All of the following stories appeared in print in the 2010 Tiger Football Gameday Program.
Nov. 6, 2010
Gettin' Dirty with Darius Davis
By: Preston McClellan
When Darius Davis peers into the future, he can see himself wearing a suit and tie to work each day. He doesn’t think he would mind doing that.
For those who cross his path these days on the football field, the sooner Davis dons that suit, the better. That’s because he knows only one way to play the game and those who have felt his intensity understand his approach.
Darius Davis likes to get ‘wild’ on the field.
"I'm vocal out there, " Davis said. "At times you just have to get wild."
His on-the-field antics and breakneck pace of play have led Coach Larry Porter to start referring to him as the "energizer bunny."
That's a far cry from the nickname amongst his teammates and opponents.
"They call me Dirty D," Davis said.
Davis was dubbed with that handle after coming back from a devastating elbow injury prior to his freshman year at Whitehaven High School.
"Towards the end of my eighth grade year at Havenview (Middle School), I dislocated my elbow," Davis recalled.
Davis is reminded every day of the pain and recovery he went through by a massive scar on his elbow.
The injury sidelined Davis for most of his eighth grade season, but after surgery and rehab, Davis was ready to get "wild."
He entered fall football camp at Whitehaven High School and began competing against all the upperclassmen.
"I was out there being aggressive, physical, even reckless," Davis said. "I just didn't care--I was going all out."
From that point on, Davis has been known as "Dirty D," a moniker he uses as fuel for hitting people on the field.
"I get out on the field and I get into that style of play--that Dirty D style," Davis said.
Davis quickly backed up his nickname with his physicality and effectiveness on the gridiron. He was named the captain of the Whitehaven High squad his junior and senior seasons and was selected as the top defensive player at WHS.
Davis' style translated to the Division One level as well, and he has become a fixture in the Tiger secondary over the past four seasons.
Though naturally more comfortable playing cornerback, Davis has found himself at safety most of the past two seasons. Davis started the 2010 season opener against Mississippi State at cornerback, recording five total tackles and an assist on a tackle for a loss.
An injury the following week in practice sidelined Davis for three games, however, and when he came back, the team's needs had shifted.
"It's a bittersweet situation," Davis explained. "Your heart is one spot, but you have to make sacrifices to help the team. I've been doing it since I've been here."
In the past three plus seasons donning the blue and gray, Davis has seen action in 36 games, making 13 starts. Last season, Davis was fifth on the team in tackles (54) and tied for third in pass breakups (5).
Off the field, Davis is more reserved and relishes his down time with family and friends.
"If I'm not doing something with football, I'm just relaxing," Davis said. "Football and school take so much out of you that it's nice to have some time to relax."
Davis will graduate this year with a degree in Communications, and plans to pursue a career professionally. If that doesn't work out, Davis wants to put that degree to work.
"I could see myself in a nine-to-five business man style job," Davis said. "I wouldn't mind putting on a suit everyday and being behind the scenes."
-This article appeared in the Nov. 6 edition of the Memphis football gameday program.
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Oct. 16, 2010
MR. UNKNOWN
By: Preston McClellan
"Who wants to be the long-snapper?" is one of those questions usually met with stony silence on high school practice fields across the country.
For Keenan Bratcher, responding to that question turned out to be the best decision of his young life.
"I liked my special teams coach a lot," Bratcher said. "So, I just kind of picked it up one day."
Bratcher's high school coach quickly noticed that he had a knack for snapping long, tight spirals, and the two started working on perfecting the art.
"He told me that I could go to the next level," Bratcher recalled.
So, Bratcher started training, knowing that deep snapping could be his ticket to play Division I football. By his senior year at Milan High, the University of Memphis took notice and offered him a scholarship.
"One of the assistant coaches (from Memphis) came to my high school and put me on the spot," Bratcher explained. "I performed, he saw I had character and came back and offered me a four-year scholarship."
Fast-forward four years, and Bratcher's talents have led him to become one of the nation's most consistent and talented long snappers.
In three-plus seasons donning the Blue and Gray, Bratcher has yet to record an errant snap. He shared the team's 2009 Special Teams Player of the Year Award with Matt Reagan and was placed on the honorable mention All-Conference USA Team by the league coaches.
