Murray State University Athletics
Childress, Sanders Embark On Final Season
8/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
They've played under two head coaches, been a part of 17 victores and watched Racer I, the school's thoroughbred mascot, take approximately 70 laps around the Roy Stewart Stadium track. And, most notably, they played key roles on last year's Ohio Valley Conference championship team.
Stewart Childress and Bobby Sanders, two young men from western Kentucky who chose to play their college football close to home, have accomplished more in their respective careers than anyone could have predicted when they arrived in Murray in August of 1999. But after all the victories and records, it's the little things that they'll remember as the two Racer seniors embark on their final season.
"Stew came up to me today befor the start of practice and said, 'You realize this is our last practice of two-a-days,'" Sanders said after Tuesday's workout. "Really, it seems like we just came in together, but you look at all the drills we've done and all the practices we've been through...How many times has Stew come up to the line and seen me coming on a blitz? Or, how many times have I run by him on a blitz and just tapped him on the shoulder? It's really emotional for me."
When the season ends this fall, they will have been in the Racer program for five years, which is a longer stint than the last three head coaches.
Childress, a quarterback from Princeton, Ky., and Sanders, a defensive back from Benton, Ky., were redshirted their first years in the program under former head coach Denver Johnson. They used the time working on the scout team and sitting in the bleachers on game days to forge a friendship as strong as the bodies they've developed through years and years in the Racer weightroom.
"Of all the guys on the team I'm closer to Bobby than anybody else," said Childress, who will start at quarterback for an unheard of fourth straight season when the Racers open the 2003 season against Valparaiso on Aug. 30.
"I've got more in common with him than anybody else on the team."
Growing up in the Purchase Area, each knew of the other and their athletic accomplishments. Childress was a do-everything athlete at Caldwell County High School, leading the Tigers to the Class AA state football championship in 1998, and Sanders was starring at Marshall County High School. Their first conversation came during a free throw in a basketball game their senior years. They did not know at the time that they'd become college teammates, much less great friends.
"We still talk about the high school days," said Sanders. "We talk about our senior year when they came to Marshall for a big football game. I think the game was tied 6-6 at halftime but we ended up winning 28-6 or something like that. I rub his nose in it all the time, telling him we were the real Class AA state champs that year."
According to Sanders, he and Childress are actually pretty different people. While Sanders is more vocal and emotional, as you'd expect from someone who has spent three years throwing his body at ballcarriers, Childress keeps to himself and is more laid back.
But when it comes to football, they're dead-on similar.
"What can you say about two kids who have done everything we've ever asked of them?" said Racer head coach Joe Pannunzio, who inherited the pair when he was named coach prior to the 2000 season. "We've had some great kids in our program since I've been here, but none better than those two. They're the kind of players that every coach loves to have on their teams and they're the kind of kids every man would want for a son.
"They've been leaders on our team for a few years now and they are a big reason we won a championship last season. Not just because they're great players, but because they're great people."
Not necessarily vocal leaders, Childress and Sanders are just two players who lead by their actions - do what's asked of you and then just a little bit more.
"Bobby and I realize that before you assume the role of a leader, you have to lead yourself," Childress explained. "You have to go to class, be solid in the community and do the right things. We have to go beyond the standard of this team and lead by example."
And, it doesn't hurt when you perform up to levels that these two have, either.
As the starting quarterback since the 2000 season, Childress has put himself in position to become the all-time MSU passing yardage leader. With 6,901 career passing yards, he is just 1,732 yards shy of Racer Hall of Famer Michael Proctor. And, he's just 2,127 yards away from becoming the OVC's all-time passing leader. Those records are more likely the result of longevity more than NFL-like talent, which is fitting for the consistent, hard-working quarterback.
"The fascinating thing about Stew is that he came in his (redshirt) freshman year and had an unbelievable season, and then he had what you might call a sophomore slump," Sanders recalled. "But he never made excuses or complained about having two shoulder surgeries. He just worked harder the next year."
Sanders also marvels at Childress' cool under pressure, and there's plenty of it when playing quarterback.
"I've never seen Stew rattled and that amazes me," said Sanders, the respect evident in his tone. "As a defensive player, I rely on ten other guys, but he's really under pressure being at the helm. I remember at Southern Illinois a couple of years ago when he led us on a winning drive in the final seconds. Or, last year against Eastern Illinois, you look at him and he never seems nervous."
When Childress looks at Sanders, he sees something entirely different.
"I love watching Bobby play. He gets that look in his eyes before the ball is snapped and you can see that he is totally focused out there," Childress said of Sanders, a two-time All-OVC selection on defense.
Sanders, the son of former Racer football player, Doc Sanders, has a chance to become the first player in Racer history to lead the team in tackles three straight seasons. A year ago, he racked up 96 tackles to rank in the OVC's top 10 and will be one of the top tacklers in the league again this season.
"I think one thing that helps us be successful is that we stay humble," said Sanders. "We don't think we're better than we are. We're always trying to improve and we work hard to get better."
But the days of throwing touchdown passes and throwing ballcarriers for losses are drawing to a close. Neither is close to deciding on what they want to do after college, but considering that each of them have grade point averages off the charts, they're not likely to struggle for work.
Until that day arrives, when they put up the helmets, they're going to enjoy their last weeks of being teammates. They're aware of the the last of everything...the last two-a-days, the last homecoming game, the last practice, the last home game, the last football game.
"Tonight, we're going to get a bite to eat and probably catch a movie," said Childress. "We're going to celebrate our last two-a-days."
While Childress and Sanders run in different circles socially, they get together when they can and most of the time the conversation centers around the team: How's the offense doing? How are you guys doing on defense?
"We always find time to do things together, but that's not the point," said Sanders. "We just share a bond. We have a common bond in the game and our experiences together and that will last the rest of our lives."
