Ladainian Tomlinson

Football

superstars

LaDainian Tomlinson

Football Tiki Barber Tom Brady Reggie Bush John Elway Brett Favre Eli Manning Peyton Manning Dan Marino Donovan McNabb

superstars Joe Montana Walter Payton Adrian Peterson Jerry Rice Ben Roethlisberger Tony Romo Barry Sanders LaDainian Tomlinson Brian Urlacher

Football

superstars

LaDainian Tomlinson Adam Woog

My thanks once again to Tom DeGraff, stalwart expert on all things football. —AW LaDainian Tomlinson Copyright © 2011 by Infobase Learning All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, contact: Chelsea House An imprint of Infobase Learning 132 West 31st Street New York, NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Woog, Adam, 1953LaDainian Tomlinson / by Adam Woog. p. cm. — (Football superstars) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-60413-757-6 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4381-3874-9 (e-book) 1. Tomlinson, LaDainian. 2. Football players—United States—Biography. I. Title. GV939.T65W66 2011 796.332092—dc22 [B] 2011004489 Chelsea House books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide Web at http://www.infobaselearning.com Text design by Erik Lindstrom Cover design by Ben Peterson and Keith Trego Composition by EJB Publishing Services Cover printed by Bang Printing, Brainerd, Minn. Book printed and bound by Bang Printing, Brainerd, Minn. Date printed: September 2011 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. All links and Web addresses were checked and verified to be correct at the time of publication. Because of the dynamic nature of the Web, some addresses and links may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid.

Contents 1

Meet LT

2

Growing Up

14

3

The College Years

26

4

LT’s Early Years as a Charger

43

5

Later Seasons with the Chargers

59

6

Off the Field

77

7

The Future

92

7

Statistics

106

Chronology

107

Timeline

108

Glossary

110

Bibliography

112

Further Reading

116

Picture Credits

117

Index

118

About the Author

125

1

Meet LT S

ome running backs in pro football are known for having moves that are incredible and dazzling. Others have greater power or more astonishing speed than their peers. Still, even among the elite players of the National Football League, there is no one quite like LaDainian Tomlinson. LT, as he’s known, has mastered an economical style of play that is all his own. He makes everything he does on the field, even the trickiest moves, seem effortless and perfectly natural. He darts around would-be tacklers, finds tiny holes to duck through, and poses the constant threat of turning each carry into a spectacular gain. As a result of these stellar performances, millions of football fans around the country have thrilled to Tomlinson’s work. In his nine seasons with the San Diego Chargers, the athlete 7

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LaDainian Tomlinson became one of the NFL’s top stars and most familiar faces, if only because he’s such a pleasure to watch. As writer Paul Attner of the Sporting News puts it, “He’s so darn much fun on the field.” Tomlinson’s performances aren’t really effortless, of course—they’re the result of countless hours of hard work and day after day of backbreaking effort. LT just makes it seem easy when he’s out there on the field. It’s not his style to grandstand or show off. And he has a reputation as a consummate team player, unselfish and willing to do whatever it takes to win. Novelist and sportswriter Dan Jenkins is one of LT’s many fans. (Jenkins is an alumnus of Texas Christian University, where Tomlinson played. He is also the author of a classic comic novel about football, Semi-Tough.) Quoted in an article by Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, Jenkins commented, “He’s a guy who can bench press a couple of offensive tackles, outrun a motorbike, and sidestep a gnat. [He] is a coach’s dream.” LT can also count among his fans many of his fellow players, other elite athletes who have been or are now at the top of their profession. Marshall Faulk, the legendary former standout for the Indianapolis Colts and the St. Louis Rams, is generally regarded as the best multipurpose back in history. Faulk is just one of the top-drawer players who especially appreciates Tomlinson’s versatility. Quoted in an article by Sports Illustrated’s Michael Silver, Faulk said, “He’s phenomenal. He’s the one who blows us all away, because he does everything.”

Record After Record LaDainian Tomlinson may be a celebrity, but he comes from notably humble beginnings. He was born in a tiny Texas town, grew up in Waco, Texas, and graduated from a small college, Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Because he did not attend one of the nation’s powerhouse football schools,

Meet LT

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson has become one of the most thrilling and entertaining players in the NFL. He is as admired for his humble personality and devotion to charity projects as he is for his athletic talent.

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LaDainian Tomlinson he developed his skills in relative obscurity. LT was not well known by sport fans on a national basis until fairly late in his college career. As a senior at Texas Christian, however, LT began to attract some serious attention from fans and pro scouts alike with his spectacular performances on the field. By the time the 2001 NFL Draft rolled around, he was considered one of the league’s brightest prospects. Picked in the first round by the San Diego Chargers, Tomlinson went on to spend nine seasons with that team. He liked being in San Diego, and for years he felt a strong loyalty to the Chargers organization. The athlete had stated time and again that he hoped to stay with San Diego until he retired. Early in 2010, however, it became apparent that the team was prepared to release him, following a string of frustrating injuries and decreased performance. Soon after he was released, he signed with the New York Jets. To many fans and analysts, LT’s early seasons with the Chargers more than fulfilled the promise he showed as a college student. Already a standout at Texas Christian, he became a starter in just his rookie year as a pro. Until the latter part of his years with the Chargers, he started in all but a handful of games.

“We Can’t Be Selfish and Worry About Only Ourselves” Tomlinson might strike terror in his opponents on the field, but off it he is polite, caring, and respectful. He is a focused, deadly athlete when it’s game time—and an understated, unpretentious man in his off-hours, with an easygoing manner and, unlike many pro athletes, a nearly scandal-free life. (He also has a fun-loving side. One of his favorite activities on a night out, according to his wife, is to race go-karts.) NBCSports.com writer Stacey Pressman commented:

Meet LT Anyone who’s ever met LaDainian Tomlinson quickly understands the adjectives quiet, humble, and gracious. For all the accolades, awards, and broken records, there’s hardly any showmanship or even the slightest bit of swagger in his step. LaDainian Tomlinson is quite the contrast from the flamboyant Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens, who arguably can be placed over in the diva camp of NFL personalities. Tomlinson is indeed the opposite. Furthermore, LT is, by all accounts, one of the least egotistical players in the NFL. He is known for remarking that he could not do what he does without support, teamwork, and

Some of LT’s Notable Achievements LaDainian Tomlinson holds the all-time NFL record for touchdowns in a single season with 31. The previous record, 28, was set in 2005 by Shaun Alexander, who was then with the Seattle Seahawks. • L T holds the NFL record for the most points scored in a single season, 186. The previous record was 176, set in 1960 by Paul Hornung of the Green Bay Packers. • LT holds the NFL record for the most games with two or more rushing touchdowns: 38. • LT holds the NFL record for the most games with three or more rushing touchdowns: 12. • LT holds the NFL record for the most games with 200 or more yards from scrimmage in a season: 5.

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LaDainian Tomlinson

Tomlinson holds many records, including one for the most points scored in a single season and the record for single season touchdowns. One reason for his success is his ability to work as part of a team rather than trying to be a superstar.

cooperation. Typical of these comments was one he made to a reporter for Sports Illustrated: It’s not like basketball, where you can just take over. It takes 11 people to accomplish something, and sometimes

Meet LT there’s a sense of urgency that when I do get an opportunity to make a play—when all 10 of my teammates are doing what they’re supposed to do—I have to come through. He has earned a strong reputation for carrying this professional sense of responsibility and cooperation into every other aspect of his life. Typifying this is the work he does when not playing football. LT has become one of the most prominent figures in pro sports in terms of philanthropy—that is, in helping others who are less fortunate. Working primarily through the nonprofit foundation he started, Touching Lives, the athlete and his wife, LaTorsha, have been generous in donating their time, money, and energy into bettering the communities and groups close to their hearts. He sees this as only right for someone who is as fortunate as he has been. Tomlinson told journalist Silver: The way you behave is a product of who you are and what you’re all about. And I’m very careful about that, because no matter how much we [athletes] don’t want to be, we are role models to so many kids. What they see us do, they will do. As athletes we can’t be selfish and worry about only ourselves. Through a combination of gifts, good fortune, self-confidence, faith in himself and others, and the support of family and friends, LT has risen to the top of his profession. It’s been a remarkable journey—one that begins in rural Texas.

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2

Growing Up L

aDainian Tomlinson was born on June 23, 1979, in the small town of Rosebud, in central Texas. At the time of his birth, Rosebud had a population of about 2,000. It is near the somewhat larger cities of Waco and College Station. LaDainian’s parents were Loreane and Oliver Tomlinson. The two had met in another small Texas town, Marlin. (Marlin, “The Official Mineral Water City of Texas,” is Loreane’s hometown.) Oliver was 15 years older than his wife, and when they got married he already had five other children from earlier relationships. Oliver had a job building mobile homes. In 1983, however, when LaDainian was only four, the elder Tomlinson suffered a serious back injury. He was forced to quit work and go on disability. As a result, the Tomlinson family never had much money. 14

Growing Up Furthermore, Oliver and Loreane’s marriage was never very stable. The couple divorced when LaDainian was about nine, and after that Oliver was not often present in his son’s life. In fact, Oliver stopped paying child-support payments to Loreane after the divorce. Needing money to raise LT and his two younger siblings, LaVar and Londria, Loreane moved to nearby Waco. She found jobs as a nurse’s assistant and a hospital records clerk. Later, Loreane started to work as a real estate broker. She and her three young children settled in a small house in a modest, middle-class neighborhood of Waco. Later in his life, LaDainian reminisced about how typical his childhood had been. Quoted in an article by Dallas Morning News reporter Kate Hairopoulos, he said, “It kept me humble, just the surroundings. Had a three-bedroom house. It was just normal, it seemed like.”

“Faith Is a Strong Word in My Life” Loreane has always been a deeply religious person. Besides her regular jobs, she also served as a pastor at her church, the Greater Life Gospel Church. Thanks to her influence, religious faith became an important part of LaDainian’s life as he was growing up. While he was still young, LT took an active part in his mother’s church. He served as a deacon and often led the congregation in prayer. Loreane was careful to pass her religious values on to her children. These core values included a sense of integrity, of compassion, of service to others, and of the ways that faith and strong effort can make life better. Joel Anderson, a writer for the daily newspaper at Texas Christian University, is among the many journalists who have noted this aspect of the athlete’s outlook. In an article published in 1999, Anderson wrote:

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LaDainian Tomlinson

Tomlinson enjoys a close relationship with his mother, Loreane (above). A single mother, Loreane taught LaDainian and his two siblings the value of hard work and setting goals.

[F]aith has always been the driving force in [Tomlinson’s] life.╯.╯.╯. [It] allowed Tomlinson to realize that the best things in life are the ones that are attained only through hard work. Tomlinson’s faith hasn’t come blindly, though. It comes from his best friend, counselor, and pastor— Loreane Chappell, Tomlinson’s mother. “Faith is a strong word in my life,” Tomlinson said. “That’s one thing my mother has always stressed to me. To live by faith and walk by faith.” LaDainian’s mother was especially vigilant about showing him, by example, the importance of working hard and setting high goals. Quoted in an article by Ebony writer Kevin Chappell (no relation), LT remarked about Loreane:

Growing Up She always said that anything you want you have to work for it. I understood that by seeing everything she had to do—getting up every day going to work, working two jobs, working overtime—that if I wanted something, I had to work for it. She’s a strong Black woman.

“It Made Me Believe” Even when he was little, LaDainian was a strong and athletic boy, and he began to watch and play football when he was very young. The game fascinated him, and even as a toddler, he could follow it well. In an interview with the TCU newspaper, he recalled: When I was little my whole family would sit down and watch football on TV. When I was 2 or 3 years old, my father would set me down in front of the TV and go into another room sometimes. When he would come back, he would ask me what happened and I would be able to tell him. Although he enjoyed playing other sports, especially basketball and baseball, LaDainian was always interested the most in football. In this respect, it was lucky that he was born and raised in Texas. The state has always taken its football very seriously. Its fans are among the nation’s most enthusiastic, knowledgeable—and critical, too, when they have to be. So the young athlete had plenty of good company and support as his rise to stardom began. He also had plenty of competition and plenty of criticism to spur his development. LT’s first taste of playing the sport, like millions of kids everywhere, was in pickup games around his neighborhood. He joined his first organized team in elementary school, becoming an exceptional player for his local Pop Warner team. Football quickly became an obsession. In fact, he loved the game so

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LaDainian Tomlinson much that, starting when he was about nine, the young athlete slept with a football under his arm. LaDainian’s favorite teams were the Dallas Cowboys and the University of Miami Hurricanes. As a budding running back, LT naturally admired and studied the top players in that position. In particular, LaDainian loved to watch and study Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears, Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions, Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns, and Emmitt Smith, who was then with the Cowboys. (Of course, LT could only watch tapes of the great Jim Brown and Walter Payton, since they had retired in 1965 and 1987, respectively.) LT’s growing obsession with football did not stop as he passed through his adolescent years. In junior high, he begged his mother for enough money to let him attend a summer football camp at the University of North Texas in Denton. One of his greatest idols, Emmitt Smith, was the host of the camp. LaDainian says that the experience changed his life. In Kevin Chappell’s article in Ebony magazine, he recalled: I said, “Mom, I have to go to this camp, please.” She said, “Boy, that’s a lot of money.” It was like $200. She said that if I kept my grades up, she would see about me going. She made it happen. It was one of the best moments of my life. There was one especially memorable moment for LaDainian during that camp: a simple handoff drill. All Smith did was hand the ball off to the young athlete, but it was a pivotal moment because LaDainian realized just then that he might actually have a future in the game. In the Chappell article, LaDainian recalled, “It made me believe that I could do it too. [I could] play pro football.”

Growing Up

With the University High School Trojans As he reached his teen years, football continued to be LT’s main love, and he continued to excel at it. His love of the game—and his knack for it—only intensified when LaDainian began his freshman year at University High School in Waco. (LT is not the only top athlete to have attended University High. Another alumnus is running back and kick returner Walter Abercrombie, who played for Baylor University in Waco and then the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1980s.) Football was always LT’s main focus, but it was not the only sport he played in high school. He was also a standout on the school’s basketball and baseball teams. During his years playing for the University High Trojans, LaDainian was a star. However, it took him a few years to find his true niche. Coach Leroy Coleman moved him around to try out his skills in several

A Tattoo for Mom LaDainian Tomlinson’s family suffered a number of tragedies early in his life. One of his half brothers was killed in a street fight. Another spent time in jail. And another relative—LT’s niece, the daughter of one of his half sisters—died in a fire at the age of six. Despite all this, or perhaps because of it, LaDainian has always been close to his mother and the rest of his immediate family. His mother, Loreane Chappell, has been an especially important force in her son’s attitude toward life. One way that LT has shown his appreciation for all of her efforts in guiding his life: He has a tattoo of her face on his left bicep.

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LaDainian Tomlinson positions. The 190-pound (86-kilogram) athlete started out as a linebacker but soon switched to offense. By the time he was a junior, he had focused on the running back position. During his junior year, though, LaDainian was on the field only sparingly. In large part, this was because he was not the only promising back playing for the Trojans. Coach Coleman, quoted in the Anderson article, reflected on this. He said, “LT was a real good back, no doubt about that. But we had a guy called Lawrence Pullen who was a senior and a talented guy, too. [Pullen] ended up going on to play at a junior college.” LT’s career in Waco football nearly ended too soon. In the summer between his junior and senior years, his mother was offered a job in Dallas with a real estate agency. She decided to take it and arranged to move there, planning to take LaDainian and his younger brother and sister with her. LaDainian, though, was upset at the prospect of leaving his hometown. He desperately wanted to play out his high school years at University High. LT asked his mother to let him stay in Waco for his last year. At first she was not willing, but after some discussion she agreed to the plan. Her son spent his senior year living with a neighbor family, Emmett and Rose Hughes. Their son Jason was his teammate on the football team. The two boys shared a room with a bunk bed, and LaDainian became part of the family, helping with chores around the house. He was conscientious about these chores but apparently was not always as efficient as possible. Rose Hughes later joked that it would take LaDainian three hours to finish washing the dishes. Her husband, Emmett, meanwhile, remembered that LaDainian was always good about following the family rules. Well, almost always—the Hughes family had problems with him only a few times, like when the boys took part in a common ritual: skipping school on Senior Day.

Growing Up During that last year at University High, LaDainian was the school’s featured running back, and he lived up to the promise he had shown earlier. In the season opener, he scored five touchdowns. By midseason, he surpassed 1,000 yards. By the end of the season, LaDainian had racked up 2,554╯yards—a city record—and 39 touchdowns. Then, after the regular season, he was honored by several organizations. Among his awards, Tomlinson was named the district’s Most Valuable Player and the Super Centex (Central Texas) Offensive Player of the Year. As a unit, the University High Trojans also had an outstanding year. They finished the regular season with a 12–2–1 record, the best ever in the team’s history. The Trojans also came within a single game of capturing the state championship. Naturally, as a key figure in carving out the school’s sterling performance, LaDainian was attracting some serious attention. In fact, throughout his senior-year season, he was hailed as a standout player by virtually every writer, sportscaster, and football fan in the Waco area—and even, to an extent, beyond. This is an especially impressive feat considering how seriously the people of central Texas take their football. There, high school football has attained nearly the status of a religion. (This phenomenon of rabid fandom was the inspiration for the book, film, and TV series Friday Night Lights.) As a group, the football fans of Texas are not easily impressed—but even they thought LT was clearly something special. His stellar work on the field during his senior year in 1996 was followed by more standout performances in several all-star games. LaDainian, however, did not attract as much attention outside of the state as he had hoped. Most college scouts, especially those from schools that were considered football powerhouses, essentially ignored LT. The reasons for this are not clear. One likely explanation, according to some observers, was that he did not play running

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LaDainian Tomlinson back until relatively late in his high school career. By then, most of the nation’s top football colleges had made their recruiting choices for the year when LaDainian’s class was under consideration. Another factor may have been the athlete’s relatively small size. A number of scouts considered this a drawback for a potential college running back. Coach Coleman said that the scouts were focused too much on size to seriously consider the 5-foot-10 (1.77-meter) Tomlinson. In the Dallas Morning News article by Kate Hairopoulos, Coleman commented, “[T]hey just didn’t think he was the right fit. They thought he was too small and a step too slow.” One consolation during this dispiriting period for LT, as he was being virtually ignored by the big schools, was that he got to know and befriend Drew Brees, a quarterback and a fellow Texan. Brees, who played for Westlake High School in Austin, was another outstanding player who was underestimated at the time. The two young men met after the 1996 regular season and became friends right away. LT and Drew would cross paths later. The quarterback went on to a stellar career at Purdue University—and would later become LT’s teammate in San Diego.

