You Saw Out There...was An Individual Who Really Just Loved The Game.