Oh Captain, My Captain!
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August 21, 2006 by
This weekend, NU announced the captains of its football team for the 2006-2007 season. All three are seniors. Two were fairly obvious choices- quarterback Zac Taylor, and defensive end Adam Carriker. The third - Brandon Rigoni - might surprised some people, but is also a fantastic choice. Individually, they are very different. Collectively, they are fantastic choices as captains.
We've all heard the Zac Taylor story over and over. He's a great kid, son of a coach, took a long and strange route to NU, has the respect of his teammates, is a coach on the field, and all of that. Just because I've read it or heard it a thousand times doesn't make it less true. He was made to be a team captain. And, I'm proud to see his teammates reward him with that honor. I know our offense will have a leader on the field at all times. Now, just keep him healthy, and he could steer this team to a special place.
On defense, Adam Carriker is an absolute monster. Probably wasn't too hard for teammates to select Adam. Want to know who the captain is - just look for the biggest, toughest SOB on the field. Seriously, he's a 6'6, 290 lb wall of hurt out there. The story about Carl Nicks going against Carriker in practice says it all. They collided, and Nicks heard bells for the next several stations of practice. No doubt, Carriker is "all bus team" in terms of his physical look. But, the senior has earned the respect of his teammates by his very hard work more than his NFL potential.
And when our captains walk to the center of the field for the coin toss, there next to the 6'6' Carriker will stand a 5'6'' piece of dynamite named Brandon Rigoni. Being built like a fire hydrant never stopped Rigoni from being a demon on the football field. The senior and former walk on earned his teammates respect by being a special teams stalwart and practice fanatic. He grew up in Lincoln idolizing Husker football. And his election as captain speaks volumes about how this team values special teams, great effort, and leadership in all forms.
NU's captains are players with vastly different physical statures, routes to NU, and playing potential following their college days. As different as they are individually, there is something they share collectively - enormous heart and will to win. Their election as captains, more than anything else I've heard this summer, has made me hopeful about this team's chances in the fall.
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Jeremy Aug 21 06
I was in North Carolina this week and read an article about the strange 'nebraska-nc exchange program' (Dukes, Dailey, & Beck to various NC schools, and Taylor (from NC's Wake Forest)). They seemed happy to get them, even though Dailey's likely to get beat out by a freshman, but I'd trade the three for taylor any time.
I dig BRN, and GBR!