Choosing a School As his senior year drew to a close in the spring of 1997, LaDainian was resigned to staying in Texas for college. He had increasingly diminishing hopes that he would be offered a scholarship from a major school. Besides, his mother and siblings were by now living in Dallas, and he wanted to stay near them. The athlete therefore decided to concentrate on finding the best school among those in Texas that had expressed interest in him. LT commented, “I always had liked the University of Miami [Florida] growing up. I started out wanting to go to

Growing Up

Tomlinson met quarterback Drew Brees (above) when the two were in high school. Years later, they would be teammates and NFL stars.

a school outside of Texas, but I really wanted to be near my mother and family.” Surprisingly, even the bigger and more prestigious schools in the state, like the University of Texas in Austin and Texas

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LaDainian Tomlinson A&M in College Station, passed on signing LT. So, as he prepared for graduation in the spring of 1997, LaDainian considered the smaller schools that were offering him athletic scholarships. Among these were Baylor University in Waco, the University of North Texas in Denton, the University of Texas-El Paso, and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Despite his hopes to attend a bigger school, LT was happy. In Tomlinson’s opinion, the chance to attend any school on scholarship was a privilege. So, despite being passed over by the bigger schools, LT remained optimistic and grateful for the prospect of playing college ball anywhere. Quoted in Kevin Chappell’s article in Ebony, the running back later remarked, “I told myself I was going to take advantage of the opportunity that I had. I got the opportunity for a reason. I always had that in my mind.” In retrospect, of course, it is obvious that the schools that turned LT down made a serious mistake. The athlete’s gifts—his speed, his uncanny ability to make quick moves, and his great vision—far outweighed any potential drawbacks to his recruitment. He later said, however, that the disappointment of having prestigious schools pass him up only fed his determination to excel. Quoted in the TCU newspaper, he commented, “I want all those schools that didn’t recruit me to say, ‘Man, we should have tried to recruit him.’ When we play [more prestigious schools like] Arizona and Northwestern, it motivates me to rip their defense up.” The University of Arizona’s Dick Tomey is just one of the many college coaches who regretted not investing more effort in recruiting LT. In journalist Joel Anderson’s story in the TCU newspaper, Tomey commented on this regret after watching the running back lead TCU in a thorough drubbing of his Wildcats in 1999. The coach said, “I’m sure all of us schools that didn’t recruit him are sorry now. He is big, strong, fast, and very elusive. He’s got it all. He certainly is as good a tailback as we will play all year long.”

Growing Up

On to College After considering the offers made by the smaller in-state schools that were courting him, LaDainian chose to attend Texas Christian University (TCU). The person who recruited him there, TCU assistant coach Steve Brickey, was pleased to get him. In the Dallas Morning News article by Kate Hairopoulos, he said, “I was just doing my job. I was surprised he wasn’t getting more attention. I was actually glad, but I was surprised.” Despite his decision to go there, in some ways the school did not appeal strongly to Tomlinson. One the one hand, its football program was not outstanding at the time. In the 12 seasons before LaDainian started to play there, the TCU Horned Frogs had advanced as far as a bowl game only once (and that appearance was one of just two in the previous 34 seasons). In fact, the Horned Frogs had done so poorly in recent years that the team had recently been downgraded to a lesser conference. The team had become a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), following the breakup of their previous organization, the long-standing Southwest Conference. (TCU has since become part of the Mountain West Conference.) On the other hand, Texas Christian had some definite advantages for LT. For one, it was located in Fort Worth, less than an hour’s drive from his mother’s home in Dallas. Also, as a religious school, TCU appealed to LT’s deeply held Christian beliefs. Furthermore, he liked and had great respect for the school’s head football coach, Pat Sullivan. Coach Sullivan, in turn, welcomed LaDainian right from the start. He went out of his way to make the young athlete feel comfortable and at home. And so, in the fall of 1997, LaDainian Tomlinson left Waco. He was bound for college in Fort Worth.

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The College Years L

aDainian Tomlinson liked attending Texas Christian University, and he generally enjoyed campus life. In terms of football, however, his freshman year was not as satisfying. Overall, in fact, 1997 was—as in years past—not an outstanding season for the Horned Frogs. This was due to a number of reasons. In particular, the team had only one power player, running back Basil Mitchell (who went on to play for the Green Bay Packers). Furthermore, the Frogs had a hopelessly porous defense. The coaches therefore concentrated on outscoring their opponents, but the strategy rarely panned out. The Frogs averaged more than 32 points a game but finished a dismal 1–10. As if this grim record was not enough, the team suffered the humiliation of poorly attended games. Tomlinson recalls 26

The College Years contests when he looked in the stands at TCU’s Amon Carter Stadium and saw virtually no one but the families of players. Still, LT remained optimistic about the team’s future prospects. He commented, “I felt TCU was an up-and-coming school.╯.╯.╯. But I had no idea that my freshman year was going to be that bad.”

LT’s Freshman and Sophomore Years With Mitchell as a starter, Tomlinson played little during his freshman year. Even when he did get on the field, his performance was mixed. He fumbled several times in key situations. One of these, during a contest against Brigham Young University, came when he fumbled at the BYU one-yard line with the game tied 3-3. The Horned Frogs never took the lead after that mistake, and the game ended in a 31-10 loss for TCU. Tomlinson finished the season having rushed for just 538 yards on 126 attempts. A disappointed LT commented about that year: “I felt so terrible. I thought I was the worst ball carrier ever, but I got through that season. I just hated walking around campus and people would ask me what was happening. It hurt so bad because I didn’t have any answers for them.” The devastating year for the Frogs resulted in the resignation of head coach Pat Sullivan. Dennis Franchione, most recently coach at the University of New Mexico, replaced him in 1998, which was LT’s sophomore year. Franchione favored an aggressive approach on both offense and defense. His basic defensive set was an unorthodox 4-2 scheme, while his offense employed a take-no-prisoners option attack. Tomlinson continued to play sparingly, though he was starting to take a more prominent role when Franchione teamed him with Basil Mitchell. This was part of a successful strategy. The coach, aided by Tomlinson and the team’s other outstanding players, successfully turned the Frogs around. That season, the team finished the regular season at 6–5 and won its

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LaDainian Tomlinson first bowl game in 41 years, against the University of Southern California in the Sun Bowl. While at TCU, Tomlinson earned a reputation for being a real workhorse, someone who could be counted on to keep going despite setbacks and injuries. Franchione felt that he had no worries about overworking the tailback. After a 41-21 victory over Hawaii, for instance, he commented (in an article by TCU journalist Matt Stiver): He had 31 carries in the first half, and I said, “Boy, I’m running my horse.” I didn’t want to get him too tired, but he can handle it. He’s used to doing those kinds of things. I think he gets better the more he touches it. He wants the ball, and I like seeing him run with it. For his part, Tomlinson remarked that he didn’t notice how many times he was carrying the ball—or how hard he was working—until the end of that game. He told Stiver, “When the game was over, I thought I had to be close to 50 carries. I asked how many [rushes I had], and they said 49. I thought, ‘Man, I’m going to be sore in the morning.’”

LT’s Junior Year Things continued to improve during Tomlinson’s junior year, 1999, as expectations for the rejuvenated TCU team rose. LT was now the team’s featured weapon, although whenever he could, he credited the Horned Frogs’ offensive line—a group of players that he affectionately called the Big Uglies. In an interview with the TCU newspaper, Tomlinson said, “I believe all the credit goes to the offensive line. They’ve done a great job creating holes all season. I need to buy them a couple of steaks now.” Tomlinson’s willingness to praise his teammates did not go unnoticed by them. While speaking with another reporter for

The College Years

Dennis Franchione (above) became head coach for TCU during Tomlinson’s sophomore year. The coach found a winning strategy that allowed TCU to win its first bowl game in 41 years.

the TCU paper, Horned Frog offensive guard Michael Keathley remarked, “I figured he would say it once, but he says it nearly every time. It just feels good knowing that he recognizes us.╯.╯.╯.

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LaDainian Tomlinson For him to say it out loud and in public to the people who see the game but don’t know what is happening is a good feeling.” LT went from strength to strength as the season wore on. Typical of his dangerous nature on the field was a game against Arkansas State early in the season, when he erupted for 269 yards. A couple of weeks later, he racked up 300 yards on 23 carries against San Jose State. And in a 52-24 rout over the University of Texas-El Paso, LT rushed for 406 yards despite a sore ankle. This feat set an NCAA Division I-A record that had previously been held by Tony Sands of Kansas. As icing on the cake, Tomlinson also scored six touchdowns in that game. Coach Franchione stated to a TCU newspaper reporter, “I have never seen anything quite like that. I’ve seen a lot of great teams, but not many days like that. It was the best ever. No one has ever done what he did today.” The Horned Frogs ended the season with an 8–4 record, the school’s best in 40 years, and advanced to face twentiethranked East Carolina in the Mobile Alabama Bowl. In its second straight postseason appearance, TCU scored another upset, clobbering the Pirates 28-14. Tomlinson spearheaded this charge with 124 yards and two touchdowns. Tomlinson ended his junior year as TCU’s single-season rushing leader, with an NCAA-leading 1,850╯yards on the ground and 18 touchdowns. Grateful as always to his offensive colleagues, Tomlinson paid tribute to his teammates by hanging the plaque for his title in the meeting room of the Horned Frogs’ offensive line.

Senior Year Tomlinson’s senior year was another strong season for the player and his team. Typical of the games that year was a win over Northwestern—a team that had stymied the Frogs in 1999—during which LT racked up 243 yards. Three weeks later, against Hawaii, he had 294 yards and four touchdowns.

The College Years

By the end of his senior year, Tomlinson led the NCAA with 2,158 yards and 22 touchdowns. Tomlinson’s college career with TCU was so outstanding that he became a contender for the prestigious Heisman Trophy.

By midseason, Tomlinson had become TCU’s all-time leading rusher. This was an especially impressive feat considering the intense efforts that opponents were now making to defend themselves against the Frogs. TCU became accustomed to a daunting array of eight-man fronts trying—usually in vain—to shut LT down. The athlete wanted to top 2,000 yards by the season’s end. If he could do that, he knew, he would be a contender for the Heisman Trophy. LT felt sure that the goal was not

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LaDainian Tomlinson an impossible one, especially considering the Frogs’ powerful offensive line. David Bobo, Michael Keathley, Jeff Millican, Victor Payne, and Jeff Garner were five of the biggest, strongest, and most experienced college players in the country. With a combination of their help and his own abilities, LT more than made his goal. He led the NCAA for the second time with 2,158╯yards, 22 touchdowns, and 354╯yards receiving. This gave him a college-career total of 5,263 rushing yards, placing him sixth in NCAA Division I-A history in this category. He had broken every major TCU rushing record and had racked up 14 straight 100-yard games, including six games of at least 200 yards. The team as a whole was just as powerful. TCU was ranked ninth in the nation and captured its second WAC title in a row. The Frogs’ regular season—and LT’s days as a college athlete— ended on a high note. In the final home game of his college career, Tomlinson was brilliant, gaining 305 overall yards and three touchdowns against Texas-El Paso. Meanwhile, TCU finished the season 10–1—an exact reversal from the dismal year when LT was a freshman. The Frogs’ 2000 performance, in fact, was the school’s best in 62 years. The team concluded that year’s campaign with a return to the Mobile Alabama Bowl, although it fell to Southern Mississippi, 28-21. The turnaround in the team’s fortunes had been extraordinary. LT was, naturally, proud of what he and the Frogs had done. He told a reporter for the TCU newspaper, “I am glad that we were able to pull it together for my senior year. I still can’t believe all that we have accomplished.”

“Oh, and He Loves to Run” Thanks to LT’s sterling performance during his last year of college, fans and commentators all over the country were paying close attention to him. His record did not go unnoticed by award presenters, either: Among others, Tomlinson was

The College Years named the MVP of the Mobile Alabama Bowl and the Senior Bowl, and he received the Jim Brown Trophy and the Doak Walker Award. For some time, there had been widespread speculation about an even more prestigious award— the Heisman Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding player in college football. Four quarterbacks—Michael Vick of Virginia Tech, Eric Crouch of Nebraska, Chris Weinke of Florida State, and Tomlinson’s old friend Drew Brees of Purdue—were among the favorites. Among running backs, meanwhile, Tomlinson was at the top of the list. With the hope of improving his chances for the Heisman, Tomlinson had spent extra time in the weight room, working to improve his speed, strength, and agility. He had also raised his profile by extensively supporting a number of community outreach programs around the Fort Worth area. Among these worthy causes were the Campfire Boys and Girls and Score a Goal in the Classroom, a local group that encouraged and motivated students to excel in and out of school. LT was the first serious Heisman candidate that his university had had since Kenneth Davis, another running back, in 1984. To raise the likelihood of Tomlinson getting the award, the college decided to mount an aggressive publicity campaign on his behalf. It raised nearly $100,000 in private donations for this effort. Texas Christian’s athletics department also created a highlight reel on DVD for Tomlinson and sent it to voters across the country. Furthermore, TCU launched a Web site that was dedicated to promoting its star. This site, and the overall campaign, had a catchy slogan: He loves his Momma. He loves his Big Uglies. Oh, and he loves to run.

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LaDainian Tomlinson Tomlinson was indeed a finalist for the trophy, but he came in fourth, far behind the winner, Florida State’s Weinke. Tomlinson was disappointed, but he took the loss in stride and on several occasions demonstrated his admiration for other players. For example, during a ceremony in Orlando, Florida, for the Disney Spirit Award, he led a standing ovation for the winner, William & Mary’s Hameen Ali.

Meeting LT2 Of course, a lot more was going on in Tomlinson’s life during his college years than just football. He lived off-campus for most of his four years at TCU, liked to watch movies, and loved to eat his favorite foods, including hamburgers, pizza, and southern dishes like chitlins (slow-cooked pig intestines) with plenty of hot sauce. Tomlinson also liked to cook. His friends recall that his specialty was a three-bean hamburger casserole. LT’s roommate when he was a senior was defensive back Greg Walls. In an article in TCU Magazine by David Van Meter, Walls commented at the time, “He really likes to cook. He’s always messing around in the kitchen.” Even more important in Tomlinson’s life, however, was something else: romance. LT met his future wife, LaTorsha Oakley, during his college years. She was a psychology major at TCU, attending the school on a scholarship sponsored by the Bill Gates Millennium Scholar program. In an interview with NBCSports.com reporter Stacey Pressman, LaTorsha recalled: I was actually tutoring a friend of LaDainian’s, helping him with his English, and his friend just said out of nowhere, “Hey my friend likes you and wants your number.” I said, “Okay, well you tell your friend that any real man would come and ask himself.” So his friend kind of put a bug in my ear and then a few weeks

The College Years later I saw LaDainian [at a party] and he came up to me and talked to me. We exchanged numbers and we’ve been together ever since. The couple’s first date was at an IHOP restaurant, after LaDainian persuaded LaTorsha to take a break from her studies one evening. In the Pressman interview, she recalled her first impression of her date: “We were there two hours, and I

The Spirit of Sportsmanship and Citizenship On January 30, 2001, LaDainian Tomlinson was awarded the 2000 Doak Walker Award, presented by Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, to the year’s outstanding college running back. The annual prize honors Walker, a standout at SMU who later played with the Detroit Lions. Tomlinson remarked later that winning the honor was a personal victory. It was, he said, something he had wanted to win since his freshman year. He never thought he would win, however, and was stunned when he did. The award was presented to Tomlinson at a banquet in Dallas. The officials who presented it said that he was given the award, in large part, because of his outstanding service to the children of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Quoted in an article on a TCU Web site, Skeeter Walker, the widow of Doak Walker and a member of the national selection committee for the award, said: “LaDainian did incredible things on the field this year, but his work with teachers and students throughout Dallas/Fort Worth was as impressive. He exemplifies Doak’s spirit of sportsmanship and citizenship and is an excellent representative for the award and for college football.”

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LaDainian Tomlinson swear he talked about his mom for the entire time. From that moment, I knew he was a sweetheart.” The relationship blossomed quickly. This became clear when, in the weeks after their first date, LT revealed a strong romantic side. He gave LaTorsha a huge teddy bear and followed that up with a blizzard of cards, flowers, and other gestures. While they were dating in college, Tomlinson gave LaTorsha the nickname LT2. He joked to her that he could only have gotten together with a woman whose name started with an L; before meeting LaTorsha, he had dated a woman named LaKeisha. Not just that: His mother is named Loreane and his siblings are LaVar and Londria. Meanwhile, LT’s brother, LaVar, was growing into a formidable football player on his own while attending W.W. Samuell High School in Dallas. When LaVar was being recruited for colleges, he told reporter Joel Anderson, a writer for the TCU paper, that he would like to attend TCU—if only to have the chance to play against his big brother during practices: “I wouldn’t mind getting the opportunity to tackle him. I kind of want to get him back for all the stuff he did when I was little.” As it turned out, LaVar did have an excellent career in college, first at Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas, and then for the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Accused and Then Cleared Not everything in Tomlinson’s college-era private life was as positive as meeting LaTorsha and seeing his brother blossom as an athlete. One incident in particular came close to harming his reputation. In July 1999, he and a TCU basketball star, Lee Nailon, were arrested for possession of marijuana. LT pleaded not guilty, saying that he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nonetheless, he was handcuffed and jailed. Of course, his family stood by him.

The College Years The athlete’s mother told reporter Joel Anderson, “When LaDainian called me and told me he had been put in jail, I knew it was some sort of mistake. Anybody who knows him knows he is not that kind of person. I just wanted to know how he felt about being in jail. When he told me that they handcuffed him, I almost cried.” Others who knew him supported LT as well. Leroy Coleman, his high school coach, told Anderson, “I instantly knew it was a mistake. LaDainian comes from a great family and strong background. I think he was caught up with the wrong crowd. The LaDainian I know wouldn’t be involved in something like that.” TCU’s running backs coach, Mike Schultz, echoed that feeling. He remarked to Anderson, “I just told [LaDainian] he couldn’t worry about what he can’t control. He is such a good kid. Anytime there is something to be done in the community, LT is the first to volunteer. People who judged him really didn’t know him.” Tomlinson and those who stood by him were proven correct. The case was dropped, and all the charges against him were dismissed. Unfortunately, the media played up the arrest but not its follow-up. A number of reporters tried to picture LT as simply a privileged athlete who could wiggle out of a criminal charge, and then they virtually ignored it when his reputation was cleared. The false portrayal angered and hurt Tomlinson. He commented to reporter Anderson: I take being a role model seriously. I thought it was really unfair how I was treated. Most of the people didn’t know me and prejudged me. When I was cleared that didn’t get as much press as when I got arrested. But I was mostly hurt for my mother and family. I’ve just had to learn from it and move on.

