Two awesome Dom Whaley stories this week

[badger]

One was in this week's ESPN Magazine, somewhere between all the pics of naked athletes (no joke):

Link (http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7036184/cfb-oklahoma-sooners-walk-rb-running-back-dominique-whaley-star)


HIS LIFE IS SO WEIRD right now. Take tonight, late on a Tuesday at an IHOP in Norman, Dominique Whaley is sitting next to freshman Brandon Williams -- the Sooners' top and nation's No. 5 running back recruit and, to hear some in town tell it, the second coming of Adrian Peterson -- but all eyes are on the guy who wasn't recruited by any team or ranked by any service.

Whaley walked on to Oklahoma 22 months ago and still doesn't have a scholarship. The junior helped pay his way by working at Subway. Yet he is the featured running back for one of the top teams in the country. He's the guy who scored four touchdowns in the season opener against Tulsa, beat down Florida State's defense two weeks later and picked up 150 total yards against Missouri. "The weirdest thing is how many people have asked me for autographs," Whaley says between forkfuls of food. "Friends who I tell, 'I know you. Why are you asking me?'"

Another in today's Tulsa World:

Link (http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/OU/article.aspx?subjectid=92&articleid=20111007_92_B1_CUTLIN516595)


As the setting sun painted a golden glow across Central Texas, Christiana Spalding was having too much fun to notice that the air conditioning in her apartment had gone out again.


This grandmother of 14 sat proudly between three boxes of photographs, with a thick photo album on her lap, reliving the memories of all her babies.

One in particular, a fuzzy-headed Dominique Whaley captured her attention. He sits smiling, dressed in red and white with a football in his lap and a red helmet to the side. He is but 10 months old.

"He was always such a good baby, a good boy," she says.

Now, Whaley is a good running back, a good football player. A good Oklahoma Sooner. He'll be a key player on Saturday as No. 3 OU clashes with No. 11 Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Congrats on all the publicity Dom. You'll get your scholly soon or we'll riot on your behalf :D

[Keller Sooner]

Nice reads. Thanks for posting badger.

[A Sooner in Texas]

It seems almost as if he was destined to be a Sooner. Sounds like a great kid, too. Go Dom!

[DCsooner22]

I hope he runs for 300 yards tomorrow.

[badger]

I hope he runs for 300 yards tomorrow.

Why stop there :D

:les: I HOPE HE RUNS FOR 400 YARDS TOMORROW! [hairGel]

[sooneredaco]

Great reads!!! Thanks for the post

[rainiersooner]

This winter, OU trainers timed him running a 4.39 40. He also leaped 11.1 feet in the broad jump and 40.5 inches in the vertical, breaking Peterson's team records in both categories. "That got [coaches'] attention pretty quick," Johnson says with a laugh.

I love that!

[cccasooner2]

I'm having difficulty with the karaoke maestro part of the story, so I'll have to learn to be tolerant of others. :D

[SoonerTerry]

Why stop there :D

:les: I HOPE HE RUNS FOR 400 YARDS TOMORROW! [hairGel]

500

[SoonerTerry]

Congrats on all the publicity Dom. You'll get your scholly soon or we'll riot on your behalf :D

IN

[BigJerm7]

This would make a great movie. They made that movie Rudy and he sucked lol.

[pphilfran]

I'll be happy if he tops a hundred...

[MyT Oklahoma]

Great reads. Glad he's a Sooner.

[badger]

500

You win :(

OH WAIT! 500 YARDS PLUS A TOUCHDOWN!

:D

Also, I ate Subway for the first time in a long time in Dom's honor. I hope someday he's in the NFL and has an endorsement deal with them. Anyone try one of his sandwiches? Is he quite the sandwich artist, or does he just zip through the line, dodge the condiments and spike the sub in your hand? ;)

[LVSOONER15]

Very nice reads. Thank you.

[Mark_in_Tulsa]

You win :(

OH WAIT! 500 YARDS PLUS A TOUCHDOWN!

:D

)

All on the first drive!!!!

[King Barry's Back]

One was in this week's ESPN Magazine, somewhere between all the pics of naked athletes (no joke):

Excellent read. Thanks, Badj. By the way, got a link to those naked athletes? :smug:

[badger]

Excellent read. Thanks, Badj. By the way, got a link to those naked athletes? :smug:

Are you kidding?!?!??!

