Overcoming adversity leads Tory Collins to contract with the Chicago Bears

Two years ago, former Northwestern State star Tory Collins was experiencing perhaps the most heartbreaking time of his life when Hurricane Katrina destroyed his New Orleans home and uprooted his family.

Working through adversity, the three-time All-Southland Conference defensive tackle held his head up high and continued, successfully, through the hardships of that event as he took the playing field day in and day out.

All of the hard work paid off as Collins was signed to a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears after impressing the team during last weekend’s rookie minicamp.

“That’s what motivates me to go out and work hard on the field and just continue with my goal to play in the NFL, and to be able to take care of my family,” Collins said. “My house was under water and my mom lost everything. I had 17 family members living with me in a two-bedroom apartment, but we made the best of it.”

Collins went undrafted two weeks ago in the draft, but after signing the contract with the Bears earlier in the week, he couldn’t hide his emotions as he made the journey back to Louisiana.

“I was getting ready to get on the plane and I just broke down and started crying,” Collins said. “God has blessed me, giving me this opportunity.”

Collins will get his second chance at impressing the organization next week when he reports for the Bears’ full squad minicamp and stepping on the field with NFL stars such as Brian Urlacher, Olin Kreutz and Ruben Brown.

All pomped up

Academic advisor for athletics Julie Lessiter, Margeaux Fisher, Leslie Lambert, Cameron Waugh, Ashlee Bucher, Carrie Crowell, Samantha Ford, Magali Van den Bergh, Adam Jonson

Other than a winning locker room, there's no place that's more fun to be than the hallways of Prather Coliseum in the minutes before graduation ceremonies begin.

The corridors are filled with people whose futures seemingly have no limits.

That sure seemed to be the case last Thursday evening at the traditional graduation reception for student-athletes and other athletic department personnel, hosted by director of athletics Greg Burke and the incomparable Julie Lessiter, our academic advisor for athletics.

These events serve as a reminder why we're really here. The games, the scores and the cheers of the crowd are great, but the bottom line is all about enriching the lives of the student-athletes and seeing them progress toward the goal of earning a college degree.

It's not easy. For student-athletes, balancing the demands of their responsibilities with their sport and their academic workload is a tremendous challenge.

There's little doubt that their experiences over the last 4-5 years have prepared them well for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

A tip of the cap goes to Lessiter, who is the best coach ever at Northwestern who doesn't have an official "win-loss" record to her credit. Look at the strong performances in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate report over the past three years, or the consistent strong representation of NSU on conference academic honor rolls, and as the student-athletes and coaches will tell you, a lot of the credit for that traces back to our gritty little Brit.

If Julie did have a W-L record, it would be impeccable.

High Scorers

As spectators of sport, we often marvel at the balance, adroit athleticism, and command of their bodies that athletes display as they compete. As often as we marvel at their athletic ability, we often find ourselves in awe of the tact, planning, and strategy involved in executing each play, each maneuver. All the while, athletes are expected to perform at such high levels while under the adoring eyes of their fans, the scrutiny of their coaches, and the spotlight of a sometimes unforgiving media while in the face of their rivals.

In the case of student-athletes, those same competitors who often leave us in awe are expected to balance their rigorous practice and competition schedules with academic excellence and pursuit when the game is over and the spotlight is not on them. In my opinion, it is when they succeed at this endeavor that they deserve our most ardent praise.

Recently, the NCAA released its APR (Academic Progress Rate) data for 2005-2006 and let's just say that Demon fans should be going wild. Our Women's Soccer team scored a perfect 1,000 on the scale, one of only 5 schools in the state and one of 4 schools in the conference to be recognized for such a high score. Our Men's Basketball team also repeated their fantastic 2005 scholastic performance with a 975/1000 score, tied for best in the state. That means that the best Men's Basketball program in the state is also #1 in the classroom. Against our state competitors, NSU had top two finishes in Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track, Men's Outdoor Track, Women's Basketball, and top 3 finishes in Men's Indoor Track and Baseball.

Congrats to our student-athletes for representing the Demons well at all times and in all arenas! These numbers prove that Demon student-athletes have got game and are also preparing well for the game of life.

Broussard pushing paper at a high level

Recently having successfully completed his defense of his doctoral dissertation at the University of Arizona, new assistant athletics director for external relations William Broussard presented in two paper sessions at the 2007 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in Chicago April 8-10.

