Okay, must admit, I love football, played it from 4th grade all the way through college. I always wanted my son play but he was so small. He played 1 year in middle school, and despite the fact that he broke the school record in the 40 by .2 seconds and was .5 seconds faster than any other player on the team, and could hit like a crazy !#$$%#&,)(&#$ he never got to touch the ball. He did start on the A team as a wide out and a corner back, but again, never touched the ball. Talk about burning a potentially good kid out.

The often-used excuse is that he is "too small.” I could never deal with the concept of being "too small," especially from someone living and coaching in the Wichita area. Did anyone ever hear of Barry Sanders? You would think that some people could learn. Some of his old coaches could not believe that he had never played before because he hit so hard and ran the ball so well in practice. However, none of those was head coaches.

Here is my question, how many little guys, especially wrestlers also play football? What are the records of accomplishment and experiences of those individuals? I know it is easy for the big guys to transition, but for little guys is football better or another sport?

that is the stupidest thing ive ever heard. If youre talented in a sport play it. dont save urself for one sport. There are some kids in our school that if they played football they would be great but they save themselves for Basketball. Just play the dang sport. Don't be a Wimp

Barry didn't touch the ball much either till his senior year.

Billy you are an idiot as you prove time and time again. Just because a kid weighs 125lbs doesn't mean he can't play football. One of our CB last year, David William, also a 3x HS SQ, was an outstanding All-League CB in the NCAA, which includes Southeast of Saline, Minneapolis, and Sacred Heart to name a few. All are State caliber football teams that have a tradition. David also played against Norton and Phillipsburg without any problem being 125lbs. I bet you say that Clay Madden as well has "no business" on a football field. If memory serves me right he is a starting CB and WR as well as a great wrestler.

This is not 5/6A wrestling powerhouse country. It's western kansas where the best athletes are those that are all around atheletes. I bet you that less than 10% of the athletes in western kansas focus on just one sport. Perhaps a correlation to why western kansas has been so dominate in the tradition of kansas wrestling?

Just because you're big doesn't mean squat. It doesn't guarantee an easier transition into wrestling. You're still going to face kids your size and probably have more skill than you do as you would if you were 103lbs instead of 275lbs.

This right here is a prime example. Apparently neither paid for the bills for you in college because wait you aren't wrestling anymore, or playing football. Common sense would tell you do what you want to do. Oh tell Jeff Horinek of Atwood that you should only do one sport in High School because colleges like 1 sport atheletes and tell me what he tells you. I guarantee you that playing more than 1 sport didn't hurt his chances of greater success.

I was 5'0 96lbs my freshman year play football and wrestling and then golf. What!? A kid that small playing football yes but guess what I am still here and I was weak (not that I'm much stronger now but) and I was tiny. I got abused everyday like a tackling dummy and it only made me stronger and more determind. Wrestling only added to that, and golf took my mind off it all.

I was maybe 5'3 115lbs my sophomore year and still played football and wrestling (SQ) and then did pole vaulting on top of those two.

I was 5'9 128lbs my junior year and I still played football and wrestling. I wasn't very big and still got drilled in practice but I bet that didn't add to the mental toughness required for wrestling in anyway.

I was 6'0 145lbs. when I graduated high school after playing football and wreslting (SQ). I was never very big and playing football developed not only mental toughness but a physical toughness that did transition into wrestling.

If anyone tells you that wrestling and football have no correlation or any other sports for that matter they are stupid! There are aspects of every sport that help with others.

Alex Ryan

You didn't prove anything with those words. You didn't name anyone that was good at both sports that was little. This is what the topic is about. You and your buddies never seem to get it right. I'm saying that most little guys that wrestle, shouldn't expect to take football that serious. I'm right, and you can't prove me wrong. You named a guy from your school that didn't succeed in football or wrestling to the extent of scholarships. You also mentioned Horinek, who is a beast. If I remember correctly, the topic isn't about big guys that play football, it's little guys.

I find your words to be annoying, and you should really stop trying to make me feel bad about not wrestling or playing football in college. With every post you make about me, you only say that I didn't wrestle, as if it makes me unable to speak in wrestling matters. Well I havce news for you Alex Ryan, you're going to a community college. I attend The University of Kansas, a state school with a nice reputation. You attend Colby Community College, and not just because you wrestled. You would have gone there either way. I would also like to let you know that everything you said about football and wrestling relating is a joke. Of course they're related. I was a 2x state qualifier/placer, and I was also on the Pre and Post-Season All-State team on Hovpen.com. You didn't do squat in either sport, so stop pretending like you wrestling JV at a community college means something. My decision to not wrestle or play football is not your business, nor anyone else's. You shouldn't talk about my decision because you know nothing about what went into it. I could have wrestled. I could have played football. I hurt my knee and I didn't have a ton of money, so an opportunity to attend KU was definitely worth chosing. Have fun at community college and good luck getting looks at bigger schools when you're fourth string at a bunk school.