He was also a C-USA Honorable Mention pick in 2008, and was selected to both the C-USA Coaches and Media All-Freshman teams in ‘07. But, Bratcher knows “student” comes first in student-athlete and takes pride in having been a member of the Tiger 3.0 Club.
"Football has paid my way through school for four years," Bratcher said. "I'm very grateful for that."
His on-the-field performance has earned him the sometimes dubious title "Mr. Unknown," a nickname that Bratcher not only accepts, but also embraces.
"If people know my name," Bratcher explained. "It's probably not a good thing. I like being the unnoticed guy that goes about his business."
Bratcher's true value to the team is much greater than his perfect spiral snaps, however. Coming onto the field for field goals and punts, it is Bratcher's responsibility to keep an already exhausted group focused for one more play.
"Offensive linemen and everyone are exhausted from driving down the field," Bratcher said. "I get their confidence building so we can continue to execute."
Always positive and approachable, Bratcher is a confidant for many of his teammates.
"I'm always there for my teammates," Bratcher said. "Just to talk--whatever they need."
That loyalty was a quality instilled deep in Bratcher by his father, who worked construction his entire life to put four children through college on his own.
"I love him a lot," Bratcher said. "He did so much for me and my brothers and one sister. He's a hard working man and is very respected."
Bratcher admits that his father, who makes it a point to see Keenan play at every home game, played a huge role in his choice to pursue a life in football.
"I played for him," Bratcher explained. "He was such a great part of my life, and football made him so happy."
Football was a brotherhood of sorts for the Bratcher family, as Dad and all three sons would all fall in love with the sport.
The head of the household was a legend in his day in Illinois, and Bratcher is quick to joke about his father reliving his playing days.
"He's a bragger," Bratcher revealed. "He'll rag on you and brag on you in the same sentence. Raggin' and braggin'--that's his style."
Bratcher's father was a fierce middle linebacker in his day, with his defenses earning the title "Bratcher and company."
The Bratcher sons picked up their father's passion and talent, and each would go on to play collegiate football.
Bratcher will graduate in May with a degree in criminal justice with a minor in sociology. His perfect snapping record and on-field performances have earned Bratcher interest from scouts in the National Football League, and he hopes to pursue a career at that level.
"I'm getting looks," Bratcher said. "I think there's a place for me at the next level."
Bratcher explained that since deep snapping is such a narrow niche, elite-level snappers can find a home in professional football.
"You can snap for 10-15 years in the NFL if you find the right situation," Bratcher said. "I hope that I can do that."
But, if he doesn’t find himself in the right situation, Bratcher has plans beyond football as well. A criminology class in high school allowed Bratcher to discover a passion for law enforcement, and he has aspirations of becoming a corrections officer to help young children.
“My teacher was a parole office,” Bratcher said. “She organized a trip where we got to do eight weeks of police field training. It was wild, but I loved it.”
That experience coupled with his hard work in the classroom and on the field has left Bratcher with multiple opportunities. Wherever his career takes him, Bratcher hopes to give back to all those who had an impact on him.
"I hope to be able to give back," Bratcher said. "I'd help so many people--my father, my family, Milan, Memphis, just everybody."
Bratcher credits his grandmother for his giving spirit. She took Bratcher and his sister in at a young age while their father remained in Nebraska to work and support the family.
“She helped me when I was struggling,” Bratcher said. “I would love to have a chance to give back to her. She influenced me to be unselfish, and my father taught me to give back to the people who love you. I give my all to this team to hopefully put me in a position to share with my family.”
Given the chance, "Mr. Unknown" might just need a new nickname.
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Oct. 16, 2010
YOUNGSTER'S BOREDOM PAYS OFF FOR MEMPHIS
By: Preston McClellan
Marissa Steen was bored one day in seventh grade, so she decided to take up golf.
"I don't like being bored, so it was either cross country, volleyball or golf, and I chose golf," Steen admitted.
Fast-forward seven years and Steen has blossomed into nothing short of a prodigy on the course. In two plus seasons at Memphis, she has posted 12 career top-20 finishes, including two victories.
