You forgot about Ramon Burroughs, beast of a semi-pro player in Minnesota!
He went to Pittsburg State in 1997 afte playing one season with OU.
http://www.pittstategorillas.com/football/lettermen/A-C.html
http://www.mnthunderbirds.org/team/?n=23
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Semi-pro football: Ex-Sooner finds a home with T-Birds
By Frank Rajkowski
[email protected]
Throughout his first two seasons with the Mid-America Football League's Central Minnesota Thunderbirds, cornerback Ramon Burroughs has demonstrated a knack for coming up with the big play.
And if last Saturday's season opener was any indication, his third season is not going to be any different.
"I have a nose for the football," said Burroughs, who blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a third quarter safety in a 29-3 victory over the River City Roughriders at Clemens Stadium. "When you're a defensive back, you're kind of out on an island. You have to have a knack for getting to the football.
"The play is never over until the final whistle blows."
A native of Muskogee, Okla., the 31-year-old Burroughs played two years of junior college football at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, generating serious interest from Division I recruiters. He first looked seriously at LSU before eventually deciding on the University of Oklahoma.
He spent the 1996 season with the Sooners, earning a letter, but differences with the coaching staff led him to transfer to Division II Pittsburg (Kansas) State, where he helped lead the Gorillas to an NCAA playoff berth in 1997.
"It wasn't a great relationship with the coaches at Oklahoma," Burroughs said. "We didn't see eye to eye on a few things. I had heard a lot about Pittsburg State and some of those schools, so I went there and it was a better fit for me."
Burroughs said he had several workouts with NFL teams following his collegiate career, but at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, his size worked against him with pro scouts.
He, his wife Jill (whom he met in junior college and whose parents had ties to Spicer) and their daughter eventually relocated to Central Minnesota, settling in Cold Spring, where he works for Custom Stone Interiors.
He joined the Thunderbirds prior to the 2003 season and head coach Chad Baldwin is grateful to have him on board.
"He's one of those guys that, when you watch him play, you think he should be playing someplace else," said Baldwin, whose team returns to action when it takes on the Northern Wisconsin Reapers at 5 p.m. July 9 in Ladysmith, Wis. "He could definitely be playing at the arena level, but we're tickled pick to have him here.
"He's so talented. He's in his early 30s, but you'd never know that by his performance. He's definitely our shut-down corner. He can cover any receiver in this league."
Burroughs has been selected to play in two All-American Bowl all-star games during his tenure with the team and has earned semi-pro All-American honorable mention distinction. Perhaps his biggest impact has come on special teams, though, blocking kicks and punts. He had two blocks in a game against the Roughriders last year and was back at it again Saturday.
"I have a drive to get to the football," Burroughs said. "As long as I've been playing this sport, I've learned the signs to look for. I watch the center. Once I see his pectorals flex, I'm jumping because the ball is going to be coming right behind."
Burroughs said playing with the Thunderbirds has helped him meet a lot of new people.
"Before I started playing with these guys, I didn't know a lot of people up here, but we all hang out now," Burroughs said. "We'll get together on the weekends and do stuff. It's been a lot of fun."
But it is his competitive drive that really keeps Burroughs coming back to the sport.
"It doesn't pay anything here," Burroughs said. "We're all just weekend warriors. But there are a ton of great athletes in this league. When you get out there, you're tested to the limits of your ability. It's a great place to be."
And Steven Riddley, a JUCO transfer safety who played at OU in 1996...then finished his career at Abilene Christian in 2002?
http://www.acu.edu/sports/football/news/020219fbsigns.html
http://www.gofridaynight.com/1998/2002/sports/brett1114.html
http://www.texnews.com/1998/2002/sports/rid0115.html
And
Web posted Tuesday, January 15, 2002
5:17 a.m. CT
Former Plainview star Riddley to resume grid career, finish at Abilene Christian
By Mike Lee
[email protected]
It's been four years since Steven Riddley played organized football, but the former Plainview High School star wants to use his final season of college eligibility.
And earn a college degree.
So Riddley enrolled Monday at Abilene Christian University to finish his degree in sociology and play a year as a defensive back for the Division II Wildcats.
"It's just another challenge," said Riddley, who last played in 1997 as an alternating free safety for the Oklahoma Sooners. "I've not really stayed in shape. I've played a lot of basketball at the gym. It's going to take time to get in shape for football. I'm already dreading that."
Riddley, an all-state football and basketball player at Plainview during the mid-1990s, became interested in returning to college upon meeting with ACU assistant coach Scott Parr, a former Plainview teammate of Riddley's.
"I visited down there (Abilene) and ran into Scott," Riddley said. "He said, 'I know you want to finish your last year of football and school.' I was hesitant at first. But when I thought about it, I agreed with it. I wanted to play the game I love once again, so why not take a chance at it.
"I haven't lost my talent so it's just a matter of getting back in shape."
Riddley was an all-state safety on the 1994 Plainview football team and an all-state guard on the Bulldogs' 1994-95 basketball team. He averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds during his senior basketball season, helping Plainview win the 1995 Class 4A championship as MVP of the state tournament.
He played two years of junior college football at Northeastern Oklahoma before graduating and transferring to OU. Riddley left the Sooners after one season for personal reasons.
Riddley returned to Plainview before the 1998 football season and now has two sons: Zachery, 4, and Braxton, 3.
"Not playing my last year at OU was like a major setback," Riddley said. "It was a shock. In the last four years I just sat back and looked at everything. I didn't know if I wanted to go back or leave it alone. At one time I had left it alone, but I finally had the urge to come back.
"It's totally different now. I've got a lot more at stake. I'm here to play football, but I'm also here to get a degree. I've got a family to support. Before when I played, it was just me. Now the focus is more on the family."
Riddley could be joined in the ACU secondary by Rod Ansley, another former Plainview player.
Ansley was academically ineligible to play for the Wildcats last season but has since regained his academic standing.