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LaDainian Tomlinson

Among many other awards bestowed upon Tomlinson at the end of his college career, he was awarded the Doak Walker Award for being the year’s outstanding college running back.

The College Years A more positive note was sounded during the 2000 season when the athlete reconnected with his father. Oliver Tomlinson had been able to re-establish his friendship with his ex-wife Loreane. He moved into her home, only a short drive from LaDainian, this time as a roommate, not as a spouse. Loreane, who had married and divorced again in the meantime, chose to take Oliver into her home because he needed help. He was still struggling with the disability from his accident, as well as with substance abuse. This turn of events had another positive aspect: Oliver was able to renew his broken relationship with his son after many years. LT’s father attended several TCU games during LaDainian’s last year in college. Tomlinson remarked later that before those games he felt nervous, which was not an emotion he usually experienced. He was nervous because he wanted to do well in front of his father.

The Draft Earlier, after his junior year, Tomlinson had briefly considered dropping out of school to declare for the NFL. He decided against it, however, for two reasons. It seemed unlikely that any team would be willing to use a first-round pick on him then. Also, he had promised his mother that he would finish college—which he did, with a degree in communications. In Kevin Chappell’s interview with LT in Ebony, the athlete said about his degree, “It feels good. Even if I never need it, it was the point of getting it, of finishing what I started. No one can ever take it from me.” So it was to no one’s surprise that, as he finished his last year of school, LT featured prominently in media speculation about that year’s NFL Draft. As the day drew near, Internet chat rooms and other outlets for sports fans buzzed with anticipation.

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LaDainian Tomlinson Many observers noted, among other things, the similarities in playing styles between Tomlinson and one of his idols, Dallas Cowboy legend Emmitt Smith. Former Cowboys fullback Daryl Johnston played alongside Smith for many seasons and is one of many who drew a favorable comparison. Quoted in a Sporting News article, Johnston said: LaDainian’s size draws comparisons to Emmitt Smith. I’m very impressed with [Tomlinson’s] ability, and he might have a little more breaking speed than Emmitt. He’s coming into the NFL at the perfect time because he fits the prototype of the multifaceted running backs that are in the NFL right now like Marshall Faulk. Some people don’t expect LT to go high in the draft because of his size. But he has proven to everyone that he can compete at this level. What’s inside a player is far more important than what [critics] are saying. Despite such attention, however, many football fans around the country still remained unaware of Tomlinson. The Horned Frogs’ games were seldom televised nationally, so the general public was not yet familiar with him. Anyone who followed college ball closely, however—including scouts for the pros— knew that he was considered one of the top running backs in America. In fact, a majority of the then 31 NFL franchises rated Tomlinson as the best talent in the draft. The rumors grew even thicker as the day of the draft approached. Some observers speculated that the Chicago Bears, the New England Patriots, and the Cleveland Browns were all seriously interested in choosing him. When the time came, however, the San Diego Chargers and their general manager, John Butler, selected LT with the fifth pick in the first round. The selection was part of a complicated and controversial trade. The Chargers had the first selection, but traded it to the

The College Years Atlanta Falcons, who then drafted Michael Vick. In exchange, the Chargers received Atlanta’s No. 5 pick (with which they drafted Tomlinson), as well as Atlanta’s second-round and third-round picks in the following year’s draft. (These were used to acquire cornerback Tay Cody and wide receiver Reche Caldwell.) San Diego also got Falcons wide receiver Tim Dwight as part of the deal. By far the most significant part of this complex trade was the negotiation that decided the futures of Tomlinson and Vick. Officially the agreement involved trading draft picks. However, many commentators expressed their opinions that two specific players were essentially traded for each other. LT was not the only Horned Frog who had a good day at the draft. A number of Tomlinson’s teammates also fared well. One was defensive end Aaron Schobel, the only other TCU player drafted on the first day. In fact, six of the 11 Frogs who entered the draft were eventually chosen. Only Florida State (nine), Wisconsin (eight), Miami (seven), and Nebraska (seven) saw more players drafted. It was not a bad record for a small school that had done so miserably for so many years.

Off to San Diego Being a first-round draft choice was not a surprise to LT, but he was delighted nonetheless at the outcome. He was especially pleased at the prospect of going to San Diego. If for no other reason, there was the balmy climate of Southern California to consider. As someone who had spent his entire life in Texas, Tomlinson was grateful that he would be playing somewhere warm. More important was the prospect of being part of a planned rejuvenation and rebuilding of the Chargers organization. Tomlinson told reporter Rusty Simmons that he was grateful for the chance. He said, “I’m just hoping to provide

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LaDainian Tomlinson relief to the running game. I just want to go in and contribute to [San Diego’s] offense.” The Chargers’ offense certainly needed the help. Their leading rusher, Terrell Fletcher, had racked up only 384 yards during the previous season. In fact, San Diego had not boasted a 1,000-yard rusher since Natrone Means in 1994. Furthermore, the team had finished last in the league in rushing during the previous year, ending the season with a pitiful 1–15 record. The consensus was that LT would have an immediate and positive impact on San Diego’s game. Many commentators compared him favorably with the legendary Emmitt Smith, who would become the leading rusher in NFL history. And many felt that the Chargers had gotten a much better deal than the Falcons in their trade during the draft. A senior writer for Sportsline.com, Len Pasquarelli, typified this opinion when he stated to Simmons, “The Chargers got the highest-rated player on their board. [Tomlinson] could have two 1,000-yard seasons before Vick ever starts a game.” The Chargers demonstrated their enthusiasm about LT with cash, signing him to a lucrative contract. After intense negotiations between the team and Tomlinson’s agent, by August the athlete signed a six-year, $38 million (with bonuses) deal with the team. Tomlinson’s fellow Chargers later nicknamed him “Big Money” in honor of this newfound wealth. With all that big money, the athlete bought new homes in Dallas for his mother and his sister Londria. He also purchased two vacant buildings, one for the real estate company that Loreane had started and another for Londria’s day-care center. For himself, he bought a new car and rented a beautiful condominium in San Diego. Then he got ready to go to work.

4 LT’s Early Years as a Charger W

hen LaDainian Tomlinson arrived for practice before the 2001 season began, his new teammates greeted him with a time-honored ritual that is common among sports teams, both pro and amateur: They hazed the new arrival—that is, they made him do embarrassing or otherwise unpleasant tasks as part of his initiation into the team. During the Chargers’ hazing, the veterans on the team put the rookie through the usual initiation rites for new arrivals. These included singing his college’s fight song loudly in a crowded team cafeteria and having to pay the bill for a team dinner at a local steak house. (Some sources say the bill came to $10,000; others put the figure at closer to $17,000. It was a good thing, his teammates joked, that he was now known as Big Money.) 43

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LaDainian Tomlinson By all accounts, Tomlinson took the mild abuse of his hazing initiation with good cheer. LT even made fun of his hazing experiences, appearing in an ad for SportsCenter in which he was seen being forced to sort mail in the locker room while wearing his uniform. (Rather than bothering to sort it, he simply threw most of it on the floor.) As the season began to ramp up, the rookie was assigned the number 21 for his jersey. He was proud of this number, since it fell between those of two players he had idolized while he was growing up: Barry Sanders (20) and Emmitt Smith (22).

Starting with a Bang It was quickly apparent that LT would fit in well with the Chargers’ plans for the season. During training camp, Tomlinson quickly grasped the system that offensive coordinator Norv Turner had devised. Furthermore, he got along well with his teammates, and they seemed to appreciate his unassuming and unpretentious attitude. Tight end Antonio Gates, who was drafted by the Chargers in 2003, is typical of those who admired LT’s solid nature. In Kevin Chappell’s Ebony article, Gates commented, “There are no words to describe the type of person [LT is]. He’s definitely a leader on and off the field. He’s a family man. Ideally, he’s the type of person you want to be. He has set the standard for how a man is supposed to live his life.” Another admirer was right tackle Shane Olivea. He pointed out that LT understood the importance of moves that may seem less flashy and glamorous; these were the moves that frequently commanded the most respect from coaches and teammates. As far as LT was concerned, making the extra effort—even when no one notices—was the mark of a true professional. In an article by journalist Michael Silver, Olivea commented: We see the sense of urgency LT has on each and every play. Then we look at film, and he’s blocking a defensive

LT’s Early Years as a Charger

A first-round draft pick, Tomlinson holds up a jersey from his new team, the San Diego Chargers. Tomlinson was eager to help build up the struggling team.

back 20 yards downfield, after the play is over. People don’t realize how many little things he does, and because of that they don’t understand how great he really is.

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LaDainian Tomlinson Nonetheless, despite the promise Tomlinson showed in preseason camp, the Chargers’ head coach, Mike Riley, told reporters that he did not expect the rookie to make an immediate impact on the team. He wanted to bring LT along slowly and work him into the lineup when he felt the athlete was ready for the pressures of a pro game. At the same time, Riley stressed his confidence in Tomlinson, commenting that he hoped the back would be part of the starting lineup by midseason. As it turned out, LT convinced Riley and the rest of the Chargers organization that they could speed up this schedule by months. The running back started with a bang in the season opener, which was also his debut pro game. During what turned into a lopsided 30-3 victory over the Washington Redskins, the rookie rushed for 113 yards.

LT and Emmitt Two weeks later, in Game Two for the Chargers, Tomlinson faced his boyhood idol, Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys. Quoted in an article by the Associated Press, LT said that it was an incredibly exciting moment for him: “I kind of savored it a little bit and looked around. It kind of got me fired up. [I thought,] This is all really special.” At Texas Stadium, on Dallas’s territory and close to the rookie’s hometown of Waco, Tomlinson acquitted himself well. Despite two fumbles, he ran for 90 yards on 27 carries in another win for the Chargers, 32-21. Even Smith was impressed. In the Associated Press piece, the legendary back said, “I watched him today and I saw him catch this screen pass at the start of the second quarter. He jetted out so quick, I said, ‘He’s got some wheels!’” After the contest, Tomlinson was one of the last Chargers to return to the locker room, because a mob of people surrounded him. For nearly an hour, some 150 friends, family, and

LT’s Early Years as a Charger reporters gathered around the star rookie, eager to say a few congratulatory words. Quoted in the Associated Press article, he told reporters, “It feels good to come home. But it’s even sweeter when you win.” In Week Three, San Diego was again victorious, with a 2814 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals, giving the Chargers a 3–0 record. During this game, Tomlinson passed the 100-yard measure for the second time in his pro career. The next two games were losses, but the Chargers snapped back for two more wins to amass a 5–2 record. Commentators gave much of the credit for this strong start to the rookie running back, along with other San Diego standouts like quarterback Doug Flutie and linebacker Junior Seau. In their opinion, the Chargers’ comeback, in light of their poor record the previous season, signified the biggest surprise so far that year. Unfortunately, the Chargers fell apart in the latter part of the season, dropping their last nine games and ending the year at a disappointing 5–11. LT had a good year personally, however. He gained 1,236 yards on 339 carries, scored 10 touchdowns, and grabbed 59 passes for 367 yards. He became the first player in Chargers history to top 1,600 total yards. Tomlinson was, moreover, the runner-up in the voting for the NFL Offensive Rookie of Year. (The top honor went to Chicago Bears running back Anthony Thomas.) In short, Tomlinson had clearly demonstrated that he could handle the pressure and punishment of an entire season in the pros.

Another Strong Start .╯.╯. After the lackluster end of the 2001 season, the Chargers fired head coach Mike Riley, replacing him with Marty Schottenheimer. Schottenheimer was a veteran who had previously worked for the Detroit Lions, the Cleveland Browns, and the Kansas City Chiefs.

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LaDainian Tomlinson Schottenheimer was well known for his “Martyball” style of offense, which focuses on the running game. (Schottenheimer’s critics usually use the nickname.) This strategy uses passing sparingly, typically employing it only to further the team’s running game. The new coach told reporters that he thought the Chargers had a good defense and the right mix to run his style of offense. However, Schottenheimer had also recently begun to refine his style, using passing plays more frequently, and he often pointed out that San Diego badly needed to establish a stronger running game. At the same time, the new coach stressed that he had great confidence in all his players, especially Tomlinson and the man who was now the Chargers’ starting quarterback—Drew Brees, LT’s old friend from their high school days. Considering Schottenheimer’s increasing use of running plays, it was clear that both Tomlinson and Brees would be key to the coach’s strategy.

.╯.╯. And Another Fizzle LT had a minor injury in the 2002 preseason when he turned an ankle, but he was in shape for the opener of the regular season. During that game, a 34-6 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals, he rushed for 116 yards. The Chargers then won their next three games, including an important match against the New England Patriots, which saw the Chargers win, 21-14. LT was the star of that game, tying a franchise record with 217 yards rushing, including touchdown runs of 37 and 58 yards. But Tomlinson’s best day of the year came during a home game in Qualcomm Stadium against Denver in early December. In a 30-27 win for the Chargers, the back ran for 220 yards and three touchdowns, including a 76-yard streak in the first quarter. Unfortunately, as it had the year before, the team fell apart in the second half of the season. After winning all but one

LT’s Early Years as a Charger

In his debut professional game, Tomlinson rushed for 113 yards against the Washington Redskins. Unlike many rookies, who take time to find their footing in the NFL, Tomlinson started strong.

of its first seven games, the momentum fizzled after a bye in Week Eight. At the beginning of November, the Chargers were 6–1, but the team lost seven of its last nine matchups. (The exception, in addition to the December win over Denver, was a 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.) As a result of this dropoff, the Chargers, with an 8–8 record for the season, missed the play-offs for the seventh straight year. However, 2002 was, once again, a great year for LT. He made Second Team All-Pro and was San Diego’s MVP. He totaled 2,172 yards from scrimmage, including a franchise-record 1,683 yards on the ground. This number put him second in

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LaDainian Tomlinson the American Football Conference (AFC), behind only Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes. Tomlinson also tied the team record of 79 for receptions by a running back. Furthermore, his 14 rushing touchdowns made him only the eleventh player in NFL history to post backto-back double-figure touchdown seasons. During the off-season, LT had another reason besides his record-setting year to be happy. In March 2003, he married his longtime girlfriend, LaTorsha Oakley.

Falling Apart Again San Diego’s crumbling finish to the 2002 season led Schottenheimer to change his roster in the off-season. Linebacker Junior Seau, safety Rodney Harrison, linebacker Orlando Ruff, and wide receiver Curtis Conway were all released. Meanwhile, several additions to the team were made, the most significant being wide receiver David Boston. Schottenheimer hoped that Boston would prove to be a good match with Brees and Tomlinson. The changes, however, did little to alter San Diego’s fortunes. In particular, Boston was only one of several poor choices. His notoriously bad temper eroded team morale, and he later had problems with steroid use. Boston ended up playing only one season with San Diego before being traded to the Miami Dolphins. Meanwhile, Schottenheimer was unhappy with Brees and often chose to replace him with veteran quarterback Flutie. At the same time, the coach searched for replacements for Seau and Harrison. In part because of this turmoil, the team was winless until the third Sunday in October, and it won only three times after that in the season. The Chargers ended the year poorly once again, with a 4–12 record. In what was becoming a regular pattern, Tomlinson had a good season in 2003 despite his team’s second-rate performance. For instance, his first career pass completion was made during

LT’s Early Years as a Charger the season—a touchdown on a trick play against the Oakland Raiders in September. Another example was his first 100-yard game of the year, the only bright spot in a humiliating 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He was also the hero of San Diego’s first victory of the season. During a 26-20 battle in Cleveland in Week Seven, he rushed for 200 yards and a touchdown. Three weeks later, in a 48-22 win against Minnesota, Tomlinson was the FedEx Ground NFL Player of Week, compiling 207 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.

A Good Year for LT The athlete’s performance continued to stay strong as the season wore on. In December, for example, he caught two touchdown passes, including a 73-yarder, in a 14-7 victory over the Lions. In the final game of the season, a 21-14 win against the Raiders, LT rushed for a franchise-record 243 yards. His 2,370 yards from scrimmage for the year were the second most ever, trailing only Marshall Faulk’s 2,429 yards in 1999 while he was with the St. Louis Rams. Tomlinson also established a team record with 100 receptions, and his 17 touchdowns ranked second only to Kansas City’s Priest Holmes. Furthermore, LT became the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000╯yards and compile 100 receptions in the same season. He accounted for an amazing 46 percent of San Diego’s offensive output during the year. Nonetheless, many football fans and commentators underrated the athlete, and he was only an alternate for the Pro Bowl. Furthermore, he remained relatively unknown—so much so that newspapers frequently misspelled his name. The Chargers organization, however, did not make the mistake of underrating him. Recognizing that he was one of the team’s brightest lights, the Chargers offered him a new contract worth $60 million.