"Marissa is an incredibly hard worker both on and off the field. She is the complete package when you look for a golf student-athlete," said Head Coach Beth Harrelson.
A two-time National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar, Steen has captured two individual titles in just over two seasons donning the blue and gray. She has been named to the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2008-10 and helped the Lady Tigers earn a 3.76 team GPA and the C-USA Sport Academic award.
"School is very important as a student-athlete,” Steen said. “Performing well in the classroom makes it possible to perform well on the course, and knowing my teammates are working hard on their studies pushes me to do the same."
She started the 2010-11 campaign by posting a five-under-par 36-hole total of 137 at the Bobcat Invitational en route to leading the Lady Tigers to their third victory in less than eight months. Steen's performance garnered Conference USA Female Golfer of the Week honors for the second time in her career.
An all-sports athlete in high school, Steen didn't decide to focus solely on golf until her junior year.
"I played everything,” Steen explained. “Basketball for two years and softball all four years, but I really took a liking to golf.”
She liked it so much she set her sights on playing golf for a Division I golf program. Her goals didn't stop there, however.
"After I committed to Memphis, I really wanted to turn the team into a top-75 program and of course qualify for the NCAA (Championship)," Steen said.
The Lady Tigers appear to be poised to do just that, climbing into Golfweek Magazine's top-100 collegiate teams for the first time since 2007. Memphis returns all five starters from a squad that finished fourth in last year's Conference USA Championship and posted X top-five finishes.
Be sure to follow the Lady Tigers all season long on www.gotigersgo.com. Memphis hosts the Memphis Women's Invitational Oct. 25-26 at Ridgeway Country Club. Admission is free, and the public is encouraged to come support the Lady Tiger golf team.
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Oct. 2, 2010
TOO BIG FOR FOOTBALL?
By: Preston McClellan
You're too big--three words you would not expect to hear in the world of sports, especially football.
But, in Deven Onarheim's case, those three simple words helped inspire a career of athletics and shape him into he is today.
Onarheim was born in Albuquerque, N.M. where he fell in love with the game of football at a young age. At the age of eight, Onarheim's mother remarried and the family relocated to Maylene, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham.
Having played one year of little league football in New Mexico, Onarheim was anxious to acclimate himself with new found teammates in Maylene and continue his passion.
Little league football in Alabama was broken down by weight in Alabama, however, whereas it had been done by age in New Mexico.
Onarheim, who now stands a striking 6-foot-five and 250 pounds, had already grown past the little league limit of 120 pounds.
"All the kids that were my size were older and playing middle school football," Onarheim explained. "They didn't have a league for elementary school aged kids over 120 pounds."
Because of his size, Onarheim was forced to wait until the seventh grade to renew his passion on the gridiron. It was an experience that helped mold him into the person he today--on and off the field.
"That was tough," Onarheim said. "That's what I loved to as a kid, so it was hard to have it taken away all of a sudden."
Onarheim's mother encouraged him to take up other sports and cultivate his athletic skills through various other outlets. He would do just that, picking up baseball and basketball to fill the void left from football.
“Since I couldn’t play football, I did everything else,” Onarheim said. “It didn’t matter what time of year it was—I was doing something whether it was baseball or AAU basketball.”
Once in middle school, Onarheim was able to resume his true passion on the pay dirt. He didn’t abandon the other sports, however, and became a four-year letterman in football, basketball, and baseball.
“I just love sports—no matter what it is, and that’s how I’ve always kept myself occupied,” Onarheim explained.
That passion for the game coupled with his talent on the field earned Onarheim a scholarship to play tight end at the University of Memphis after graduating from Thompson High School in 2006.
After breaking his finger and redshirting during his freshman season, Onarheim has been an integral part of the Tiger offense, both as a receiver and a blocker. In three plus seasons so far at Memphis, he has played in 37 games, making 16 starts and totaling 17 catches.
Adversity is no stranger to Onarheim, as he has certainly dealt with his fair share of it during his time as a Tiger. Throughout it all, he maintains a positive outlook on life and football.