AERA is "a national research society (that) strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good" (from the AERA Home Page). The conference hosts approximately 10,000 higher ED faculty, administrators, and graduate students presenting papers on various higher education topics including higher education policies and practices as well as pedagogical approaches for working with students from diverse learning and cultural backgrounds.

Broussard presented April 8 on a panel entitled "Research on the 'Front Porch' - Research and Inquiry on American Intercollegiate Athletics" with representatives from the University of Washington and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He presented a talk entitled "A Rhetoric of Resistance - The Lack of Sport Culture Scholarship in Rhetoric and Composition."

On April 9, Broussard presented during a panel sponsored by the AERA Special Interest Group on Education and Sport. He presented a paper entitled "Redressing the Education of Student-Athletes: The University Writing Program as a Locus of Student-Athlete Advocacy." The paper was about the role that university writing program professionals have played in NCAA reform in the past two decades. The panel had approximately 75 attendees and other presenters from University of Central Florida, Loyola Marymount, Asuza Pacific, University of Miami, and Indiana University.

Timmy B, Mr. Belding and friends

Pictured above (l-r)Dennis Haskins, Patrick Netherton, Doug Ireland,
Tim Brando and Mike McConathy.

The Christus Schumpert Children’s Classic is a wonderful event for a great cause.

It’s headlined by three of the brightest names in Louisiana sports – pro golfers Hal Sutton and David Toms, both Shreveport-Bossier residents, and CBS sportscaster Tim Brando.

The annual event in Shreveport and Bossier City stretches over two days and generates financial support and awareness for the Sutton Children’s Hospital in Shreveport.

Golf, of course, is the centerpiece. Brando is a catalyst for the event organizers thanks to his widespread network of friends in the sports and entertainment world. Timmy B., as friends call him, was, after all, a serious candidate to host the NBC version of “Wheel of Fortune” in 1989.

Brando is also a friend and admirer of NSU basketball coach Mike McConathy, going back to Coach Mike’s days growing up in Bossier City when he was an All-American at Airline High School.

That combined with Coach Mike’s emergence on the national college basketball scene to net him an invitation to join with other sports and entertainment figures as celebrity participants in the Tim Brando Celebrity Shootout on Sunday and an 18-hole tournament alongside Sutton, Toms and other PGA players Monday at Olde Oakes Golf Course in Bossier City.

It was fun to reunite with Dennis Haskins, the actor best known for his role as “Mr. Belding” on the popular TV sitcom “Saved by the Bell.” Haskins, a former college basketball player, is a close friend of Brando’s who actually got a big lift to his acting career in Natchitoches. He was part of the cast in the mid-1970s Louisiana Outdoor Drama Association production of “Louisiana Cavalier” and has fond memories of Lasyone’s Restaurant and other local landmarks.

I first met Haskins in February 2006 in Houma, when he was staying at the same hotel where the Demon basketball team was posted up after a win over Nicholls State, awaiting a flight to play at Utah State in the BracketBusters. He was as pleasant and unassuming then as he was this weekend.

Among the basketball figures involved – giving their time for the cause -- were Bobby Cremins, the College of Charleston coach best known as the longtime coach at Georgia Tech; Tom Penders, the former Texas and Rhode Island coach now recharging the program at Houston; and new LSU women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor.

The longtime Ole Miss women’s coach, who spent six seasons as head coach of the WNBA’s Houston Comets and was head coach of Team USA, is as gracious and down to earth as it gets. He enjoyed getting to know Coach Mike and also had fond memories of match-ups and conversations with retired Lady Demon coach James Smith.

Smith went 1-2 vs. Ole Miss while Chancellor coached, with one of the losses in Oxford by a 74-73 margin.

“James Smith was a great, great coach,” said Chancellor. “I told him we couldn’t play Northwestern any more because they were too good and hardly anybody knew it. The SEC was tough enough without lining up against his teams.”

Former Demon football player John Evans hosted assistant athletic director for external relations Dr. William Broussard, Kendra (Peters) Broussard, Demon Sports Network play by play man Patrick Netherton and myself at the Sunday night dinner, concert and pairings party in the Riverdome of the Horseshoe Casino and Hotel.