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LaDainian Tomlinson It was the largest contract for a running back in league history. LT was happy to sign. There was the money, of course. But it was also personally important for him to stay in San Diego. He has often stated that players should show loyalty to their teams, instead of coldly chasing money. Despite the Chargers’ poor record in recent years, therefore, he was pleased to remain. He felt confident that the team’s fortunes would change. LT worked hard during the off-season and in training camp to live up to his team’s confidence in him. He told reporters that he felt responsible for the Chargers’ mediocre years and wanted to improve himself. Todd Durkin, Tomlinson’s private trainer, pointed out that the athlete always pushed himself as hard as he could to achieve all his potential. Durkin told San Diego UnionTribune writer Kevin Acee, “When God made LaDainian, he said, ‘Son, you’re going to be a special football player.’ And the nice thing about LaDainian is he is working as hard as he possibly can to fulfill the tools and gifts that have been given to him.” So it was no surprise to anyone that Tomlinson became even more obsessive about training than before. He gave up his favorite foods—which include fajitas, burritos, cookies, and cake—in favor of a healthy diet of rice, pasta, and fish. He also had four massages a week and weekly visits to a chiropractor. LT’s obsession with training extended even into his vacation time. During a trip to Jamaica with LaTorsha, he couldn’t stay away from the exercise room. The athlete told reporters that all of this effort was in memory of Walter Payton, who famously gave himself relentlessly punishing workouts daily, no matter where he was. Going the extra mile was LT’s way of paying homage to his idol. In Tomlinson’s opinion, Payton’s mix of speed, balance, toughness, and grace made him the greatest player ever. Furthermore, Payton was famous for his good nature and generosity. The combination of this positive attitude and his gifts on the field had earned the Bears running back the lasting

LT’s Early Years as a Charger nickname of “Sweetness.” In an article by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, LT remarked that he hoped to be just like Sweetness: “I want to be mentioned [in the future] as a Walter Payton-type person.” As the 2004 season began, expectations were high, and— unlike the years before—the season indeed turned out to be a strong one for the Chargers. Several factors contributed to their success. For one, Schottenheimer created a defensive strategy that proved effective. Excellent performances by quarterback Drew Brees and an up-and-coming second-year tight end, Antonio Gates, added to the team’s power—as did Tomlinson’s contributions. Despite a groin injury that hampered him during part of the season, LT helped provide strong leadership for the Chargers on and off the field. On many occasions, his teammates continued to express their positive feelings about him. Typical of these comments was one from fullback Lorenzo Neal: He is a breath of fresh air for this league. A class act, a hard worker, no excuses, and really entertaining. He is going to get national attention .╯.╯. and people are going to like what they see. He is the future of this league, what it needs. Schottenheimer’s strategy and the contributions of Tomlinson, Brees, and Gates, together with extra efforts by the rest of the team, proved to be an excellent mix. In fact, in 2004 the Chargers enjoyed the team’s first winning season since 1995. Game after game was a victory: A 43-17 trouncing of the New Orleans Saints. A 23-17 win over Oakland, during which Tomlinson ran for 164 yards. A defeat of the Broncos 20-17 in a home game, highlighted by Tomlinson’s 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns. (continues on page 56)

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“He Knows Why” LaDainian Tomlinson has often stated his feelings about the responsibility he has to be the best he can possibly be. In this passage, Sporting News reporter Paul Attner reflects on Tomlinson’s commitment to punishing himself with hard work: This is the most famous athlete in San Diego, yet no one stops to watch, no one wonders why he is on these grounds, willing to turn his legs into a big puddle of mush. He knows why. Jerry Rice. Walter Payton. They, too, prodded themselves during off-seasons, measuring their fortitude against constantly expanding limits of endurance and pain. They had talent but became something much greater and more memorable because of their willingness to develop their bodies beyond anything they realistically could imagine. They ran hills and trudged along sandy beaches and watched as peers accompanying them fell off to puke.

Quoted in the same article, Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer said that he felt the same way about Tomlinson’s demanding personal work ethic. The coach remarked that there would be no nasty surprises concerning the Chargers’ expectations of their big-money player: When we were negotiating with LT [over a contract], I told people that sometimes a guy gets a lot of money and you don’t know what will happen. But not with LT. He will be the same player, the best I have ever seen in my 40-plus years of following pro football. He has great, great personal pride in everything he does.

LT’s Early Years as a Charger

You need to realize he is a unique individual, with a high sense of values and great loyalty. He feels if he isn’t doing this extra work, he is letting someone down. Now, I’m not saying money isn’t important to him. But it’s not what drives him.

And Attner quotes Tomlinson himself on the subject. The athlete summed up his personal philosophy when he said: It’s all about whether you have it to be the best. You can talk about it, but will you truly put in the time when no one is watching? How do you want to be remembered? Do you want to be a legend in the game or someone just playing for the money or whatever? I feel I am a very talented player, but how much better would I be if I do these workouts? Maybe it will make me talented enough to blow out your eyes. No one knows—but why not try to be the greatest? I could be walking on the beach right now telling myself how good I am. Or I could be here, doing something about it. If I am not, someone else is getting the edge on me, to be better than me, and I just refuse to let anyone be better than me.

Not everyone is as reverent about the athlete’s self-imposed training regime and philosophy. His wife, LaTorsha, for instance, jokes that she has heard what she calls “the speech” way too often. She told NBCSports.com reporter Stacey Pressman: Oh, I get the speech all the time. It’s usually something about “keeping your eye on the prize, staying focused and not getting too loose, because when you get too loose you lose focus.” In fact, I hear the speech so often, I sometimes find myself tuning it out.

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LaDainian Tomlinson (continued from page 53) Victories over Tampa Bay and Cleveland assured the Chargers a spot in the play-offs, and Week 16’s game against the Indianapolis Colts was an important matchup. It was, however, a disappointment for San Diego. LT, coming off three straight games of more than 100 yards each, set a new record for consecutive games with a rushing touchdown, helping the team take a 17-3 lead early in the game. The Colts rallied late, however, and prevailed 34-31 in overtime. Week 17, against the Chiefs, saw the Chargers again triumphant, 24-17. (LT did not start this game, for once, because Schottenheimer wanted to rest him and the other first-stringers before the play-offs.) The Chargers drew the Jets for their first game of the play-offs, on January 8 in Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers’ home field. The first half of the contest was not outstanding, and at halftime the score was 7-7. The action picked up in the second half and, late in the game, a score by San Diego sent the game into overtime. Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding, however, missed a chip shot and the Jets were victorious, 20-17. Adding insult to injury, LT finished the game with 133 yards of total offense but scored no touchdowns for the first time in 13 consecutive games. That year, 2004, Tomlinson was caught up, if only partly, in a very different kind of contest. San Diego was experiencing a drawn-out and bitter mayoral race. As the political contest became more acrimonious, the frustration of the city’s residents with it mounted. On the other hand, Tomlinson was one of the most popular people in San Diego. He had helped turn around a losing team, and moreover hoped to be part of a team that was headed to the play-offs. As Election Day drew near, signs and bumper stickers began to pop up around town reading: LT FOR MAYOR. People stopped the football star on the street and told him he

LT’s Early Years as a Charger

Tomlinson plays to the crowd as he is introduced before the Chargers played the Colts in 2004. During the game, the running back set a record, but the team was unable to pull off a victory.

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LaDainian Tomlinson should run. An amused Tomlinson took it all in stride. He commented, in an article by New York Times reporter Lee Jenkins: It sounds crazy, but it does happen [that people were urging me to run]. I think it’s because win or lose, I try to play with pride and represent the city the right way. I’ll show them when I’m happy, I’ll show them when I’m upset. I want to give the people here something to be proud of. Tomlinson did not run for mayor, however, and the Chargers’ season ended with a 12–4 record. It was not bad, but it was not good enough. Still, the improvements were enough that the next season looked to be full of promise—for the Chargers and their star running back alike.

5 Later Seasons with the Chargers U

nfortunately, the Chargers were not able to sustain the building momentum of their 2004 campaign. The 2005 season proved to be a return to the disappointment of earlier years, as San Diego finished with a 9–7 record. They were third in their division and missed the play-offs. LT, however, continued the pattern of previous years—being a great player on a mediocre team—by turning in another outstanding season. For example, in Game Six on October 16, in a victory over the Raiders, the running back became only the seventh player in NFL history to run, catch, and throw for a touchdown in the same game. More record-busting performances followed. Tomlinson tied Baltimore Colt running back Lenny Moore’s NFL record, set 40 years earlier, by scoring a

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LaDainian Tomlinson touchdown in 18 straight games. LT also set a new NFL record by scoring a rushing touchdown in 14 straight games. Despite an injury near the end of the season, when he broke a rib, Tomlinson continued to play—and play well. In the season finale against Denver (a 23-7 loss for San Diego), LT broke two franchise records. He scored his twentieth touchdown of the season, passing Chuck Muncie’s 1981 team record of 19. Tomlinson also moved past Lance Alworth to become the Chargers’ all-time leader in career yards from scrimmage. Tomlinson finished the season with 1,462 rushing yards, 370 receiving yards, and a career-high record of 20 touchdowns (18 rushing, two receiving). He ended up in third place for the FedEx Ground Player of the Year Award, behind Tiki Barber and Shaun Alexander.

High Points and Low Points Off the field during this period, LT saw both high points and some very low points. One positive event came when his alma mater, Texas Christian University, honored him by retiring the number he had worn there. During the Chargers’ bye week in November, Tomlinson returned to Fort Worth for “LT Day.” During halftime of a contest pitting TCU against the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, nearly 50 former teammates joined Tomlinson at midfield for the ceremony to retire his jersey. The ceremony included the showing of a highlight video and a capacity crowd cheering “LT!” As is traditional, no other member of the Horned Frogs can wear his number—5—unless Tomlinson approves it. But in 2005 there was also deep sadness for LT. He and LaTorsha had been delighted at the prospect of expecting their first child. LaDainian was so excited about becoming a father that he would regularly call his friends and teammates to give them updates about LaTorsha’s pregnancy. Then, tragically, she had a miscarriage and lost the baby.

Later Seasons with the Chargers

LaDainian and LaTorsha Tomlinson met in college and have been together ever since. The naturally gregarious LaTorsha is a perfect complement to quiet LaDainian.

The couple was devastated. Tomlinson told San Diego Union-Tribune writer Kevin Acee, “You think you have got life planned out and you’ve got it all dialed in and you know how

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LaDainian Tomlinson it’s supposed to go. We’re going to have a baby. It’s going to be great. Then God says, ‘Not yet. This is not the time.’” The couple went through a difficult period, one that tested both of them, as they grieved their loss. They acknowledged, however, that some good did come out of their experience. LT commented later that the tragedy had changed him profoundly, in some ways for the better. He told Acee: I look at things in a different light. For one, nobody is invincible. Everybody goes through difficult situations in their life. The key is how you handle those situations. You can blame other people or you can look at things in a positive light and overcome them and be a different person. I’ve chosen to look at it as everything happens for a reason. In the long run I will appreciate more. For her part, LaTorsha said on numerous occasions that she would always be grateful for the support her husband provided during that period in their lives. She told Acee, “God definitely used LaDainian for me. I was a wreck. There are days still when I’m a wreck. LaDainian is my rock. He sacrificed his own need to grieve, pushed it to the back, to stand up and be there for me.”

A Record-Busting Season As the 2006 season kicked off, the Chargers swung back into action, in the process losing whatever problems had jinxed them the year before. The team had a great year and ended the season with a 14–2 record, the best in the NFL that year and a franchise high. The Chargers finished as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but fell 24-21 to the Patriots in the divisional round of the play-offs.

Later Seasons with the Chargers Naturally, LT was disappointed with this loss. Instead of his team, the Colts faced the Bears in that year’s Super Bowl. After that game, the back commented: When we lost in [the 2006 play-offs] .╯.╯. I remember watching that Super Bowl and it was like, “Are you kidding me? That should be us.” I was happy because [Colts quarterback] Peyton [Manning] is a good friend of mine and I like guys on their team, so I was happy for them. But, at the same time I’m thinking, “That could be us.” Despite his team’s failure again to reach the championships, Tomlinson continued his own remarkable streak during the 2006 season. For one, LT demonstrated the same leadership and relentless will to win on the field that he always had. Running back Lorenzo Neal, who was then Tomlinson’s teammate on the Chargers, pointed this out in a Sports Illustrated article by Michael Silver. Neal recalled one moment in particular that summed up this aspect of Tomlinson’s personality. It took place during a TV timeout in the third quarter of a game in Buffalo, after the Bills had scored a pair of touchdowns to close to within three points. Tomlinson noticed that a Charger lineman had been conversing with a Buffalo defender. LT angrily ordered his teammate to stop and told the offending player, “Get your butt back to the huddle. We’ll talk to them after the game—after we whip their butts.” This attitude paid off for Tomlinson, because 2006 was a year of numerous record-setting feats. It was, in fact, by far the best season LT had had so far. Arguably, it was one of the best seasons ever for any NFL player.

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“Those Same Ol’ Shorts and That Cut-off TCU T-shirt” In 2006, LT’s wife, LaTorsha Tomlinson (or “LT2” as her husband affectionately calls her), gave a lengthy interview to Stacey Pressman of NBCSports.com. It provided a number of rare insights into the couple’s friendships and private life. Here are some excerpts:

On the Super Bowl that year: “My ultimate goal for this season is for us [San Diego] to play Drew [LT’s old friend and former teammate Drew Brees] and the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl. I can watch New Orleans because I love Drew Brees to death, and [Saints running back] Reggie Bush is like a little brother to us. LaDainian was upset when Drew left. They played in the AllAmerican game together, they were at the Heisman Trophy presentation together, and then when they came out of college, what do you know? They ended up playing for the same team. It would’ve been a fairy tale story if they could’ve gotten a Super Bowl ring together because since high school and running into each other, they just have a very special friendship. But it would be amazing if they faced each other because no matter what the outcome I know LaDainian and Drew would both be thrilled for each other. That would be my ultimate dream. Sure it would have been amazing if they could have won one together, but this scenario would truly be the next best thing.” On her love of sitting in the stands with other fans, not in a special box: “I’ve learned over the years that you can’t really do that [sit in the stands] when you’re a player’s wife. My husband doesn’t think it’s safe. He loves the fans, he’s just worried that people will know I am his wife and they [will] give me a hard time.

Later Seasons with the Chargers

“Plus, he knows me and he knows I like to have fun. I talk and taunt. He’s very protective. He is conscious of where I am during the game. You’ll see him look up every so often.╯.╯.╯. [E]specially if I am watching an away game, he’ll do certain things on the field or into the camera. Like if he takes a hard hit, he knows I’m sitting there at home saying ‘Get up, get up, get up.’ If you watch him, he will take his fist and hit it once to his chest pad, that lets me know that he’s okay. Sometimes he’ll actually turn to the camera in the middle of the game and mouth ‘I love you.’ He actually does it all the time. After he broke the record [the NFL single-season touchdown record] and the guys lifted him up in the end zone, he went to go sit on the bench and mouthed, ‘I love you.’ He does it a lot. He can have a conversation with me [that way] and basically no one else really knows what’s going on.”

On her husband’s unassuming personality: “Very simple, he’s still the same from Day One, very quiet, very humble. I’ve never met anyone like him. It’s very strange, I don’t know anyone who can have what he has: the talent, the fame and just being so blessed and kinda just still [be] so simple and more into the simple things in life, like going to a movie, going to dinner, going to the putt-putt. He says things like, ‘Yeah, I broke the record but the hoopla’s over, we’ve got a game on Sunday.’ I always describe him as someone who has a very old soul; he’s only 27, but he’s not a normal 27, he’s not into parties and clubs and being part of the scene and being in the midst of everything going on. He likes to be at home—in those same ol’ shorts and that cut-off TCU T-shirt that he’s had for seven years with the fabric deteriorating.”

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LaDainian Tomlinson He set a league record of 19 touchdowns in a span of six games. He also set a franchise record of three games with four or more touchdowns in one season. Furthermore, LT was the first NFL athlete to score three touchdowns in three straight games. And he set a record for the most games with over 100 yards in a single season—12 out of 16 regular-season games. And that wasn’t all. During 2006, the back also became the fastest player in NFL history to score 100 touchdowns. Moreover, he became the first running back to rush for at least 1,236 yards in each of his first six NFL seasons. And, with a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 17, Tomlinson surpassed the record for most points in a season by an NFL player. The previous record of 176 had stood for 46 years after Green Bay Packer Paul Hornung set it in 1960. LT topped it by 10, a record that still stands. That same year, Tomlinson nearly bested another of the legendary Hornung’s feats, scoring an average of 11.6 points per game—the most since the Packer’s 12.2 points-pergame average in 1961.

“You Can’t Go Home and Just Watch SportsCenter” LT rounded out his record-busting season with 2,323╯yards from scrimmage (combined rushing and receiving) and a league record of 31 touchdowns (28 rushing, 3 receiving). The touchdown record was previously held by greats Priest Holmes and Marshall Faulk, and most recently had been set by Shaun Alexander the year before with 28. Tomlinson not only smashed the record—he passed Alexander in only the fourteenth game of the regular season. One highlight of this extraordinary year, and the one that Tomlinson is most proud of, came during a matchup in Denver. In this game, he made a 51-yard touchdown streak on a screen pass. It was the defining moment in a contest that saw

Later Seasons with the Chargers San Diego erase a 17-point deficit to beat the Broncos 35-27 and take control of the AFC West. The athlete commented, “Winning there [in Denver] was something I’d never accomplished before. We never hung our heads, and the way it played out was magical.” During this season, quarterback Philip Rivers, in his first year starting for the Chargers, was getting a lot of attention for his amazing passing accuracy. He was not the only decent passer in the lineup, however. LT threw several touchdown passes off the halfback option. One of them was a 19-yard floater to tight end Antonio Gates that tied the score in the fourth quarter of a victory over the Raiders in November. After racking up feats like that one, Tomlinson always remained his usual low-key self, choosing not to celebrate or brag to the media. In fact, not even after he broke the singleseason touchdown record was LT interested in partying. He said he was perfectly content to go straight home with LaTorsha to watch a movie—because, he said, the DVD was due back at Blockbuster the next day. LT’s wife refused to do that, however, and insisted that they celebrate at a nightclub with linebacker Shawne Merriman, linebacker Randall Godfrey and his wife, and Antonio Gates and his girlfriend. LaTorsha told NBCsports.com reporter Stacey Pressman: If he were the sole decision-maker of plans for the evening, [staying home is] probably what he would have chosen for himself. I had to beg him, that night after he broke the record, I begged him to go out. It was an issue, he wanted to just hang out at home. I kept telling him, you broke the record, you can’t go home and just watch SportsCenter and play with your dog. Your teammates are out, you need to go! It would be very weird if you just stayed home.

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In a 2006 game against Kansas City, Tomlinson leaves Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson and cornerback Patrick Surtain in his wake as he races 85 yards for a touchdown. It was another record-making game for Tomlinson.

“Like a Kid in Willie Wonka Land” Naturally, the thrilling performances that Tomlinson put on in 2006 did not go unnoticed, and toward the end of the year he received a number of prestigious honors. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month in December. At the end of the season, Tomlinson was also given the NFL’s MVP Award. He was the first Charger to receive this honor, and he garnered an impressive 44 out of 50 possible votes. Furthermore, the running back was the Associated Press’s Offensive Player of the Year, and was second only to Tiger

Later Seasons with the Chargers Woods in being named the Associated Press’ Male Athlete of the Year. For the fourth time, Tomlinson was elected to the Pro Bowl (one of nine Chargers chosen that year). He was NBC’s Player of the Year and ESPN’s Male Athlete of the Year. Finally, he shared the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (with his friend and former teammate Drew Brees, who was now with the New Orleans Saints). All of these honors—which were not the only ones LT received—were wonderful. But LT told reporters that the best moment of the year for him was not an award, or even an outstanding moment in a game, but a chance meeting. Before a Chargers contest against the Cleveland Browns in November, the athlete turned a corner outside the Chargers locker room and was suddenly face-to-face with one of his all-time idols: Jim Brown, the celebrated Browns running back who was then serving as an adviser to his former team. LT introduced himself, and the two talked for several minutes. The younger man commented later that he was dazzled by Brown’s assertion that Tomlinson was carving out a great career for himself. As LT told Sports Illustrated reporter Michael Silver, “I was like a kid in Willy Wonka Land.”

