Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

[Thugger Jackson]

Ever since I was six, I wanted to be a Naval Officer. My dad was one, his dad was one, and my great-great grandparent was one of the first black Naval Officer. My dad was "retired" but he was sent on his last trip tour to Iraq. My mom used to work for the Red Cross, she still does, just part-time. Born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, all people ever talked about was Navy Prep Irish Football. We had mastered the art of the gridiron, and I was their leader. A four year starter, I led them to a State Championship on my sophomore year, threw for 2,500 yards and 25 TD's. I was kind of a bigshot, people loved me, but everyone knew I was destined to be a Naval Officer, till that one season. The season started on the right foot, we won our first 7 games, went on to finish the season 14-1. A lot of people tought I had the skills set to make it to the pro's but why would I break 5 straight generations of Naval Officer's, I don't know. A lot of people stated noticing me, some small schools came by, such as Florida A&M, and Virginia Union, Navy wasn't allowed to recruit. It was the first game of the playoffs, when I transformed from the normal, 6 foot 5 and 235 pound guy that had huge military expectations into a future Hall of Famer. This is the David Sanders Story.

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

The smell of half eaten oranges and spilled Gatorade filled the locker room. It was the first playoff game. I was the League MVP, threw for 3,000 yards and 27 TD's. I hated playing away, but this tournament and league was tough. Two teams were undefeated, three had one loss.We were playing the Aspen Hills Lakers, the game was a blowout for the most part, till my pocket collapse, which force me to run, which usually ended up in a fumble. We ended up winning 42-30. I threw for 412 yards and 5 TD's and rushed for 76 yards but fumbled 4 times. I spotted some scouts in the crowd, Arkansas, Rutgers, Marshall, Florida Atlantic, UL Monroe and Ole Miss. I knew if they spoke to Coach Dean, he will say that I am not interested. Dean was the families long time friend, Dean was a former Navy Midshipmen, he backed up Roger Staubach for all of his career at Navy. Went on to serve his country in Panama, then came back as a teacher at Navy Academy, then a teacher at Navy Prep and coach of the Irish. The ride back to Annapolis was pretty long, around 2 hours., but it felt like eternity.
"Coach?"
"Yes, Dave."
"Would you be mad if I played college ball at like Maryland or Virginia Tech and didn't go to the Navy?"
"Well, it depends. If you are going to the Navy to play college ball and to later go pro, then yes I would be mad, but if you don't plan on joining the Navy, then no. I won't mad" he said.

The trip was silent. Most of the guys were sleeping or talking about that sub-par hit they made on a guy, I always sat in front with Coach Dean. He was like my second father. I would never talk to my pops about not going to Navy, he would of legally disowned me.

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

We play Clinton High School Tigers next. They were the defending Champions. We played away again, the home and away really sucked. It was determined by seating capacity. Our stadium could only hold about 1,000-2,000 people, the average attendance was 5,000 for High School Playoffs. The stadium was getting fixed, but wouldn't be ready till our next game, I hate playing away, I had missed the Turf, we were the only team in Maryland to use turf. We rarely practiced in The Turf. I liked the idea of being on the road, hanging with teammates, sleeping in motels. Contrary to popular beliefs, we played our games on Sunday, not on Friday. We would leave Annapolis on Friday, arrive late Friday night or sometimes Saturday morning. We practiced on the public field of that town, slept in motels, it was a great experience. I rarely had time to go to the pool or even just hang out like the other guys usually. I had the privilege of calling my own plays, running my own offense. That also meant, I had to learn the whole playbook by heart, we had around 100 plays, I had to remember at least 15 different audibles per drives and per formation, it was tough, but after my Junior year, it got easier. It was a pretty boring game, it was a boring crowd, a boring city and a boring team. They ran a vannila defense, till we got in the endzone. My receivers dropped 2 straight passes and they failed to cutback which cost me a pick, unlike my father, I was cool tampered. Just game them a pat on the shoulders and started playing around with them, I never got mad at my teammates, O-Line, coaches and even receivers. The game stayed pretty close for the entire game. I was really tired, my o-line was getting beat, my receivers were dropping passes, but my best friend, Jimmy Otten a.k.a the Inverted Oreo, never dropped passes. He was our starting TE, but more like a receiver than a blocker. He ran most of the complicated routes. He was a senior, he was going to Navy but to study and become a Naval Officer. He was really good at Marine Biology, he was a 2 star prospect. We won 35-17. My performance was pretty poor to my standard. 14 out of 31 with 408 yards and 4 TD's. My comptetion percentage was horrible, I ran for negative 32 yards and fumbled twice. Fortunately, Maryland and VT, my two favorite schools, were not here. Only Cincinnati, Houston, Idaho, Utah State, Louisville and Tulane showed up. I had gain a prospect star though, I went from 2 star to 3 star prospect.