“When the going gets tough, you just have to push through it,” Onarheim said. “I always look back to 2007 when we started (one-and-four), but still ended up going to the (St. Petersburg Bowl.) I’ll always remember the lessons I learned that season.”
Going into his last season as a part of the Tiger football program, Onarheim says he is still deciding what to do after graduation.
“If the opportunity to play professionally is there, I’ll certainly pursue it,” Onarheim said. “But, eventually, I’d like to get into some kind of sports broadcasting, maybe an ESPN analyst.”
Luckily, he's not too big for the broadcast booth.
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Sept. 18, 2010
OUT OF THE DELTA; Whether it’s picking peas or playing football, no one outworks Jamon Hughes
By: Preston McClellan
Jamon Hughes remembers December 30, 2007. He remembers it for reasons other than sitting the football season out while regaining eligibility after transferring to Memphis.
Hughes not only celebrated the end of his teenage years that day, but also the beginning of a new part of his life as he welcomed his son, Jamon D'Wayne Hughes, Jr., into the world.
It was an experience that Hughes says forced him to reevaluate his life.
"It wasn't all about me anymore," said Hughes. "I have another life I have to take care of. It made me make better decisions and take life more seriously."
After transferring from Mississippi State following the 2007 season, Hughes says he went through a series of life experiences that made him into the person he is today.
"It made me become a man," explained Hughes.
While celebrating the birth of his son, Hughes was also adjusting to life in a new city around unfamiliar people and places. Coming from the small town of Rolling Fork in the Mississippi Delta, he had to quickly assimilate into the faster paced Memphis lifestyle.
"My hometown didn't even have any stop lights," said Hughes. "If you blinked while driving by, you might just miss it."
Throughout the challenging times, he relied upon what his family taught him growing up.
"I grew up around some good people, and I feel like my family helped me stay focused and not get stuck and realize there's a bigger world outside of Rolling Fork, Miss.," said Hughes.
The attitude and work ethic instilled into Hughes by his family ensured himself a future beyond his rural roots. Football is the discipline he has chosen in which to apply those qualities.
For Hughes and his family, loyalty and toughness were, and still are, viewed as qualities paramount to success.
"You find some of the most loyal people in Mississippi," said. "It's what my father and my grandfather instilled in me, to be loyal not only to yourself but also to the community."
Growing up, Hughes idolized his older brother, Carlos, who played middle linebacker at the University of Louisiana-Monroe.
Eight years younger, Hughes was always the smallest on the sandlot, fueling a toughness that would define his playing style as he developed into a linebacker himself.
Instead of playing with kids his own age, Hughes competed against his brother and his friends, forcing him to overcome adversity.
Coupled with evenings of sandlot football with his older brother were days of backbreaking labor working with his grandfather, who eked out a meager living planting peas, chopping weeds, and farming.
"Hard work really pays off," said Hughes. "That's one thing my grandfather taught me. He taught me how to be a man and respect hard work."
Hughes would spend many of his high school days picking peas and other crops in the Delta fields, an experience he recalls vividly and uses as motivation to work harder and be successful.
"During my highschool years--2003, 2004, 2005, 2006--I was still in the field planting and picking peas," said Hughes. "It taught me hard work, how to be a man, and reminds me of my roots."
His loyalty, toughness, and work ethic afforded him the opportunity to go beyond Rolling Fork. After spending time in Memphis, Hughes is quick to point out the stark differences in city life.
"Memphis was full speed and totally different," said Hughes.
After adjusting to the Bluff City, Hughes says he's had some of the best times in his life with his teammates at Memphis.
"Coming in last season and playing a whole season with my new teammates was a great experience, although it was a tough season," said Hughes. "A lot of us took a lot out of that season, and I feel like it was an experience that will help me not only in football, but also in life. No matter how much adversity you face, you still have to push through."
Last season Hughes played in all 12 games, ending the season with four straight starts at linebacker. He led the team in tackles with 87, averaging 7.3 tackles per contest. His 18 tackles against Houston ranked tied for the ninth highest total in the NCAA FBS in 2009.