Deaths and Danger Tomlinson’s banner year of 2006 rolled on into 2007, and the year proved to be an eventful one for the running back and his family in their personal lives. Unfortunately, two of the events were tragic. The first came early in the year. LT had reconnected with his father, Oliver Tomlinson. By now, though, Oliver, who had continued to battle addiction, was not in good shape. LT repeatedly asked his father to come and live with him and LaTorsha in California, but Oliver refused. LT’s mother recalls her son phoning her, worried about Oliver. According to an article in the Dallas Morning News by Kate Hairopoulos, the

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LaDainian Tomlinson athlete broke down crying as the sad reality hit him. He told Loreane, “I can’t help him. There’s nothing I can do.” Then, in February 2007, Oliver and Tomlinson’s brotherin-law, Ronald McClain, were killed in a one-car accident in Waco. The elder Tomlinson, who was 71 years old, passed away on the scene. Tomlinson’s 48-year-old brother-in-law was gravely injured, and he died later at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco. Naturally, Tomlinson was devastated to lose these two family members. However, the athlete told reporters, he also knew that the encouragement and wisdom Oliver had passed on would stay with him. He further commented: There have been hardships, no doubt. But I think it’s made me who I am, both on and off the field. And on the field, you can talk about the drive of athletes, the drive to be great, that definitely has a lot to do with it. Enduring a lot of hardships and obstacles in my life, it’s challenged me, and I’d like to think it’s brought out the best in me. Later that year, in October, LaDainian and LaTorsha suffered another serious problem. They were forced to flee in the middle of the night from their home in Poway, a suburb of San Diego. A wildfire had erupted and was coming perilously close to their house. Many other Chargers players and staff lived in the area affected by the fire, and about 40 of them and their families also had to leave. These households were only a few of the estimated 250,000 across San Diego County that were forced to evacuate during the emergency. Fortunately, the Tomlinsons escaped unharmed, and firefighters were able to stop the blaze before it could damage their home and its contents (which included the athlete’s large, valuable collection of sports memorabilia). The emergency workers

Later Seasons with the Chargers were able to contain the blaze just in time; it came very close to the Tomlinsons’ fence. Besides having to evacuate his house, Tomlinson experienced other repercussions from the fire. The Chargers were temporarily forced to move team practices to Arizona, because thick smoke made the air quality around San Diego dangerous. In time, LaDainian and LaTorsha were able to return home. Naturally, the couple was grateful to everyone who had helped them and their neighbors during the emergency. The month after they were forced to flee, LT and LaTorsha held an event to honor the professional firefighters as well as the volunteers who had battled the blaze. The Tomlinsons also provided supplies (including 300 flat-screen televisions) to people who had lost their homes in the blaze.

2007 Season During the off-season, before the 2007 schedule began, Tomlinson received still more honors. These included being named by some 25,000 voters as 2007’s “Most Unstoppable Jock” on Spike TV’s Guys’ Choice Awards in June. LT beat out another finalist, basketball legend Kobe Bryant, for the award. Another occurrence in the off-season was a dramatic shakeup in the Chargers’ coaching lineup. The most significant change was that Marty Schottenheimer was fired soon after the end of the 2006 season. Another experienced coach, Norv Turner, replaced him. Turner had previously served (among other posts) as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator. The team got off to a mediocre 5–5 start in 2007, but it rallied to finish the regular season with six straight victories. This gave the Chargers an overall record of 11–5 for the regular season and the AFC West title. San Diego proceeded to progress further in the play-offs than it had the year before. Once again, though, the team fell to the Patriots, this time losing 21-12 in the AFC Championship Game.

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LaDainian Tomlinson Perhaps partly because the tragedies and setbacks in his personal life affected his professional life, Tomlinson’s performance in 2007 was mixed. There were several high points, including one early in December. During a contest against the Kansas City Chiefs, LT scored his 111th rushing touchdown, passing the legendary Walter Payton on the NFL’s all-time rushing touchdown list. At a press conference a few days later, LT honored the beloved Bears back (who had died in 1999 of a rare liver disease) by wearing his jersey. Another highlight for Tomlinson was leading the league in rushing, racking up 1,474 yards. He was the first player since Edgerrin James (in 2000, when he was with the Colts) to win back-to-back rushing titles. As a whole, however, the season was not a complete success for LT. One game that typified his erratic performance was a wild-card play-off victory over the Tennessee Titans on January 6, 2008. The back ran for a mere 42 yards on 21 carries and caught only three passes for 19 yards. On the other hand, during that game Tomlinson also scored an exciting touchdown on fourth and goal, leaping over the pile and reaching across the goal line to secure a fourth-quarter lead for the Chargers. And the end of the season was a major letdown for the athlete, due to injury. Tomlinson bruised his left knee and was forced to sit out the second half of a divisional play-off victory over the Colts on January 13. Then, in the AFC title game against the Patriots a week later, LT had just two carries and five yards before his knee started to trouble him again and he was forced to come off the field. Fortunately, he recovered enough to be a starter in the 2008 Pro Bowl. As one of eight Chargers selected for the team, Tomlinson was making his fifth appearance at a Pro Bowl.

More Injuries in 2008 When the 2008 season rolled around, it proved to be only an average one for San Diego. The team finished with a luke-

Later Seasons with the Chargers warm 8–8 record. Nonetheless, in some ways the Chargers acquitted themselves well. They were the first team since 1985 to go 8–8 and still win their division, giving the franchise its third consecutive AFC West championship. In their wild-card play-off game against Indianapolis, the Chargers upset the Colts, 23-17. In 2008, the Chargers achieved two unusual historic markers. San Diego became the first team ever to start the season 4–8 but still make it to the play-offs. It was also the first team in NFL history to have an entire season without a winning record until after the first round of the play-offs. The Chargers, however, were eliminated from the running the following week, falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-24 in a divisional round game. Meanwhile, the season was not a good one for Tomlinson. For one thing, he had been unable to participate in the offseason training program because of an ongoing, nagging toe injury. LT’s toe continued to plague him during the regular season, and it kept him from reaching his usual high standard of play. In fact, LT averaged a mere 3.3 yards per carry in the first three weeks, and he did not have a 100-yard rushing game until Week Four’s contest against the Raiders. This trouble-plagued performance continued as the season progressed. The back averaged only 17 carries per game as of midseason, and scored only four rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown during that period. Furthermore, he managed only two 100-yard rushing performances during the entire season. His end-of-season numbers were bleak. LT ended the year with a career-low 1,110 rushing yards on a career low of 292 attempts and 11 touchdowns, including a three-touchdown performance in the final game of the season. Nonetheless, the back still topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the eighth consecutive season. He was now in third place, alongside Thurman Thomas, for all-time consecutive 1,000yard rushing seasons.

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LaDainian Tomlinson Still, trouble struck again. In the last game of the regular season, during which the Chargers stomped the Broncos 52-21, Tomlinson was injured again. This time, he suffered a partial groin tear. LT was able to play in the first half of the wild-card game against the Colts, but he re-injured his groin and was forced to miss the Chargers’ divisional loss to the Steelers. The toe injury LT had suffered earlier in the season was likely a major factor in his second injury. In retrospect, he has said, he probably should have missed four to six weeks to let the toe heal. But, he added, his self-respect wouldn’t allow it. He was still mindful of the criticism he had gotten and his personal frustration the year before, when he had missed much of the play-offs because of his knee injury. Instead of stepping down to rest, therefore, Tomlinson tried to gut it out, with the result that he injured himself again—and more seriously this time. Speaking to Jason Cole of Yahoo!Sports.com, the athlete said, “Why didn’t I just sit down? But it was the pride in me. I’m the two-time defending rushing champ, I had been injured in the play-offs last year and people wondered .╯.╯. all of that. Just my pride made me think that I didn’t want to sit.”

“My Challenge Is to Prove Them Wrong” Despite his injuries and other problems, there were bright spots for LT during this period. For example, he was one of six players and coaches to be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Tomlinson was the only active player in the 2008 roster of inductees, and, at 29, by far the youngest. He was in excellent company. The others in that year’s new class of Hall of Famers were former Texas Longhorns football star Bill Bradley (not to be confused with the basketball great of the same name); former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Lee Roy Jordan; former Longhorns fullback Steve Worster; ex-soccer player Kyle Rote Jr.; former Dallas Mavericks basketball player

Later Seasons with the Chargers

Tomlinson (left) and quarterback Drew Brees (right) both were named the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2006. The award is given by the NFL to honor players’ volunteer and charity work.

Rolando Blackman; and the late Texas Longhorns basketball coach Abe Lemons. Being welcomed into the Texas organization was a particular honor for LT. While growing up in Waco, he had often passed by the building that houses it—but, surprisingly, he had never been inside. In an article by Waco Tribune-Herald reporter John Werner, Tomlinson commented: There’s nothing like being from Waco and now being part of the hall of fame. Being born and raised in

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LaDainian Tomlinson Texas, it’s special to come back and be inducted in front of family and friends. I think it also shows people in this community that if you shoot for something, you can do it. Despite the honor of becoming part of his home state’s sports hall of fame, Tomlinson came in for some serious criticism after the 2008 season. Predictably, many commentators speculated on Tomlinson’s future. Would he be able to come back from the injuries that had hampered him for the last two years? Some observers went so far as to wonder if he was washed up as a player. He turned 30 in June 2009, which put him at the top end of the typical age spectrum for a running back. Tomlinson, however, dismissed any predictions of failure due to his age. He told an Associated Press reporter in July 2009: That is the perception not only for me but running backs throughout history. That is something you fight against every day and every year. Not only [for] me, but every guy.╯.╯.╯. There is a number or stigma or whatever you want to call it that says you should be old at this position at this point of your career. At running back, it says 30. So my challenge is to prove them wrong and it is certainly going to be a heck of a challenge and I’m certainly looking forward to it and in the long run I think it’ll help me out. And with that, LaDainian Tomlinson began to look to the future.

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o one can predict what will happen in LT’s future. It is possible, however, to make some reasonable predictions about how his life might go. One thing that is surely safe to predict is that a big part of Tomlinson’s time will be devoted to using his wealth and celebrity to help others. On the one hand, he appreciates being able to enjoy what money can buy: travel, nice cars, sports memorabilia, houses for his family members. But LT also knows that this is not enough. As he put it in Kevin Chappell’s Ebony magazine article, “It’s not about what kind of car you drive, or how much ice you have. That’s not important. It’s about the type of person you are.”

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Giving to Others Tomlinson and his wife both know well that they have been incredibly fortunate in their lives. LaDainian and LaTorsha also feel strongly that they have a responsibility to use their wealth and celebrity to make a positive difference. As a result, philanthropy has always been close to their hearts. They have devoted—and will continue to devote—much of their time and energy to giving back to society in a variety of ways. The largest part of this effort is through the LaDainian Tomlinson Touching Lives Foundation. Both LaDainian and LaTorsha actively oversee this nonprofit organization. Touching Lives helps kids in a variety of ways, in the Tomlinsons’ adopted home of San Diego and elsewhere. Among the activities it promotes are a charity golf tournament and fishing trips for homeless and at-risk children. The athlete also sponsors three youth football camps, in Waco, Fort Worth, and San Diego. Each is called, appropriately enough, Camp LT. These camps are for young children up through high-school-age students—girls as well as boys. Christina M. Mejia is a pre-kindergarten teacher in Waco who worked with the football star for several years to promote Camp LT.╯In an e-mail to the author, she commented that Tomlinson “is a prize example of where you have a man and remarkable athlete who doesn’t have to do this but chooses to spend time with the kids.╯His motto being, ‘hard work pays off.’” The Touching Lives organization also sponsors such activities as Thanksgiving and Christmas programs that provide meals and gifts to thousands of needy people, including patients at San Diego’s Children’s Hospital and Health Center. The foundation also runs a program called the School Is Cool Scholarship Fund. Every year, it awards 30 scholarships to college-bound students. The students are chosen for their excellence in academics, community involvement, and volunteer

Off the Field work. Half of the scholars are from San Diego and half are from the school LT attended, University High School in Waco. On a smaller scale, LT hosted an activity he called “The 21 Club.” At every Chargers home game, the athlete donated tickets to 21 young people from various local youth groups. After the game, the guests got a one-on-one visit with Tomlinson and a dinner out with him—plus a “goodie bag” of games and school supplies to take home. Late in 2009, the Tomlinsons moved the headquarters for the Touching Lives Foundation to Fort Worth. LT and his wife both attended college in Fort Worth, and they still have warm feelings about their time there. The move was in part to honor the city that had given so much to Tomlinson. At the time of the move, Shannon Brazzell, the executive director of Touching Lives, said in an article by Aleshia Howe of the Fort Worth Business Press, “We are very excited to have an office for the foundation here in Fort Worth. LT is a native Texan and the time he spent at TCU was extremely special to him. We hope to engage the Fort Worth community with our endeavors to make the lives of children better in the community.” Tomlinson’s work in helping others has been honored in a number of ways. For instance, in 2009, USA Weekend magazine chose him as a recipient of its Most Caring Athletes Award. LT shared the honor that year with Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner. Previous winners have included New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and pro golfer Annika Sorenstam.

At Home with LT When he is not overseeing his foundation or at work on the football field, LaDainian still enjoys just relaxing with LaTorsha, and he admits that he is a hopeless homebody. On the other hand, LT does travel frequently for his job, of course, and the Tomlinsons sometimes travel for pleasure, especially to other countries. Among the places they have visited are

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With all his success, Tomlinson believes he has an obligation to give back to society. He and LaTorsha participate in a number of charities and have created the LaDainian Tomlinson Touching Lives Foundation. Above, Tomlinson and his teammates work out with crew members of the USS Ronald Reagan.

Jamaica, Mexico, Costa Rica, Whistler (a ski resort in British Columbia, Canada), and the Bahamas. They also made a special trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Still, most of their time is spent at home. LaTorsha has frequently said that it is difficult to drag her husband away from his home and his three dogs: Coco, Fendi, and Sweetness (who is named in honor of Tomlinson’s hero, Walter Payton). LT does get out on occasion. He enjoys watching basketball and loves to attend home games of the Los Angeles Lakers. Also,

Off the Field he and LaTorsha have a date night every week. This gives them a chance to get out without distractions and play around as if they were just big kids. (LaTorsha has said on many occasions that her husband is really nothing but a big kid.) In the interview with Stacey Pressman, she commented about their weekly date, “It’s our night. He doesn’t do any interviews, there’s no anything, we normally go to the movies, or go-kart riding or to the putt-putt.” It is perhaps easy to understand why LT would enjoy spending so much time at home—beyond the obvious reason of his close marriage to LaTorsha. His home is set on 15 acres of land in Poway. The house is 10,000 square feet (929 square meters) in size and includes a swimming pool, a 1,400-gallon (5,300-liter) fish aquarium, and LT’s favorite room—a movie room. This theater is decorated to resemble vintage drive-ins of the 1940s and 1950s. For example, the seats are made of real cars, such as a ’64 Mustang, that have been sawn in half and customized for comfort. Naturally, the house also has an extensive sports memorabilia room. Among its treasures are autographed helmets from three of Tomlinson’s greatest heroes: Walter Payton, Jim Brown, and Barry Sanders. The home also has a full-size basketball court, decked out in the purple and white colors of its owner’s alma mater, TCU. (Many of LT’s fellow Chargers regularly show up there for pickup games.) There’s also room in the garage for Tomlinson’s classic cars, such as his painstakingly restored cherry-red 1964 Chevy Impala. One reason the athlete prefers to stay home is that he can escape the high-pressure life of a public figure there. Tomlinson is generally gracious but shy when speaking to people he doesn’t know, and he tends to be reserved in public—which is one big reason why he calls himself a hopeless homebody. His personality is in sharp contrast to that of his naturally garrulous wife—LaDainian jokes that LaTorsha enjoys conversation so much that she would talk to a tree.

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“Take Out the Trash” Despite the athlete’s preference for keeping a low profile and staying home, the Tomlinsons appreciated how the other residents of San Diego treated them when they did go out. In particular, they appreciated the city’s easy-going atmosphere, which let them carry on their everyday lives with a minimum of hassle. LaTorsha said that the residents there tended to treat her and her husband as just people, rather than constantly barraging them with unwanted attention—as sometimes happens in other places. As she told Pressman, the NBCSports. com reporter: What I love about San Diego is that the people are so respectful so if we’re out, they might walk by and in passing say, ‘Great game LaDainian’ and keep moving.╯.╯.╯. Whereas in Texas, we’re from Texas and so .╯.╯. people will just pull up a chair next to us and sit down and order food. We don’t get that here [in San Diego], it’s a lot easier.” In the same interview, LaTorsha also spoke about the relationship she and her famous husband have when at home. She stresses that it is very normal—that LaDainian never puts on airs simply because he is an easily recognized celebrity. She said: It’s easy for me to have a normal life with him.╯.╯.╯. He just doesn’t know that he’s a superstar. At home, it’s very normal.╯.╯.╯. I’m like, “Take out the trash and clean up the dog poop because I told you to do it yesterday and now it stinks.”