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

Rivals.com
from Yahoo! Sports


Bio:
James David Sanders Jr. was born to James Sanders and Sharon Smith on December 12, 1992 in Annapolis Hospital in Annapolis, Maryland.
He stands at 6'5 and weighs 235-240 pounds.
He is a three time All-American and holds all of Maryland's major passing record.
He has won two state MVP's.
He gets the nickname "The Chief" for his play calling style which he develop from Peyton Manning and Jim Kelly.
Prefers name David to not be confused with father
Father serve his country in Panama and Iraq. Currently on last tour in Iraq.
Mother served for Red Cross for over 10 years. Met father at a Wounded Soldier Conference, the two fell in love and got married.
Has two brothers, Shaun and Jerome
Both are Naval Officers. Shaun is 22 years old, Jerome is 24 and both are on tours to Afghanistan.
Style: Pro Style offense, Air Raid or Spread
Pros: Great arm strength, prototype build, leadership, vision and intangibles
Cons: sub-par accuracy, ability to hang on to football, small school type quarterback,

Comparison: Peyton Manning
David has a great arm, he can throw a 65 yarder easily, has great patience in the pocket and makes great decisions. His 6'5 build enables him to step up and make deep throws while under pressure. He has the decision making ability to play in a pro style offense, but his inability to perform under big games(Threw 4 INT's in his Championship Game in his sophomore year, but Won the Game) as some big schools, like Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and home state favorite Maryland wonder whether he can play in big bowls and conference games. Expect him to go to Virginia Tech, Navy or Maryland.

[hockeyplaya2724]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

I like the story line a lot, you're doing a really good job with this. Only one problem though, he's 6'5" but is only 135-140 pounds? Maybe adjust it to 180+ pounds. Good job though

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

I like the story line a lot, you're doing a really good job with this. Only one problem though, he's 6'5" but is only 135-140 pounds? Maybe adjust it to 180+ pounds. Good job though

oh my bad, i meant 230-240 pounds. gonna edit.

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

We finally we're playing at home. The Silver Spring Mariners were pretty good, better than use. They were one of the one loss teams, but their stadium was like ours, except smaller. It didn't even have a goalpost. Reading all the signs saying 'Take State' and 'Home of the Irish' were encouraging. They're defense was tough. The pass coverage wasn't good, but they blitz on every play. We won 45-17. It was a pretty close game till the 4th quarter. They're blitzers got tired of chasing me around. I only threw for 280 yards and 5 TD and rushed for 107 yards, Nebraska, Oregon, Pittsburgh, UL Lafayette, New Mexico State and Cincinnati came back for a visit and I spoke to coach Butch

"How are you, David?"
"Pretty good, coach, the game was great, my line and receivers struggle but hey, where going to the State Championship."
"OK, I wanted to be the first to offer you a scholarship, I know now a days its done by email or phone, but I wanted to formally give you a scholarship"
"Thanks a lot Coach, I don't know yet, I'm not sure I'm gonna play football yet, so this is a really tough time"
"Take your time, son"


My mom saw me talk to Coach Butch. On home games, I road with my family while the rest of the team went on the bus.

"I saw you talking to that coach, where is he from?"
"Cinci, Ohio."
"What do you plan to do, I need an answer, every five minutes the phone is ringing and it's some coach asking for you"
"Sorry, ma, I don't know."
"Well, whatever decision you decide to take, I will support and respect you. Just don't go to Army and Force!"

Ma was pretty about it, dad was the one I was worrying about. He was coming back in 2 weeks, we talked once in a while via the phone or the internet, but never dared talk about it. The worst thing about going to Navy Prep was that 99% of its students went on to Navy, the rest either dropped out or decided to do something normal, like John Hopkins University. Only 3 people in Navy Prep history had ever not gone to Navy, all went to John Hopkins.