Hughes, however, points out there are too few kids who never had positive role model in their lives like he did with his father and grandfather. He is committed to giving not only his own son, Jamon, Jr., the same experience, but also kids growing up in poverty stricken areas of the Mississippi Delta.
Hughes says that he wasn't exposed to football until the eighth grade, putting him several years behind the competition.
"A lot of kids in Florida and Georgia started playing ball when they were six or seven," explained Hughes. "Down in the Delta, you couldn't start playing until seventh or eighth grade, so that's six years behind at least."
He wants to be able to pass along the same success formula that was given to him by his family and give children opportunities to not only play football, but to experience life without borders.
"I'd love to go back down there and touch the community, the athletics, from a child's point of view," said Hughes.
Hughes will graduate with a degree in XXX. He plans to pursue a career professionally along with continuing to raise Jamon, Jr.
He says that if football doesn't work out, he hopes to pursue a career as a U.S. Marshall, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
"Seeing my mom and sisters be successful and go to college made me want to go out and be successful," said Hughes. "I want to be an example for people in Rolling Fork, showing them that I wasn't going to be another statistic."
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Sept. 18, 2010
DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
By: Preston McClellan
At a tournament in Houston nearly five years ago, University of Memphis women’s soccer head coach Brooks Monaghan was scouting players on one field when he decided to make a food run. As he passed by another field on his way to a hot dog stand, something caught his eye: a player that he knew relatively little about “did something special,” he recalls.
That player was senior midfielder Vendula Strnadova, a soccer diamond in the rough. Now in her senior season as one of Memphis’ most productive players, Strnadova has earned many national and conference honors in addition to being a model for excellence off the field.
"She has put together a great career in her three years and we expect the same this year. She is the complete package when you look for a soccer student-athlete," said Head Coach Brooks Monaghan.
A six-time Dean’s List honoree, Strnadova has been awarded the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal all three seasons while also being named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2008-10. In 2009, Strnadova was honored as a Second Team NSCAA/Adidas Scholar All-American and Third Team CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-American.
"We're here to do school first," said Strnadova. "It’s hard to balance the lifestyle of being a student-athlete, but our team uses the resources available and just gets it done."
As a leader of the three-time C-USA Champions, Strnadova leads by example with her extraordinary work ethic on and off the field. Shy and unassuming, Strnadova would rather let her game do the talking on the field and carry her through conference championships and nationally prominent matchups, earning nine game-winning goals.
"She has the mentality of a pro," said Monaghan. "She works her tail off. She's a quiet kid, but she leads by example day in and day out and she's been a big reason this program has reached the heights it has."
In the community, Strnadova has assisted the Habitat for Humanity in the greater Memphis area as well as at sites of past Conference USA Tournaments. While in Houston, Texas for the 2008 C-USA Tournament, Strnadova took time to volunteer at Texas Children’s Hospital.
On the field, Strnadova has produced record setting numbers and is in position to topple several school records by the end of her final season. The 2008 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year, Strnadova has posted 19 career goals and 10 career assists in 64 career starts to accompany the second-most shots in school history with 181.
She is a two-time NSCAA All-Central Region First Team selection (2008-09). In her three seasons donning the Blue and Gray, Strnadova has earned first team All-C-USA honors each season. A three-time C-USA Champion, Strnadova was selected as Soccer Buzz Central Region first team in 2007 and 2008, Soccer Buzz Freshman All-America second team and was the Soccer Buzz Central Region Freshman of the Year in 2007.
As a member of the winningest class in program history with over 50 wins, Strnadova eyes a fourth-straight C-USA Championship ring and a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time.
The Las Cruces, N.M. native became Memphis’ first Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award nominee in the preseason. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
Strnadova and the Lady Tigers are Back 4 More in 2010 as they seek their fourth straight Conference USA Championship. The goals don't stop there, however.
"I really want to win more games than my freshman year when we won 17 games," said Strnadova. "Getting farther into the NCAA's is definitely a team goal, too."
Be sure to follow Lady Tiger all season long on www.gotigersgo.com. Memphis next plays Sept. 24 at Colorado College. The Lady Tigers next home game is slated for Oct. 1 when they take on the Knights of UCF at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.