What’s Next In the years to come, they say, both Tomlinson and his wife are focused on three main goals: their philanthropic work, LT’s

Off the Field career, and expanding their family. In the wake of the grief caused by LaTorsha’s miscarriage, they hoped to try again for a child. In 2006, she said to Pressman: It’s been long enough. It [the miscarriage] was the hardest thing we went through in our relationship. I know that I went through it physically, but I truly think it was harder on him than me because he has such a soft, sweet, sensitive spirit.╯.╯.╯. He wants kids so bad, it’s ridiculous. It’s an addiction with him. That time in our life was difficult because we almost had it, it was so close but it slipped away. Besides their personal lives, of course, the main question about the future—the one of special interest to LT’s many fans—is his ability to keep on playing. As the 2009 season, LT’s ninth, began, he had 126 rushing touchdowns, the second-most in NFL history (after Emmitt Smith), and 141 total touchdowns, which tied him with wide receiver Terrell Owens for fourth all-time. (The top three are Jerry Rice, Smith, and Marcus Allen.) Tomlinson was also the only player in NFL history who had 10 or more touchdowns in all eight of his NFL seasons to date, and he was only one of three players in league history to have rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of those eight seasons (the others being Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin). He had carried the ball for almost an even 12,000 yards in his National Football League career. And he still held or shared 28 Chargers records. This amazing past performance certainly was evidence that he could sustain his career longer. On the other hand, the years since his record-breaking 2006 season had been mixed for LT in terms of staying injury-free. The toe and groin injuries that nagged him for two seasons had healed. Nonetheless,

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“He Will Be One of Those Guys” Some observers feel strongly that Tomlinson’s best years may be behind him, that his amazing 2006 season was the peak of his performance. By no means does everyone agree, however. Many have stated their opinions that Tomlinson has what it takes to surpass Emmitt Smith’s daunting career rushing record (18,355 yards). One of those admirers is Randy Mueller, the former general manager of the Miami Dolphins. Mueller cautions, however, that LT needs a certain amount of good fortune—and the continued support of some gifted teammates. In an interview with Sporting News reporter Paul Attner in 2005, Mueller said about Tomlinson: He’s a staggering talent. He has no weaknesses. And he has that extra gear to go 60 yards every time. But he’s more than a runner. He is a great receiver, he’s willing to go inside for extra yards, he’ll pick up blitzes. He is the most complete back in the business.╯.╯.╯. But to catch Emmitt, he will need health, luck, and good talent around him, which [hasn’t always been] the case.╯.╯.╯. It’ll be fun to watch.

Another admirer is John Robinson, the veteran former coach for the University of Southern California and the Rams, and later a Chargers consultant. Robinson commented to Jay Paris of the North County Times in the summer of 2009: When you talk about the top five of all time, he will be one of those guys. If you say Emmitt Smith or Eric Dickerson or Jim Brown or Gale Sayers, you say LT. It just seems fitting.╯.╯.╯. Boy, there aren’t many backs I’ve ever seen that I thought were better.

Off the Field Tomlinson sprained his ankle early in the 2009 season opener, causing him to miss the next two games, and the threat of further injury was always present. Furthermore, in the summer of 2009, Tomlinson turned 30, which is old for a typical NFL running back. While not unheard of, it is unusual for a player to withstand the pressures of playing running back for too many years beyond that. As a result, a number of people inside and outside the Chargers organization wondered about Tomlinson’s future.

“The Fire in His Eyes” The athlete himself is confident about his potential for the future. Not everyone is as sure, however, and a number of critics have expressed their concern. One of them is Michael Salfino, a contributor to NESN.com, a sports news and commentary Web site in the New England region. After a narrow Week Eight victory in 2009 against the Giants, 21-20, Salfino wrote, “The Chargers have to stop wasting time with LaDainian Tomlinson. Giving him 12 carries (for 22 yards) should have cost them the game. Tomlinson ran with no speed, power or vision. He looked done.” Nonetheless, LT was determined to show the world that he still had what it took, and the running back’s resolve was clear to his teammates and coaches. One such observer was Chargers defensive tackle Jamal Williams. Williams told Yahoo!Sports reporter Jason Cole, in the summer of 2009, “You can see the fire in his eyes, how serious he is when he starts talking about this year. You know he’s going to prove [it] to everybody.╯.╯.╯. He’ll show them. I’m excited to see him.” Many other observers agreed. One was sportswriter Jay Paris of the North County Times. Paris wrote, “Tomlinson .╯.╯. isn’t waddling like a senior toward the early-bird special. Instead, he’s hitting holes with a purpose, eager to prove he’s nowhere near the rims on his tires.”

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LaDainian Tomlinson Williams and Paris were not the only ones who believed that LT was not past his prime. Tomlinson’s friend and teammate, left guard Kris Dielman, said in Paris’s article that it was unfair to expect Tomlinson—or any other athlete—to maintain a high level of performance during every season. Dielman pointed out, ”Everybody wants to compare him to 2006. But that was like Barry Bonds hitting 73 home runs in a season. It [isn’t] going to happen again.”

“There Comes a Day .╯.╯.” Still, the controversy over his continued status as a Charger remained. In large part because of his injuries, the team began to play him less and less. Shortly after the end of the 2008 season, LT spoke at length with the team’s general manager, A.J. Smith, about what a future contract with the Chargers might be. Smith stressed that he evaluates all the players and staff— including himself—on a year-to-year basis. Nonetheless, the general manager has a reputation for both egotism and candor, and his blunt, sometimes cold approach to these discussions upset Tomlinson. LT spoke with many people, including the NFL’s all-time rushing leader (and Tomlinson’s boyhood idol) Emmitt Smith, in an effort to deal with the problem. Tomlinson told reporter Jason Cole: When you’re first approached about the situation, you’re kind of like, “Are you kidding me?” But then you realize all the guys that have been through it and then you can’t become angry or emotional about it. There are so many guys who have been through it. Junior Seau, Rodney Harrison, Dan Fouts .╯.╯. There comes a day [for everyone].” A.J. Smith denied that any personal bad feeling existed between him and the running back. The general manager

Off the Field stressed that his focus had always been on the long run and that Tomlinson was only one of several key players who were coming up for new contracts. In the Cole article, quarterback Philip Rivers commented: It was painful to see L.T. go through that. As a teammate and a friend, you’re just feeling bad that a guy like that, who has done so much for the team and means so much to the community, has to get into that. You’re calling to make sure he’s OK and hoping they can work something out because he needs to be here.

The New Contract As the talks with Smith began early in 2009, rumors flew that LT might be released. That spring, however, the athlete’s agent, Tom Condon, wrapped up a round of tough talks with the Chargers. These intense negotiations ended with the team signing Tomlinson to a restructured three-year contract. In an article by the Associated Press about the agreement, Chargers president Dean Spanos stated: This is a good day for the Chargers and for Chargers fans. It was important for me to get this done so LT could continue his career here in San Diego where he means so much to our team, our fans, and our community. The alternative was just unthinkable. He belongs in San Diego. For his part, LT was also pleased to be staying in the city he has long considered his home. In the AP article, he said: I love San Diego and being a part of this team with my teammates. My No. 1 priority was to stay here in San Diego. I truly believe this is the place that gives me the

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LaDainian Tomlinson best chance to be successful and win a championship. I want to finish the job we started when I got here eight years ago. My heart has always been in San Diego. I couldn’t imagine putting on another uniform. I really appreciate the role Dean played throughout this process. He made it work for everyone and I appreciate his friendship more than he knows. Under the previous contract, the running back was set to make $24 million over the final three years of his deal. With the revised contract, San Diego gave him a $2.875 million signing bonus, reduced his yearly base salary to $3.825 million, and gave him a $2 million option bonus after the season. Tomlinson got to keep the 2009 payout of his contract at $6.7 million, slightly more than the salary of his backup running back/return specialist, Darren Sproles.

Endorsements Tomlinson’s financial status extends far beyond his salary, of course. It includes lucrative contracts with a number of companies whose products he endorses. Among his endorsement deals have been arrangements with Nike, Campbell Soup, Fox Sports, Vizio, AT&T, and ESPN Radio. He also signed with FOXSports.com to promote the network’s FOX Sports Fantasy Football. It must be said, however, that LT does not do as many of these commercial endorsements as other top athletes do. In fact, the number and size of LT’s endorsement deals pale in comparison to some NFL players, such as Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who for years has seemed to be everywhere selling things. By all accounts, LT is very popular with the companies he represents. This is largely because of his clean-cut, positive, and modest attitude, as well as his extensive philanthropic work.

Off the Field According to one recent survey, the running back was rated as the most trustworthy player in the NFL, as well as the league’s most effective corporate spokesman. In an article in Business Week, Scott Sanford, who works for the research company that conducted the survey, noted, “People who know him really like him. [His] scores are off the charts.” Even in his commercial endorsements, Tomlinson makes sure that his activities can benefit others who have less. For example, when the Nike shoe company offered him a contract to put his name on a shoe style, the athlete agreed—but only if Nike sold the shoes for no more than $50, so that people with less money could still afford them. (This is a similar idea to the line of inexpensive shoes and clothes that basketball star Stephon Marbury created.) Tomlinson stated in the Business Week article, “I didn’t want [my shoe] to be priced where many kids couldn’t afford it.”

Taking a Shot at Emmitt Smith’s Record As the 2009 season was about to start, Tomlinson made it clear that he had no intention of retiring soon, and he dismissed any skepticism about his ability to maintain a high standard of play. Furthermore, he also made it clear that he wanted to stay with the Chargers until he did retire. He told Waco Tribune-Herald reporter John Werner, “There’s no question that I’d love to end my career with the Chargers. It would be really special to do what Walter Payton did and play with one team the whole time.” Much speculation about LT’s future prospects revolved around his chances of becoming football’s all-time leading rusher. At the start of the 2009 season, Tomlinson had 11,830 yards. Passing Emmitt Smith’s career mark of 18,355 was therefore still a possibility. Norv Turner, who took over from Marty Schottenheimer as the Chargers’ head coach in 2007, agreed. Turner said, “There is no question [Darren] Sproles showed

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Like all top athletes, Tomlinson has endorsement deals with a variety of companies, including Nike, Campbell’s Soup, and AT&T. Above, Tomlinson shoots a commercial for Campbell’s Soup.

he can complement LT, but LT is going to end up with enough carries .╯.╯. to be a contender for the rushing title. I think that is when he is at his best.” LT has made no secret of his hopes of beating Smith’s record. He said on numerous occasions that he wants to hit that mark. He told reporter Werner, “I don’t want to finish my career without taking a shot at Emmitt’s record.”

“I Don’t Want to Have Any Regrets” Beyond the potential for this record, of course, was the possibility that Tomlinson might lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. That, the athlete often said, would be the best possible

Off the Field high point in his already outstanding career. LT told a reporter for Yahoo!Sports: I feel like we should have at least one Super Bowl championship by now. You look back at all the plays and you say, “Man, we should have won that game.” You watch the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl, and it really messes with you. It does and if we don’t get it done .╯.╯. I may kick myself the rest of my life thinking about this stuff. No matter what happens, LT understands well how fragile a career can be in professional sports, how everything that he has worked for can quickly disappear. So the athlete hopes to go out on a high note, an attitude that may explain why he remains interested in surpassing Emmitt Smith’s record. He commented to reporter Paris: I don’t want to have any regrets when I am done.╯.╯.╯. I want to walk away from the game when I say I’m ready to walk away and leave no regrets at all.╯.╯.╯. Because I know if I get to a point where I end up retiring early and then I’ll look back on two or three years after I retired and say, “You know what? Why didn’t I keep going?”

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The Future A

s LaDainian Tomlinson nears the end of his career, he has said he wants to retire without any regrets. Unfortunately, in 2009, the season did not go as well as Tomlinson had hoped. In the regular season, the Chargers did improve significantly on their previous year’s record of 8–8. They racked up a 13–3 record, losing only to the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Denver Broncos early in the year and culminating with an 11-game winning streak. Tomlinson, however, had a deeply frustrating year. He sprained his right ankle in the season opener at Oakland and missed the next two games. Even when he was able to return, LT was clearly not playing at his full potential, and Coach Norv Turner continued to use him less and less throughout the season. 92

The Future The situation was shaping up to be a disappointing continuation of his injury-plagued 2007 and 2008 performances. Indeed, by season’s end, Tomlinson’s career-low of 1,110 rushing yards in 2008 was even lower in 2009, when he only managed 730 yards in 14 games. Especially galling was a contest in Week Eight, an away game against the New York Giants. Although the Chargers squeaked out a victory, 21-20, it was statistically one of the worst games of Tomlinson’s career. The 22 rushing yards he compiled were nearly the lowest of all his pro games. Furthermore, the Giants held LT to fewer than two yards per carry for just the fourth time in his career. Nonetheless, the athlete was not discouraged, at least in public. At the end of the game, he smiled his famously brilliant smile and hugged Chargers coach Turner. Standing alone in the locker room after the game and speaking softly, he told reporter Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he still maintained a positive outlook. LT said: I’ve been through a lot in my career; it’s hard work. I don’t want to say I’m coming to the end. But I don’t know if I’ll ever be in this stadium again. You cherish certain moments. That’s one I’ll remember forever. Sometimes, for selfish reasons, I want to have a good game. I want to have 100 yards; I want to have a touchdown. Sometimes it doesn’t work like that. Yeah, I’m going to look back and feel disappointed because I didn’t have the numbers. But at the end of the day, we won the game. Things have changed. We haven’t had the kind of rhythm in the running game we’re used to having. It’s disappointing. At the same time .╯.╯. I’m going to keep playing hard.

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Faltering in the Play-offs The Chargers ended 2009 with the second-best regular-season record in team history. Once again, however, they faltered in the postseason, losing to the New York Jets in the divisional round of the play-offs. Despite the advantage of playing at home in Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers lost, 17-14, signaling the end of their season. Of course, the game was a bitter disappointment for anyone connected to or interested in the Chargers, but it was especially galling for Tomlinson. Twice the NFL’s rushing champion, the back racked up a mere 24 yards on 12 carries—none of them longer than five yards—and caught three passes for a net gain of 0 yards. The worst moment came in the second minute of the fourth quarter. LT gained just one yard in what would turn out to be, almost surely, the final carry he would make for the Chargers. At this, the hometown crowd erupted in spontaneous boos. The reaction reflected the angry venting of the spectators, although many analysts later stated their opinion that the booing was probably directed more at the questionable play call than at the player himself. San Diego had 18 more plays that game, but that one-yard carry by LT became a focal point for the fans’ frustration. It also sharply pointed up how the running back, once the team’s shining star, was dropping out of the public eye. San Diego Union-Tribune sportswriter Tim Sullivan noted in an article on the day after the game, “The Chargers were so busy finding ways to lose yesterday—through inexcusably stupid penalties, unfathomable field-goal misses, dropped passes, missed tackles, a fluke interception, you name it—that LT’s personal drama and diminished role nearly escaped notice.” When the game ended, Tomlinson was clearly disheartened. The athlete left the field with his head bowed, his expression hidden by his helmet’s protective shield. He

The Future walked quickly to the ramp leading to the locker room. Just before Tomlinson disappeared from view beneath a protective canopy, fellow running back Darren Sproles reached over and softly patted his teammate’s helmet, as if he was comforting a child. For his part, LT said later that he thought the booing from the crowd was a reaction to the Chargers’ offense, which had been a powerhouse but had grown slack in the game. Furthermore, he said, publicly at least, that he did not take the crowd’s reaction personally. Commenting on the Chargers’ elimination early in the play-offs, LT also told a Sports Radio interviewer that it had been “one of the toughest weeks that I’ve been through. Just the disappointment that you go through.╯.╯.╯. Only time will heal us of how we feel right now.”

Missing the Championship Ring Tomlinson’s fondest hope, all through his years with the Chargers, had been to go with the team to the Super Bowl. In a 2005 interview with Kevin Acee in the San Diego Union-Tribune, the athlete spoke of his wishes for the future. He said, “Hopefully everything will go hand in hand. Hopefully I can become stronger with God and be able to touch people’s lives that way. Hopefully I’ll have a big family and hopefully I’ll get a Super Bowl ring.” The 2009 season, however, was widely seen as LT’s last shot at earning a championship ring, and now that was over. This sad turn of events put the running back in the company of other Chargers greats, including Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow, and Junior Seau. All of them had been outstanding players who had also been thwarted in getting a championship ring. In an interview on Sports Radio, LT remarked that he felt the same way—that the 2009 season had been his best shot. The athlete praised his teammates for their hard work and talent, and he further said:

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LaDainian Tomlinson You play the game in your mind and you feel terrible [if eliminated] because like I said you have to wait a long time to get back on the football field. It’s pretty much the same [as any loss], but I think this one is maybe a little bit harder to deal with because I felt like this was the best opportunity on this team that I had to win a championship and I felt like this was the best team that I’ve been on. For his part, the Chargers’ head coach, Norv Turner, expressed sympathy about how the season had ended for the running back. Turner told reporters, “I think you know [how] I feel and you feel about LT. It’s difficult for everyone in that locker room, but I know how he looked forward to this opportunity [to get a Super Bowl ring]. It’s real hard.”

Re-assessing the Situation When the 2009 season ended, as any team would, the Chargers organization started to look ahead to the next year. The team’s leaders assessed the performances of their players, charting their strengths and weaknesses. This included a careful consideration of Tomlinson. It was obvious to virtually any observer of the sport that he had been a superb athlete for many years. Typical of this opinion was the fact that he was unanimously chosen by USA Today’s panel of experts as the NFL’s best running back of the 2000s. Asked if that title meant much to him, LT replied with his characteristic modesty. He remarked in an article by Skip Woods for USA Today: Come on, you’ve got to be kidding. That’s a great honor for a lot of reasons. When you come into the league you try to prove that you can play, that you belong in the NFL.

The Future

In spite of all the contributions he made to the Chargers, Tomlinson was unable to win a Super Bowl with them. By the end of the 2009 season, his future with San Diego was in question.

What this shows is that you have a lot of consistency year after year, and that’s all I’ve tried to do, be consistent in my work, my craft, and get better and better

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LaDainian Tomlinson each year. So I’d say being voted this, the best running back of the decade, speaks to what I’ve tried to do. It was no secret, however, that the Chargers—and many other experts—also felt that Tomlinson was nearing the end of his career. By now, he was approaching 31, and his output had been undeniably disappointing for the past few years. This was especially true for the season that had just ended. He rushed 223 times for only 730 yards and a 3.3 average in 2009, and he had had just three runs of 20 yards or more. In part, this poor performance can be blamed on the fact that Norv Turner’s offensive strategy had relied increasingly less on Tomlinson’s skills over the previous two years. LT is, by common consent, one of the game’s greatest backs, and he had always been one of the biggest superstars who ever played for the Chargers. Now, however, he had been reduced to playing little more than a small role in the larger scheme of Turner’s plans. Asked by a Sports Radio interviewer in January 2010 about this decreased role, LT seemed sad but resigned. He diplomatically said about Turner, “We have a good working relationship. He’s the boss and I play for him and try my best for him.” But the athlete expressed his personal dissatisfaction when he further commented: I did the things that I could with this year’s team. I felt that every year, whatever this team needed me to do, I gave my heart and soul to it. Whether it was giving me the ball 350 times and giving it to me another 50 to 75 times catching the ball, I played my heart and soul out for this team. This year, I wasn’t asked to do that type of stuff. My numbers were as low as they have ever been. I felt like I did what I could with this team.╯.╯.╯. I wasn’t happy. No one is going to be happy with the least amount of touches in [his] career. I don’t know any running back that would be happy with that.