...of course I do :D

Full disclosure: In case anyone is new, I am a girl.

http://pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=714&ptp_photo_id=espnmag:9693746&size=420x300_mb&re=1&m=1318019979.0

More here. (http://espn.go.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/7030506/bodies-want-2011#1)

Warning: NSFW. They basically make the athletes look naked. The call it "The Body Issue" but I still call it "sports porn" :eek:

[BeaSooner]

...
http://pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=714&ptp_photo_id=espnmag:9693746&size=420x300_mb&re=1&m=1318019979.0

More here. (http://espn.go.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/7030506/bodies-want-2011#1)



YOWZERS!!!!

[badger]

To make it Dom Whaley related: Blake will be the guest picker of Gameday at the site that Dom will rush for 500 yards on the opening drive in :D

[sooneron]

Are you kidding?!?!??!

...of course I do :D

Full disclosure: In case anyone is new, I am a girl.

http://pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=714&ptp_photo_id=espnmag:9693746&size=420x300_mb&re=1&m=1318019979.0

More here. (http://espn.go.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/7030506/bodies-want-2011#1)

Warning: NSFW. They basically make the athletes look naked. The call it "The Body Issue" but I still call it "sports porn" :eek:

To be perfectly honest, some of that photography is rillay good and I'm not talking from a *boing viewpoint.

[Lott's Bandana]

My cover had Hope Solo instead of Blakester...and her image was almost disturbing, certainly disappointing.

Wonder if they send them based on gender name on subscription? Seems like that might be difficult, since they ship from Stooly.

[ouduckhunter]

Are you kidding?!?!??!

...of course I do :D

Full disclosure: In case anyone is new, I am a girl.

http://pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=714&ptp_photo_id=espnmag:9693746&size=420x300_mb&re=1&m=1318019979.0

More here. (http://espn.go.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/7030506/bodies-want-2011#1)

Warning: NSFW. They basically make the athletes look naked. The call it "The Body Issue" but I still call it "sports porn" :eek:

Thank you, Badger! I needed a little pick me up!! Wow! :tickled_pink:

[VA Sooner]

Good story on Whaley.... good kid.

[cvsooner]

Another great story on Whaley from Sports Illustrated: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1191152/index.htm

[SunnySooner]

A fiancee and two kids!! And looking for a job. I feel so bad for him!!! I know the policy has always been to wait a year, and then see if they are still the starter next year, then give the scholly, but it's not like he just showed up. I wish they would take a team vote or something, and see if they could make an exception in Dom's case, poor guy is bustin *** for this team, and we NEED him, big time!!! Mebbe we should start a facebook page--DOLLARS FOR DOM!!!! SCHOLLY FOR SPEED!! PAY FOR THE POINTS!!!! Boy needs time to work out, not work!!!

[olevetonahill]

He will get his scholly in Jan.
Coach has already said he dont award em in the middle of a semester.

[SunnySooner]

He will get his scholly in Jan.
Coach has already said he dont award em in the middle of a semester.

I hope so, Vet. The article has a Stoops quote saying the tradition has been to wait a year. I REALLY hope that's incorrect!!

[SoonerofAlabama]

A fiancee and two kids!! And looking for a job. I feel so bad for him!!! I know the policy has always been to wait a year, and then see if they are still the starter next year, then give the scholly, but it's not like he just showed up. I wish they would take a team vote or something, and see if they could make an exception in Dom's case, poor guy is bustin *** for this team, and we NEED him, big time!!! Mebbe we should start a facebook page--DOLLARS FOR DOM!!!! SCHOLLY FOR SPEED!! PAY FOR THE POINTS!!!! Boy needs time to work out, not work!!!

NCAA says...

bad idea.

[olevetonahill]

I hope so, Vet. The article has a Stoops quote saying the tradition has been to wait a year. I REALLY hope that's incorrect!!
He was here last year from what I understand

[SunnySooner]

He was here last year from what I understand

Wait a year AFTER he starts. So, for a walkon to get a scholly, they have to win the starting position, play that season, and then still be the starter the following season. Like this year, Ratterree and Winchester finally got their schollies like in July or so, after having played so much of 2010, and being expected to play a lot in 2011.