Last time I checked Colby was one of the top Juco Program's in the nation?

Also no where in that last post did I say anything how I'm so good I'm wrestling at Colby did I? All I said is that you aren't playing football or wrestling anymore. Stop implying things that are not implied.

Alex

Attention Forum Members:

I am not playing football, or wrestling, in college.


We know. We don't care. Let's get over it.

Ur an Idiot Billy.
There was a kid on my team this year that weighed 105 lbs and didnt get hurt in football. When his favorite sport wrestling came along he hurt his knee. Guess wat hes playing football again this year, and wrestling.
Nut it up and be a man.
Mr. Furches at no time am i talkin about ur son just to let u know.

While at Chapman I played in 8th and 9th grade. I only weighed about 145 my 8th year and 155 my 9th year. I was small for my class as everyone else was about 6'0 and 200 by then. I was told I was too small.

Even coming off the bench for 3 minutes of a game late I had 2 tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery. But I like playtime so basically figuring I would never get any PT I became the mascot and hung out with flexible cheerleaders the next 3 years!

First of all, I want to say that this has nothing to do with your son, Mike Furches. This is just something that I have noticed with football. It helps to be fast but just because you are the fastest does not mean that you are the best runner on the team. You also have to have the right technique to run the ball like cutting up the field, making good decisions and being able to "see" the field.
As far as size, my husband was an excellent defensive tackle on a winning state football team. He is only 5'6" tall. Again, his technique on the field is what helped him succeed.

Winning State Football team? Did you marry an Abilene guy?

No, No, No. I am a very proud Western Kansas woman. My heart is still there but my job is not. I plan on going back west once I hit the lottery (or retirement-whichever comes first).
My husband graduated from Plainville in 1986. He was on the Plainville 3A state football team in 1985. That was the year when 3 football teams from the same league won State (Norton 4A, Victoria 2A and Plainville 3A). Other teams in the league: Smith Center, Stockton, Trego, Osborne and Hill City.

LOL! Just checking, it's not uncommon though in Chapman or Abilene for Rivals to wind up husband and wife.

I say play what you want. I am a little biased here because I love football so much more then wrestling, but I would hate to have to choose between one sport. I also think you learn more about life if you do three sports in highschool.

Nothing personal by those mentioning Nate, I agree, another factor not mentioned is the ability to hold on to the ball and not fumble. My thing is at least give a chance to see what happens. I do think that smaller kids are at a disadvantage on a football team. Remember I played since 4th grade all the way through college. Swayz has even seen the old man's college photo. I do believe that even a 150-pound high school kid has a much better advantage than a 120-pound high school kid. The other thing is the improving size and speed of players. I know a 6'4" kid for Derby for example that is running around a 4.6 40 and this kid weighs about 265. My best 40 ever, at 185 was 4.6 and to think of being hit by someone that fast at 265 is, well, unthinkable. It is a great sport that I love but those small kids that play and succeed are special.

Thank you Mike. You are actually talking about the same thing I tried to talk about. I wasn't saying anything about kids and how they shouldn't do it, I was giving examples as to why this is true. Little guys don't play football. It's a pretty simple observation to anyone who has played football. If you look in the NFL, you will not find too many guys under 200 pounds. Of the guys that are under 200, they run 4.3 40's and have insane agility. Anyone can and should play whatever sports they please, but little guys don't play as much football because it's a rough game with nothing to even the field, unlike wrestling.

Has anyone here heard of Darren Sproles? I know he didn't wrestle, but he is a pretty little guy, and is now in the NFL.

He's a little guy that benches over 400 pounds my man. I'd say he's an exception to the rule.

Is Darren a specialty player or a down to down player? I don't know. I agree they are there, but they normally don't have long careers. One exception of a position player that I saw play in college quite a bit is Dat Nguyen the linebacker for Dallas. I think he was less than 240, which for a linebacker is small. I also had a teammate in high school who was 5' 4" and weighed 160, as a nose guard that Don Shula said was the toughest high school player he ever saw play. He had a heck of a heart but just didn't have the size. Unfortunately, he couldn't even make a college team and ended up playing baseball a game he was more suited for. I think that is a part of it as well, there are certain sizes that are better for certain sports. I was originally recruited as a tight end for example, but now a 5'11" 180-pound tight end is excessively small, even for most small college programs. Curtis gives a good name but it would be interesting to do a search of various college level programs, and pro level programs and see how many position players (they take the down to down beating) there are that are playing that are small in stature. I’ll give credit to the little guys though, to be playing football, they may be little in stature but awful big at heart.

I did just find this. The average NFL player is 6'1.5" and 245 lbs

http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/What_is_the_average_height_and_weight_of_an_NFL_football_player

Sproles is a specialty player right now, but he's playing behind Ladainian Tomlinson.