The Future Absolutely I wasn’t happy with not touching the ball as much as I thought I would. Meanwhile, many commentators expressed doubts about how well the Chargers would do without Tomlinson. They wondered if Darren Sproles, who had been taking on an increasingly high profile in the running back role, would be able to match LT’s versatility. USA Today sportswriter Nate Davis wrote, “Though backup Darren Sproles .╯.╯. is an excellent change-of-pace back, the diminutive player doesn’t seem suited to take over LT’s workhorse role.”

LT Versus AJ Despite Tomlinson’s frequently stated feeling that he wanted to—and could—play for another five years, the possibility that he would do so in San Diego looked less and less likely in the months after the 2009 season ended. This was not only due to his diminishing performance, which in turn had led to his being used less frequently at game time. The problem was also aggravated by tensions in the locker room. LT has since commented that he felt a lack of connection to the team in terms of unity and togetherness. In addition, tension was growing between LT and the Chargers’ brass. This ugly situation had begun early in 2009, when a bitter conflict developed between Tomlinson and the Chargers’ general manager, A.J. Smith. At one point during this off-season, Smith was accused of openly mocking a blog that Tomlinson had posted on his personal Web site. In it, LT had expressed his sincere hope that he would be returning to the team for the upcoming season. Reprinted in the New York Times, Tomlinson’s message read, in part: I have been getting a lot of messages on my site regarding me leaving San Diego. I feel that I need to make it very clear that I have NO intentions of leaving San

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LaDainian Tomlinson Diego. San Diego is where my career started and where I’d like it to end. I have nothing but love and the utmost respect for this team, the players, and the Spanos Family [the owners of the Chargers]. Me being traded is completely out of my hands. I have ABSOLUTELY no control in that decision making. All I can do is wait and see how it all plays out. As for now, I am a Charger and will be until I am told otherwise. Smith’s response, published in the San Diego UnionTribune, included this statement: My first reaction was we both have similar feelings. I have no intentions of leaving San Diego. San Diego is where my GM career started and where I’d like it to end. I also have nothing but love and the utmost respect for this team, the players and the Spanos family. I have absolutely no control over how long I will be with the Chargers. As for now, I am the Chargers’ GM, and I have major decisions to ponder for the organization now and in the future. Since his remarks mimicked Tomlinson’s posting almost word for word, many observers blasted Smith, calling his statement dismissive, cruel, and insulting. Smith denied that he was mocking LT’s statement, saying that his own words had been misinterpreted. The two later had a telephone conversation in which they apparently reached a truce. Nonetheless, it was not until team president Dean Spanos stepped in that Tomlinson was guaranteed a place for another year.

Leaving San Diego? During this period, early in the 2010 off-season, strong and persistent rumors flew that the team was not going to renew

The Future LT’s contract. The athlete at that point had two years remaining on the deal he had renegotiated the year before. He was due to receive a $2 million roster bonus, and another $5 million if he stayed another season. LT’s diminishing role on the team, plus the millions the franchise stood to save, gave the Chargers ample reason to consider releasing one of the most popular players in their history. As might be expected, Tomlinson had conflicting and bittersweet feelings about the prospect of leaving San Diego. He had loved playing there, but he disliked having to deal with the strictly business, dollar-conscious aspect of being a pro athlete. In February 2010, LT told San Diego Union-Tribune writer Kevin Acee: It’s a mixed feeling. It’s mixed emotions. I’ve spent nine years of my life here, pretty much my youth. I gave the organization everything I have. I enjoyed the community. But there is a part I won’t miss. The football part is fun. But the business part sucks. I won’t miss that. In early 2010, the team’s brass had not yet announced if—or when—it might release Tomlinson. The athlete, however, beat them to the punch with news of his own. Early in February, LT publicly confirmed the rumors, making it virtually certain that his years in San Diego were over. LT flatly told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “I’m not coming back. I don’t believe I’ll be back in San Diego. I’ve accepted it. I’ve been praying and meditating. After doing that for a couple weeks, I just felt like it was over.” To many, these words signaled an inglorious end to a stellar career. Sportswriter Tim Sullivan echoed this sentiment. He spoke for many when he noted in a column for the San Diego Union-Tribune:

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LaDainian Tomlinson This was a lousy way for a player of Tomlinson’s stature to take his leave, as a fringe figure in an epic meltdown, but that’s the way it works in the unscripted business of sports.╯.╯.╯. For all of his fame, and all of his wealth, he nears the end of his football career with a hollow place in his heart.╯.╯.╯. When an athlete reaches the latter stages of his career, waiting until next year involves excruciating uncertainty. Maybe LT tries again with some other team. Or maybe that 1-yard gain [during the play-off game] was the last chance he’ll get in pro football. In the midst of all the confusion and emotion over LT’s future with the Chargers, there was at least one bright note. LaDainian and LaTorsha announced that they were expecting a child. Their son Daylen Tomlinson was born in July 2010. Being parents had been a longtime dream and hope for the couple, and it went a long way to alleviate any sadness they might have felt about the prospect of leaving the Chargers.

“I’ll Tell You What.╯.╯.╯. I’ve Enjoyed the Ride” The decision by the Chargers over dropping LT was not an easy one. After all, he was arguably the greatest player in San Diego history and one of the all-time great running backs in football history, a man who had racked up 12,490 rushing yards and 153 touchdowns during the course of a nine-year career with the team. Furthermore, he clearly felt capable of several more years of good performances. Tomlinson remained adamant that he had little interest in retiring soon. Speaking in January 2010 with the Sporting News, he said: I’m not ready to retire. I still love the game. I still have a lot of passion for the game and feel like I can

The Future contribute to it.╯.╯.╯. [I am] still chasing after the dream of winning a championship. That’s the number one goal. You put your body through a lot to play this game, but you want to be able to win a championship at some point and be able to feel what it feels like to hold that trophy. To many fans and analysts in the spring of 2010, therefore, it was a reasonable assumption—perhaps even a sure thing— that another team would pick him up. So, as soon as it looked as though Tomlinson’s time with San Diego was up, rumors began to fly about where his next stop might be. Would it be the New Orleans Saints? The Cleveland Browns? The Houston Texans? The Kansas City Chiefs? The Pittsburgh Steelers? Tomlinson himself stated on several occasions that, no matter what happened, he would be accepting of it. As he has all his life, LT continued to maintain a positive attitude, a philosophy that has always been tied to his refusal to take good fortune for granted. He attributes these feelings, as he has all his life, to his deep religious faith and to the support of his family, especially his mother and his wife. He told journalist Kevin Chappell, for an article in Ebony magazine, “Faith is all I have. To have faith means that you can overcome things that you didn’t think that you could. If I didn’t have faith, I would be lost.” As it turned out, the Chargers did let LT go early in 2010. For the first time, he entered the free-agent market, and a number of teams expressed interest. After intense contract negotiations, the running back signed a two-year, $5.2 million contract with the New York Jets. Tomlinson told reporters that he signed with the Jets because he felt comfortable with the team’s philosophy and personnel. He also stated his belief that the team offered him the best chance to win the championship that had eluded him in San Diego.

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LaDainian Tomlinson

In 2010, Tomlinson signed a two-year contract with the New York Jets. With a new team, a new city, and a new baby, he is ready for his next challenges.

He nearly made it, as he bounced back from his lows in 2009 to rush for team-leading 914 yards with the Jets. In January 2011, after a good season for both Tomlinson and the Jets, New York entered the AFC divisional play-offs against the New England Patriots. Reflecting on his previous poor performance against the Pats in the postseason, Tomlinson told New York Daily News reporter Kevin Armstrong, “Having this opportunity .╯.╯. my hair is going to be on fire.” Tomlinson scored a touchdown in that play-off game against New England, as the Jets beat their division foes, 2821. The following week, however, the Jets lost a hard-fought

The Future AFC Championship Game to the Pittsburgh Steelers, ending Tomlinson’s chances for a ring that year. LT’s terse comment to the same New York Daily News reporter about his performance in his last games was, “Tough to come up short.” As of early 2011, Tomlinson’s future was uncertain. A number of sportswriters and fans suggested that the time was right to retire. Adam Fusfeld, writing in Business Insider, commented, “We hate to do this, LaDainian, but it’s time to hang ’em up.” But even if not all of Tomlinson’s dreams come true, a few things will be certain: He will remain a powerful and positive role model for years to come. He will have a well-deserved spot in the Football Hall of Fame. And, as he would be the first to say, he has had fun. As Tomlinson told sportswriter Dan McLellan in an interview for sandiego.com, “I’ll tell you what. I’ve had a heck of a time here, and if it is [near the end of my career], I’ve enjoyed the ride.” No matter what happens in the years ahead, LaDainian Tomlinson will still be considered one of the game’s greatest—but most down-to-earth—athletes.

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Statistics LaDainian Tomlinson

POSITION: Running back

Full name: LaDainian Tremayne Tomlinson Born: June 23, 1979, Rosebud, Texas Height: 5’10” Weight: 215 lbs.

College: Texas Christian University Teams: San Diego Chargers (2001–2009); New York Jets (2010–)

Year TEAM G ATT YARDS Y/C TD REC YARDS Y/R TD 2001

SDC 16

339

1,236

3.6

10

59

367

6.2

0

2002

SDC 16

372

1,683

4.5

14

79

489

6.2

1

2003

SDC 16

313

1,645

5.3

13

100

725

7.3

4

2004

SDC 15

339

1,335

3.9

17

53

441

8.3

1

2005

SDC 16

339

1,462

4.3

18

51

370

7.3

2

2006

SDC 16

348

1,815

5.2

28

56

508

9.1

3

2007

SDC 16

315

1,474

4.7

15

60

475

7.9

3

2008

SDC 16

292

1,110

3.8

11

52

426

8.2

1

2009

SDC 14

223

730

3.3

12

20

154

7.7

0

2010

NYJ 15

219

914

4.2

6

52

368

7.1

0

TOTALS 156 3,099

13,404

4.3 144

582

4,323

7.4

15

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Chronology

1979

 aDainian Tomlinson is born on June 23 in Rosebud, L Texas.

1980–1988

 lays football in pickup games and a Pop Warner P league, idolizing players like Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, and Emmitt Smith.

Circa 1988

 arents divorce and he moves with his mother and two P siblings to Waco, Texas.



 ttends a summer camp run by Emmitt Smith; it A changes his life and gives him a first taste of what he could become.

1991

1993–1997 I s a standout athlete at University High School, appearing in several All-Star games and awarded many honors.

1997 G  raduates from University High and begins classes at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.



1998 P  lays a key role in turning the TCU Horned Frogs into an elite squad.



1999 A  s a junior, is TCU’s single-season rushing leader, with an NCAA-leading 1,850╯yards on the ground and 18 touchdowns.



2000 L  eads the NCAA for a second time with 2,158 rushing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 354 receiving yards; ends his senior year with a college career total of 5,263 rushing yards; TCU advances to the ninth-ranked spot in the nation; is a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.



2001 I s awarded the 2000 Doak Walker Award; graduates from TCU; is drafted by the San Diego Chargers; becomes a starter soon after the beginning of the regular season.



2003 R  acks up 2,370 yards from scrimmage, trailing only Marshall Faulk’s record of 2,429; is offered a $60 107

108

Chronology

million contract by the Chargers, the largest for a running back in history; marries his college sweetheart, LaTorsha Oakley. 2005 Wife LaTorsha suffers a heartbreaking miscarriage.



2006 C  hargers end the regular season at 14–2 but fall to the Patriots in the divisional round of the play-offs; LT has one of the best seasons ever for an NFL player, setting numerous league and franchise records, including surpassing a 46-year-old record for most points in a season and scoring the most touchdowns in a season.



2007

Timeline



 ather Oliver Tomlinson dies; LT and LaTorsha are F among those affected by a serious wildfire near their home; appears for the fifth time in the Pro Bowl.

2000 Is the NCAA’s leading rusher for the second straight year

1979 Born on June 23 in Rosebud, Texas

1979

2001 1997 Graduates from University High and begins classes at Texas Christian University

2001 Drafted by the San Diego Chargers

Chronology



2008 P  lagued by injury, has a mediocre season but still tops the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the eighth consecutive time; is inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.



2009



2010 I s released by the Chargers and signs with the New York Jets; LT and wife LaTorsha’s son is born.



2011 T  he Jets reach the AFC Championship Game, but fall to the Steelers and do not make the Super Bowl.

 urns 30 and fights speculation that his best years are T over; is awarded the USA Weekend magazine’s Most Caring Athletes award for his philanthropic activities; renegotiates contract with the Chargers; has another injury-plagued season; the Chargers fall to the Jets in the divisional round of the play-offs.

2003 2003 Offered a $60 million contract by the Chargers, the largest for a running back in history

2008 Plagued by injury, but still tops the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the eighth straight season

2010 2010 Is released by the Chargers and signs with the New York Jets

ladainian tomlinson

2006 Breaks record for most touchdowns in a season

109

glossary American Football Conference (AFC)╅ One of the two conferences in the National Football League. The AFC was established after the NFL merged with the American Football League (AFL) in 1970.╯

bowl gameâ•… A game played by college football teams after the regular season. It is considered a reward for a successful season. Some of the more famous bowl games are the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, and the Fiesta Bowl.

draftâ•… The selection of collegiate players for entrance into the National Football League. Typically, the team with the worst record in the previous season picks first in the draft.

free agent╅ A professional player not under contract. handoff╅ When a player gives the ball to a teammate behind or beside him, instead of passing it forward.╯

Heisman Trophy╅ An award presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football.╯

National Football Conference (NFC)â•… One of two conferences in the National Football League. The NFC was established after the NFL merged with the American Football League (AFL) in 1970.

offensive linemanâ•… An offensive player lined up very near the line of scrimmage, usually a center, guard, or tackle; his job is to block for runners and passers.

passâ•… A throw from one player to another. A forward pass goes down the field, and a lateral pass (also just called a lateral) goes backward or parallel to the line of scrimmage.

play-offsâ•… The postseason games up to and including the Super Bowl. A team must either win its division or have one of the two best records in the conference to make the play-offs.

preseasonâ•… The period of time before the regular season during which teams train, evaluate players, and play exhibition games. 110

Glossary

Pro Bowlâ•… The National Football League’s all-star game. running backâ•… An offensive player, also called a “back,” whose main job is to run with the football and gain yards, block for other runners or the quarterback, or catch short passes. Halfbacks, fullbacks, and tailbacks are all backs with varying assignments, skills, and positions.╯

signing bonus╅ An extra amount of money that a player receives when he signs a contract to play for a team.╯

Super Bowlâ•… The championship game of the NFL, pitting the champions of the AFC and the NFC against each other.

touchdownâ•… A play worth six points in which any part of the ball while legally in the possession of a player crosses the plane of the opponent’s goal line. A touchdown allows the team a chance for one extra point by kicking the ball or two points by running or passing the ball into the end zone.╯

wild card╅ A team that does not win a division title but has the next best record in the conference. In each conference, two wild-card teams make the play-offs. ╯

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Bibliography Acee, Kevin. “Life in a Different Light: Experiences Off the Field Have Put Football in Perspective for Tomlinson.” San Diego Union-Tribune, August 4, 2005. Available online. URL: http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/chargers/200508049999-1s4chargers.html. ———. “Emotional Tomlinson Savors Victory.” San Diego Union-Tribune, November 9, 2009. Available online. URL: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/nov/09/ emotional-tomlinson-sa.vors-victory/. Anderson, Joel. “The Most Faithful Frog.” TCU Skiff, September 30, 1999. Available online. URL: http://www.skiff.tcu. edu/SkiffWeb093099/Sports.html. ———. “LT Rushes for 90 Yards Against Dallas.” TCU Skiff, September 25, 2001. Available online. URL: http://www.skiff. tcu.edu/fall_2001/092501/lt.html. Attner, Paul. “No Rest for the Best.” Sporting News, August 12, 2005. Available online. URL: http://findarticles.com/p/ articles/mi_m1208/is_32_229/ai_nƒ14873589. Chappell, Kevin. “In the Huddle with LaDainian Tomlinson.” Ebony, January 2007. Available online. URL: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_3_62/ai_n27101453/. Cole, Jason. “Tomlinson Comes to Grips with Recent Turmoil.” Yahoo! Sports, August 1, 2009. Available online. URL: http:// sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-chargerscamp080109. Davis, Nate. “Divorce in San Diego? Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson Says, ‘I’m Not Coming Back.’” USA Today, February 4, 2010. Available online. URL: http://content.usatoday.com/ communities/thehuddle/post/2010/02/divorce-in-san-diegochargers-tomlinson-says-i’m-not-coming-back/1. Hairopoulos, Kate. “L.T. Not Far from Texas Roots.” Dallas Morning News, January 14, 2007.

112

Bibliography

Howe, Aleshia. “Arlington Solidifies a Nuclear Lease, $12 million Office.” Fort Worth Business Press, November 09, 2009. Hyman, Mark. “LaDainian Tomlinson: A Clean Image Has Won the Football Player Outsize Endorsements.” Business Week, September 26, 2007. Available online. URL: http:// www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/sep2007/ db20070926_560448.htm. Justice, Richard. “Take a Bow: Awards, Praise Come Rushing to Tomlinson.” Houston Chronicle, December 7, 2000. “LaDainian Tomlinson: ‘I Wasn’t Happy with Not Touching the Ball As Much As I Thought I Would.’” Sports Radio Interviews, Jan. 26, 2010. McLellan, Dan. “Chargers’ Devastating Playoff Loss Brings Uncertainties.” San Diego.com, January 18, 2010. Available online. URL: http://www.sandiego.com/sports/chargersdevastating-playoff-loss-brings-uncertainties. Mitchell, Houston. “LaDainian Tomlinson’s Charger Career Is Over.” Los Angeles Times, February 4, 2010.╯Available online. URL: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2010/02/ ladainian-tomlinsons-charger-career-is-over.html. Monkovic, Toni. “A.J. vs. L.T.: Storm Over San Diego.” New York Times, January 25, 2009. Available online. URL: http:// fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/aj-vs-lt-stormover-san-diego/. Paris, Jay. “Despite Turning 30, Healthy Tomlinson Eyes Big Season.” North County Times, August 2, 2009. Available online. URL: http://www.nctimes.com/sports/football/ professional/nfl/chargers/article_f6c1eed5-1eae-5a9a-8324e9fda3066956.html. Pressman, Stacey. “Coffee with LaTorsha Tomlinson.” NBCSports.com, December 26, 2006. Available online. URL: http://forums.chargers.com/showthread.php?t=37941.