Or, that's how I understood it, I hope I'm wrong!!! I wish they would give it to him yesterday!!

[looch]

I hope he runs for 300 yards tomorrow.

This should be a vBet.

[101sooner]

Again, I'm not taking anything away from Whaley, but in all fairness, we should clear something up about Dom and his financial situation.

His parents are dual military at the rank of E-7 and E-8 which means if you factor in tax free housing allowances and other benefits, their combined income is well over 100K. Secondly, they have both been deployed multiple time which causes hardship, but it also adds about 10-15K in income because of hazardous duty pay, family separation pay and the fact that they are in a tax zone the entire time they are deployed.

But here is the main point.

From the SI article:

"The G.I. Bill, via Damaris—who recently learned that she's being deployed to Afghanistan at the end of this month—only goes so far to cover Dominique's expenses, which, including yearly tuition of $7,854, come to about $20,000 annually. Not to mention the bills of his fiancée, who's training to be a nurse, and of their now two little boys, a three-year-old and a four-month-old."

What this means is that Whaley is using his mothers Post 9-11 GI bill benefits. So his tuition, books and fees are paid for and every month he gets about $1,000 in a housing allowance. So he's actually getting about 8K in tuition paid for and another 12K to help with bills. So he is in essence, on a type of scholarship. Now I fully understand that he also has a wife and two kids and that's why he has to work to pay the bills, but he's not racking up all sorts of student loans and living in complete poverty. Also, I am not certain, but I think that as long as he's in college, him and his children's medical is covered by the Army.

So his parents aren't poor and he's on the GI Bill.

Now please don't shoot me. It's still a great story and he's a fantastic Sooner and obviously a man of great character and work ethic.

[swardboy]

I suspected there was some sort of financial arrangement(s) that enabled him to take the plunge and walk-on. Thanks 101.

[Lott's Bandana]

His "dependency" depends on his age, which I don't know.

Full time college dependents keep their benefits until age 23, I believe. At least that's the way it worked with my kiddos.

[101sooner]

His "dependency" depends on his age, which I don't know.

Full time college dependents keep their benefits until age 23, I believe. At least that's the way it worked with my kiddos.

Cool.

What I don't know is if those benefits are also for his two kids. Do they have access to TriCare as dependents of a dependent? Also, if he was to get married, would that effect his status as a dependent? My guess is that his kids have TriCare access and that if got married, his wife wouldn't. Also, if he gets his full ride, would he still get his GI Bill housing allowance and if the VA would allow this, would the NCAA allow it? I don't know.

Anyway, glad he's on our team.

[SunnySooner]

Only Dom gets any type of military benefits, GI Bill, Tricare, etc., and only while he's younger than 23 or 24 (can't remember, not an issue for us yet), and a full-time, unmarried student, still being claimed by his parents on their income taxes. His fiancee and kids don't get squat from the Army, unless Dom's parents have legally adopted their grandchildren, which I don't think they have. The minute Dom gets married, graduates, leaves school, or ages out, he's on his own as well. Which, yeah, is why he's not married, I'd bet.

The GI bill is probably the only reason he's getting to play at all, so YAY!! for his parent's service, yay for the change in the law (hope it's still around when my kids need it!!), yay for Dom being significantly younger than Gramps Weeden, and still getting to use this great benefit for military kids, and yay for OU being close enough to Lawton for it all to work out with his family commitments. We definitely got the good end of that deal!!!

Oh, and I'm not 100% sure how the GI bill works with schollys, I think it becomes like secondary health insurance, it comes in and picks up what your scholly leaves off. So, if he does get one, he may not need the Bill at all.

[101sooner]

Oh, and I'm not 100% sure how the GI bill works with schollys, I think it becomes like secondary health insurance, it comes in and picks up what your scholly leaves off. So, if he does get one, he may not need the Bill at all.

But if the GI Bill picked up where the scholly leaves off, would the NCAA allow the $1,000 a month housing allowance? Because if not, it's questionable that a scholarship would help him is what I'm getting at. A full ride with meals for him or all tuition paid plus a $1000 a month to support his family.

Anyway, good for us either way.

[gwydion]

Whaley walked on to Oklahoma 22 months ago and still doesn't have a scholarship.

Is that correct? I thought he was playing at Langston last year.