Manuel Johnson brought his former coach, Jeff Traylor, some souvenirs from his collegiate career Wednesday.
The Dallas Cowboys draftee brought jerseys from the University of Oklahoma, the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl. On two of the three, Johnson wore the number one.
“I never allow anyone to use number one here,” Coach Traylor mused as he looked at the East-West Shrine Game jersey, “and that is the number he wore.”
Many fans of the Gilmer Buckeyes, though, would be quick to acknowledge that if any alum of the school deserved to wear that numeral on his jersey, it would have to be the young man who led the Buckeyes to an undefeated 16-0 season and the state championship in 2004.
As a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys, Johnson has the number 87, his first 2-digit number.
“Yes, and I do not like it either,” Johnson commented.
Recently, the Upshur County native went to his first workout with fellow Cowboy draft picks. Johnson was picked in the seventh round. On the second of the three planned days of workouts, the Cowboys were working in the indoor facility at Valley Ranch when a downdraft of wind started breaking the facility up.
“I was on a down-and-out pattern when I saw the building breaking up, and I just kept going out,” said the wide receiver hopeful.
“When it flew, I flew,” Johnson told his aunt Lula Johnson.
Traylor plans to have the jerseys framed and mounted on the Field House wall where currently three jerseys hang from the three Buckeyes — Justin Johnson, Curtis Brown and David Snow — who have played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
RECEIVING SOUVENIRS from one of his former players who just concluded a successful collegiate career, Gilmer Athletic Director Jeff Traylor, left, takes the East-West Shrine Game jersey from the new Dallas Cowboys draft pick, Manuel Johnson, who played for the Buckeyes from 2002 to 2004 with Traylor as his head coach. Resting on Johnson’s arm is his jersey from the Senior Bowl, the first time he wore a 2-digit number. Johnson, a seventh-round selection out of OU, recently flew out of the collapsing Dallas Cowboy indoor practicing facility when it gave way during a thunderstorm at a rookie mini camp at Valley Ranch in Irving. He is wearing No. 87 for the Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys draftee brought jerseys from the University of Oklahoma, the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl. On two of the three, Johnson wore the number one.
“I never allow anyone to use number one here,” Coach Traylor mused as he looked at the East-West Shrine Game jersey, “and that is the number he wore.”
Many fans of the Gilmer Buckeyes, though, would be quick to acknowledge that if any alum of the school deserved to wear that numeral on his jersey, it would have to be the young man who led the Buckeyes to an undefeated 16-0 season and the state championship in 2004.
As a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys, Johnson has the number 87, his first 2-digit number.
“Yes, and I do not like it either,” Johnson commented.
Recently, the Upshur County native went to his first workout with fellow Cowboy draft picks. Johnson was picked in the seventh round. On the second of the three planned days of workouts, the Cowboys were working in the indoor facility at Valley Ranch when a downdraft of wind started breaking the facility up.
“I was on a down-and-out pattern when I saw the building breaking up, and I just kept going out,” said the wide receiver hopeful.
“When it flew, I flew,” Johnson told his aunt Lula Johnson.
Traylor plans to have the jerseys framed and mounted on the Field House wall where currently three jerseys hang from the three Buckeyes — Justin Johnson, Curtis Brown and David Snow — who have played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
RECEIVING SOUVENIRS from one of his former players who just concluded a successful collegiate career, Gilmer Athletic Director Jeff Traylor, left, takes the East-West Shrine Game jersey from the new Dallas Cowboys draft pick, Manuel Johnson, who played for the Buckeyes from 2002 to 2004 with Traylor as his head coach. Resting on Johnson’s arm is his jersey from the Senior Bowl, the first time he wore a 2-digit number. Johnson, a seventh-round selection out of OU, recently flew out of the collapsing Dallas Cowboy indoor practicing facility when it gave way during a thunderstorm at a rookie mini camp at Valley Ranch in Irving. He is wearing No. 87 for the Cowboys.
Comments