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114

Bibliography

“Quote, Unquote. ” TCU Skiff, October 1, 1999. Available online. URL: http://www.skiff.tcu.edu/SkiffWeb100199/ Opinion.html. Silver, Michael, “The Best of 2006.” Sports Illustrated, December 25, 2006. Available online. URL: http://sportsillustrated. cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1115044/index.htm. Simmons, Rusty, “L.T. Goes Fifth after Chargers Trade Down.” TCU Skiff, April 24, 2001. Available online. URL: http:// www.skiff.tcu.edu/SkiffWeb042401/lt.html. Stiver, Matt. “Frogs Possible Replacement in Classic.” TCU Skiff, September 1, 2000. Available online. URL: http://www. skiff.tcu.edu/SkiffWeb090100/Sports.html. ———. “Frogs Ground Warriors.” TCU Skiff, October 10, 2000. Available online. URL: http://www.skiff.tcu.edu/ SkiffWeb101000/Sports.html. ———. “Total Domination.” TCU Skiff, November 28, 2000. Available online. URL: http://www.skiff.tcu.edu/SkiffWeb112800/Sports.html. Sullivan, Tim. “LT’s Exit Comes Empty, Sadly.” San Diego Union Tribune, January 17, 2010. Available online. URL: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/17/ltslikely-exit-comes-empty-sadly. “Tomlinson Motivated to Prove Detractors Wrong.” San Jose Mercury-News, July 31, 2009. “Tomlinson Remains with Chargers.” ESPN, March 11, 2009. Available online. URL: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/ story?id=3968954. Van Meter, David. “The Running.” TCU Magazine, no date. Available online. URL: http://www.magarchive.tcu.edu/ articles/2000-01-CV.asp.

Bibliography

Welnack, Matt. “Horned Frogs Blast Miners.” TCU Skiff, November 23, 1999. Available online. URL: http://www.skiff. tcu.edu/SkiffWeb112399/Sports.html. Werner, John. “Former University High Star Tomlinson Takes Place in Texas Sports Hall of Fame.” Waco Tribune-Herald, March 5, 2009. Wood, Skip. “Gifted LaDainian Tomlinson Blazed New NFL Trail in 2000s.” USA Today, January 26, 2010. Available online. URL: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/ nfl/2010-01-26-all-decade-rbs-ladainian-tomlinson_N.htm.

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further reading Books Ellenport, Craig. LaDainian Tomlinson: All-Pro On and Off the Field. Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Enslow Publishers, 2007. Tomlinson, Loreane. LT & Me: What Raising a Champion Taught Me about Life, Faith, and Listening to Your Dreams. Carol Stream, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009.

Web Sites NFL: LaDainian Tomlinson http://www.nfl.com/players/ladainiantomlinson/profile?id=TOM683150 The Official Website of LaDainian Tomlinson http://www.ladainiantomlinson.com/

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Picture credits Page



9: 12: 16: 23: 29: 31: 38: 45: 49:

AP Images AP Images AP Images © Getty Images AP Images © Getty Images AP Images © Getty Images © Getty Images

57: 61: 68: 75: 80: 90: 97: 104:

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AP Images AP Images AP Images AP Images AP Images © Getty Images AP Images AP Images

Index Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, 75

A

Abercrombie, Walter, 19 Acee, Kevin, 61, 62, 93, 95 achievements, notable, 11 AFC. See American Football Conference agent, 87, 103 Alexander, Shaun, 11, 60, 66 Ali, Hameen, 34 All-American game, 64 Allen, Marcus, 83 Alworth, Lance, 60 American Football Conference (AFC), 50 awards, 68 Championship Game, 71, 91, 105 divisional play-offs, 104 No. 1 seed in, 62 title game, 72 West, 67, 71, 73 Anderson, Joel, 15–16, 20, 24, 36, 37 Arizona Cardinals, 79 Armstong, Kevin, 104 Associated Press interviews, 76, 87–88 Male Athlete of the Year, 69 Offensive Player of the Year, 68 Atlanta Falcons, 41, 42 Attner, Paul, 8, 54, 55, 84 Austin, Texas Westlake High School in, 22 awards/honors, 60, 68–69, 71 AFC, 68 Doak Walker Award, 33, 35, 38 Football Hall of Fame, 105 Most Caring Athletes Award, 79 MVP, 33, 49, 68 NFL, 51, 68, 96 Second Team All-Pro, 49 Texas Sports Hall of Fame, 74

B

Baltimore Colts, 59 Baltimore Ravens games against, 51, 92 Barber, Tiki, 60 baseball, 17, 19 basketball, 17, 19, 81 Baylor University, 19, 24 Bill Gates Millennium Scholar program, 34 birth, 8, 14 Blackman, Rolando, 75 Bonds, Barry, 86 Boston, David, 50 Bradley, Bill, 74 Brazzell, Shannon, 79 Brees, Drew, 22, 23, 33, 50, 53, 64, 69, 75 Brown, Jim, 18, 69, 81, 84 Bryant, Kobe, 71 Buffalo Bills games against, 63 Bush, Reggie, 64 Butler, John, 40 Business Insider, 105 Business Week, 89

C

Caldwell, Reche, 41 Campbell’s Soup endorsement, 88, 90 Campfire Boys and Girls, 33 Chappell, Kevin, 16–17, 18, 24, 77, 103 Chappell, Loreane (mother), 36 LT’s father and, 14, 39, 70 real estate and, 42 religious values, 15, 16 tattoo of, 19 charity projects. See philanthropy

118

Index

Chicago Bears, 18, 40, 47, 72 games against, 63 childhood, 75–76 birth, 8, 14 church activity, 15 family, 14–15 high school, 19–24 pivotal moment, 18 sports, 17–18, 19 Cincinnati Bengals games against, 48 citizenship, spirit of, 35 Cleveland Browns, 18, 40 coaches for, 47 games against, 56, 69 Cody, Tay, 41 Cole, Jason, 74, 85, 86, 87 Coleman, Leroy, 19–20, 22, 37 college, attending, 26–42 accused, then cleared, 36–39 awards and, 33 community outreach and, 33 draft and, 39–41 freshman/sophomore years, 27–28 junior year, 28–30 romance and, 34–36, 61 senior year, 30–32 college scouts, 21–22 college selection, 22–24 College Station, Texas, 14, 24 commercial endorsements, 88–89, 90 community outreach, 33, 35, 37 Condon, Tom as agent, 87 Conway, Curtis, 50 Crouch, Eric, 33

D

Dallas, Texas, 20, 35 W.W. Samuell High School in, 36 Dallas Cowboys, 18, 74

Dallas Mavericks, 74 Dallas Morning News articles, 15, 22, 25, 69–70 Davis, Kenneth, 33 Davis, Nate, 99 Denton, Texas, 18, 24 Denver Broncos games against, 48–49, 53, 60, 67, 74, 92 Detroit Lions, 18, 35 coaches for, 47 Dickerson, Eric, 84 Dielman, Kris, 86 Disney Spirit Award, 34 Doak Walker Award, 33, 35, 38 Dwight, Tim, 41

E

Ebony interviews, 16–17, 18, 24, 39, 77, 103 education. See also Texas Christian University high school, 19–24 endorsements, 88–89, 90 ESPN’s Male Athlete of the Year, 69

F

family, 14–15, 23 marriage, 50 support of, 37 trials and tragedies in, 19, 60, 69–71, 72 Faulk, Marshall, 8, 40, 66 Fayetteville, Arkansas, 36 FedEx Ground player awards, 51, 60 Fletcher, Terrell, 42 Florida State, 33, 34, 41 Flutie, Doug, 50 foods, favorite, 34 Football Hall of Fame, 105 Fort Worth Business Press, 79

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Fort Worth, Texas, 8, 24, 33, 35, 60 Fouts, Dan, 96 FOXSports.com, 88 franchise record, 48, 49, 51, 60, 66 free-agent market, 103 Friday Night Lights (book, film, and TV series), 21 Fusfield, Adam, 105

G

Gates, Antonio, 53, 67 goals, setting, 16 Godfrey, Randall, 67 Greater Life Gospel Church, 15 Green Bay Packers, 11, 26, 66 Guys’ Choice Awards, 71

H

Hairopoulos, Kate, 15, 22, 69 hard work, value of, 16, 17 Harrison, Rodney, 50 Heisman Trophy, 33–34, 64 hobbies, 34 Holmes, Priest, 50, 66 homebody, LT as, 79, 81 honors. See awards/honors Horned Frogs, 26, 27, 30, 40, 41, 60 in 1997, 25 offensive line group, 28 WAC and, 25 Hornung, Paul, 11, 66 Houston Chronicle, 8 Howe, Aleshia, 79 Hughes, Emmett and Rose, 20 Hughes, Jason, 20 Huntsville, Texas, 36

I

Indianapolis Colts, 8, 72 games against, 56, 73, 74 injuries, 10, 53, 60, 83, 85, 86,

92, 93 in 2008, 72–79 future and, 76

J

James, Edgerrin, 72 Jenkins, Dan, 8 Jenkins, Lee, 58 jersey number, 60 Johnson, Chad, 11 Johnson, Derrick, 68 Johnston, Daryl, 40 Jordan, Lee Roy, 74 Justice, Richard, 8

K

Kaeding, Nate, 56 Kansas City Chiefs, 50, 66 coaches for, 47 games against, 56, 68, 72 Keathley, Michael, 29–30

L

LaDainian Tomlinson Touching Lives Foundation, 78, 80 Lemons, Abe, 75 Los Angeles Lakers, 80 Los Angeles Rams, 84

M

Manning, Eli, 79 Manning, Peyton, 63 Marbury, Stephon, 89 Marlin,Texas, 14 marriage, 50 Martin, Curtis, 83 McClain, Ronald, 70 McLellan, Dan, 105 Means, Natrone, 42 Mejia, Christina M., 78 Merriman, Shawne, 67 Miami Dolphins, 50, 84 Minnesota Vikings games against, 51

Index

Mitchell, Basil, 25 Mobile Alabama Bowl, 30 MVP of, 33 Moore, Lenny, 59 Most Caring Athletes Award, 79 Mueller, Randy, 84 Muncie, Chuck, 60

N

Nailon, Lee, 36 National Football League (NFL) all-time rushing leaders, 72, 86 corporate spokesman, 89 draft, 10, 39 franchises of, 40 player awards, 51, 75, 96 records, 66 top players in, 7, 8, 11 NBC’s Player of the Year, 69 NBCSports.com, 10–11, 34, 55, 64, 67, 82 Neal, Lorenzo, 53, 63 NESN.com, 85 New England Patriots, 40 games against, 48, 62, 71, 72, 104 New Orleans Saints, 64, 69 games against, 53 New York Daily News interviews, 104, 105 New York Giants, 79 games against, 93 New York Jets, 12 AFC Championship Game, 105 games against, 94 signing with, 10, 103, 104 New York Times interviews, 58, 99–100 NFL. See National Football League nickname, 7, 36 Nike shoe endorsement, 89

North County Times, 84, 85 notable achievements, 11. See also awards/honors

O

Oakland Raiders games against, 51, 53, 59, 73 Oakley, LaTorsha (wife), 34–36, 50 Obama, Barack, 80 Orlando, Florida, 34 Owens, Terrell, 11, 83

P

Paris, Jay, 84, 85–86, 91 Pasquarelli, Len, 42 Payton, Walter, 18, 54, 72, 80, 81, 89 personality, 9, 63, 65 gracious nature, 10, 11, 15, 81, 88 optimism, 24, 93, 103 pets, 80 philanthropy, 9, 13, 35, 82, 88 awards for, 75 for firefighters/fire victims, 71 Touching Lives foundation, 78–79, 80 physical size, 22, 40 Pittsburgh Steelers, 19, 105 games against, 73, 74, 92 Pop Warner football team, 17 Pressman, Stacey, 10–11, 34, 35, 55, 64, 67, 81, 82, 83 Pro Bowl, 72 Pullen, Lawrence, 20 Purdue University, 22, 33

Q

Qualcomm Stadium, 48, 56, 94

R

records, 12, 51, 83 religious faith, 15–17, 95, 103

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residence, 70–71, 81 Rice, Jerry, 54, 83 Riley, Mike San Diego Chargers coach, 47 Rivers, Philip, 67, 87 Robinson, John, 84 role models, 13, 37, 105 Rosebud, Texas, 14 Rote, Kyle Jr., 74 Ruff, Orlando, 50

S

Salfino, Michael, 85 Sam Houston State, 36 San Diego, California leaving for, 41–42 living in, 82 mayoral race of 2004, 56, 58 Poway suburb of, 70, 81 San Diego Chargers, 7 1995 season, 53 2001 season, 43–47 2002 season, 48–50 2003 season, 50 2004 season, 53, 56–59 2005 season, 59–60 2006 season, 62–69, 83, 84 2007 season, 69–72, 93 2008 season, 72–76, 86, 93 2009 season, 83, 85, 87–88, 92, 94–95, 96, 97 2010 off-season, 100–102 2010 season, 103 coaches, 47, 50, 53, 54–55, 56, 71, 89, 92, 93, 96, 98 contracts, 42, 54, 88 drafts, 10, 39–41 fans, 7, 10, 64, 83, 87, 94, 103 general manager, 40, 86–87, 99–100 letting LT go, 103 owners of, 100 play-offs, 56, 59, 62, 63, 71, 72, 73, 74, 95

president, 87 records set, 48, 49, 51, 60, 66, 83 stadium, 48, 56, 94 and the Super Bowl, 64, 97 teammates, 42, 50, 53, 56, 63, 64, 67, 68, 87, 95 San Diego Union-Tribune, 52, 101–102 articles, 53, 94 interviews, 61–62, 93, 95, 100 San Francisco 49ers games against, 49 Sanders, Barry, 18, 44, 81, 83 sandiego.com, 105 Sanford, Scott, 89 Sayers, Gale, 84 Schobel, Aaron, 41 Schottenheimer, Marty San Diego Chargers coach, 47, 50, 53, 54–55, 56, 71, 89 Score a Goal in the Classroom, 33 Seattle Seahawks, 11 Seau, Junior, 50, 96 Semi-Tough (Jenkins), 8 Senior Bowl, MVP of, 33 siblings, 15, 22, 36 Silver, Michael, 8, 13, 63, 69 Smith, A.J. general manager, 86–87, 99–100 Smith, Emmitt, 18, 40, 42 career mark of, 89 LT and, 44, 46–47 rushing record, 42, 84, 86, 89–90 rushing touchdowns, 83 Sorenstam, Annika, 79 Southern Methodist University, 35 Spanos, Dean, 87, 100 Spanos Family, 100 Spike TV, 71

Index

Sporting News, 8 articles, 40, 54, 84, 102–103 Sports Illustrated, 12–13 articles, 8, 63 interviews, 69 Sports Radio interviews, 95–96, 98–99 SportsCenter, 67 Sportsline.com, 42 sportsmanship, spirit of, 35 Sproles, Darren, 88, 89–90, 95, 99 St. Louis Rams, 8 statistics college, 30, 32 completions, 50–51 receiving yards, 60, 66 records set, 57, 59–60, 62, 65, 68, 83 rushing, 49, 51, 53, 60, 66, 72, 73, 74, 83, 93, 98, 102, 104 rushing touchdowns, 11, 50, 56, 73, 83 touchdowns, 11, 12, 51, 53, 56, 59, 60, 65, 66, 67, 72, 73, 83, 102 style of play, 7, 8 Sullivan, Tim, 94, 101–102 Super Bowl, 63, 90, 91, 97 interviews, 64 ring, 64, 95, 96, 105 Surtain, Patrick, 68

T

Tampa Bay Buccaneers games against, 56 tattoo, 19 TCU. See Texas Christian University TCU Magazine articles, 34 teamwork, 11–13 Tennessee Titans, 72 Texas, football and, 17, 21

Texas A&M, 23–24 Texas Christian University (TCU), 8, 10, 15, 24. See also Horned Frogs colors of, 81 “LT Day” at, 60 newspaper interview, 17, 24 selection of, 25 Web site/slogan, 33, 35 Texas Longhorns, 74, 75 Texas Sports Hall of Fame, 74 Thomas, Thurman, 73 Tomey, Dick, 24 Tomlinson, Daylen (son), 102 Tomlinson, LaTorsha (wife), 13, 69, 80 date night with, 81 interviews, 64–65, 67, 82, 83 miscarriage, 60–62, 83 nickname, 34–36, 64 philanthropy and, 78–79 son’s birth, 102 on “the speech,” 55 wildfire, home evacuation, 70–71 Tomlinson, LaVar (brother), 15, 36 Tomlinson, Londria (sister), 15, 36, 42 Tomlinson, Oliver (father), 14–15, 39 death of, 69–70 Touching Lives foundation, 13, 78–79, 80 travels, 79–80 Turner, Norv San Diego Chargers coach, 71, 89–90, 92, 93, 96, 98 “21 Club, The,” 79

U

uniform number, 60 University High School Trojans, 19–22

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awards, 21 coaches for, 19–20, 22, 37 junior year, 20 senior year, 20–21 University of Arizona Wildcats, 24 University of Arkansas, 36 University of Miami Hurricanes, 18 University of Miami-Florida, 22 University of Nevada, 60 University of North Texas, 18, 24 University of Southern California, 84 University of Texas-Austin, 23 University of Texas-El Paso, 24 USA Today articles, 96–98, 99 USA Weekend, 79 USS. Ronald Reagan, 80

V

values, 55 hard work, 16, 17 religious faith and, 15–17, 95, 103 Van Meter, David, 34 Vick, Michael, 33, 41, 42 Virginia Tech, 33 volunteer work. See philanthropy

W

WAC. See Western Athletic Conference

Waco, Texas, 8, 14, 15, 24, 70, 75–76 University High School Trojans, 19–22 Waco Tribune-Herald, 89 article, 75–76 Walker, Doak, 35 Walker, Skeeter, 35 Walls, Greg, 34 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, 69, 75 Warner, Kurt, 79 Web site TCU’s, 33, 35 Tomlinson’s, 99–100 Weinke, Chris, 33, 34 Werner, John, 89, 90 Western Athletic Conference (WAC), 25 wildfire, home evacuation, 70–71 William & Mary, The College of, 34 Williams, Jamal, 85 Winslow, Kellen, 96 Woods, Skip, 96 Woods, Tiger, 68–69 Worster, Steve, 74 W.W. Samuell High School, 36

Y

Yahoo!Sports.com, 74, 85 interview, 91

About the Author Adam Woog has written many books for adults, young adults, and children. He lives with his wife in Seattle, Washington, and they have a daughter in college. Woog roots for the Franklin High School (Seattle) Quakers and the Arizona State Sun Devils.

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