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

The conference championship game was so much fun, even before it got started. The trip was quite short, two hours. The hype of the game was huge. We were playing in front of over 50,000 people in Byrd Stadium. We were playing the East Riverdale Mustangs. They're bright yellow and purple uniform was famous throughout Maryland. I spent most of the weekend visiting Maryland University. They had invited me and since we we're already there, I decided to drop by. Got to check out their weight room, the practice field, they even let us practice in their practice field. Maryland had yet to send me a scholarship but I didn't check. My mom hid all my scholarships so I could focus, like I requested after Boston College offered me early on in the season. I was so distracted, we loss that game. The game was great, we were down by 3 with 1 minute left. Took my boys down the field and score. We were up by 4 with 44 seconds left when I made that prayer, the prayer I would never. Richard, as always, led his team down the field to the 31 yard line. With less than 26 seconds left, he threw a completion to Deon Banks on the 7 yard line. W e need to stop them. After 3 straight fail attempts, it was fourth down. My whole career, my whole legacy, my whole life was in the hands of our defense. He took a low snap and hit his receiver for the touchdown. We had lost the game, I remember crying, not even being able to stand upright, just trying to find a shoulder for support. I just put a towel over my head, sat on the bench, watch the Mustangs celebrate for the next few hours. The fact that I had thrown 300 passing yards and 3 TD's and was now a five star prospect didn't matter to me. The fact that Ohio State, Boise State, Wisonsin, Florida, USC and even Alabama was in attendance didn't bother me. That's when I knew I wanted to play football for the rest of my life.

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

"Dad?"
"Yes"
"I want to play football"
"Kinda busy right now and too old, ask one of your friends"
"I mean I want to play football, for the rest of my life"

He put down his glasses, folded his laptop and scratched his head.

"You see, when I was your age, I grew up watching Roger Staubach and Coach Dean win big time games up at Navy, I wanted to be a football player like them. What I am saying is that, sometimes there is difference between dreams and destiny. I was destined to be a Naval Officer, not a football player. I don't know what you're destined for, I don't know what you will exceel, only god knows, but follow what both your heart and brain tell you.

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

As expected my top five were Virginia Tech, Maryland, Notre Dame,North Carolina and Navy. I would be a backup at Virginia Tech and Navy and start at Notre Dame, Maryland and North Carolina. I was leaning towards either Notre Dame, Maryland and Virginia Tech.

[Lecrae]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

You might want to read over and spell check before posting but otherwise it is a pretty good start so far.

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

After the conversation with my dad, getting somewhat his approval, I announced to Maryland that I was gonna become a Terp. I talked to Coach Dean who gave me a change to talk to one of his former players that he coached in D.C., Shawne Merriman. Shawne was perhaps the greatest Terp ever, he talked about how great of an instutition it was. I wanted to major in History, and they had a great program. My Road to Glory had started.

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

I was the day one starter, which was one of the reason I decided to go to Maryland. Our first game was against Navy, needless to say, most of my Navy friends came to College Park. As expected, we dominated the game. I threw for 327 yards and 4 TD's. Their defense was so easy, but they blitz a lot. I got a lot of love from the fans and stuff. A lot of them spend their Sunday nights watching me tear up others team defense, I was tearing up their defense now. Dad tried to be supportive, but I could see him being happy whenever Navy score. We won the game 38-24.

[Thugger Jackson]

Re: Above and Beyond-The David Sanders Story

The College life seemed nice, my roommate, Ray Thomas, was our starting receiver. He was pretty good. We play FCS Northwest the next week. We were the 41 point favorites. I had it easy, my first two games were against sub-par teams. We won 56-3. The game was never hard, it was like playing against a Junior Varsity only worse. I threw for 369 yards and 6 TD. A lot of hype was building up and jealousy. A lot of my former teammates who are all now at Navy called me a disgrace, my dad dis his best to support me, but I could see the disappointment. My grandpa was really mad, he said he will never speak to me until I win a Super Bowl with the Colts. The old man was a die hard Colts fan, more than anyone. He went to every game that the Colts played at Baltimore. I remember going to these games, watching Peyton Manning lead his offense down the field. I was a cross between Michael Vick and Peyton Manning, a lot of people said that. I could run and pass, but mostly stay in the pocket. Maryland's pro style offense was great, we passed a lot. I didn't have the right to call my own plays but the play calling was fair, I did however was able to call audibles. I was the ACC's Conference Player of the Week, things we're looking great for me.