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Justin Patrick Adams
by Heather Tourtellotte
Justin Adams
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On Friday nights before games, Senior Justin Adams, a defensive back for the Mars Hill College football team, would cook chicken and hamburgers for his fellow players at his apartment so the players could all eat a meal and relax.
Adams is not only a football player and computer science major but also a sergeant in the Army National Guard. He was called to active duty on Monday, February 3. He went to Augusta, Georgia the next morning where he would be gathering supplies, training, and waiting for further orders.
"Adams is the type of guy that would act as a cheerleader during games, even if he didn't get to play," says Assistant Head Coach Kevin Barnette.
"He is the one who would get the slogan for the tee shirt and get everybody's order...He shows a lot of leadership. The kids really respect him and care a great deal for him."
His roommate and friend Ryan Mulligan says "Justin is a great guy, the best friend a man could ask for. Before this school year even began, he had three job offers in computers for when he graduates."
In December, Mulligan says, Adams' commanding officers for the Guard began to ask him about becoming an officer after graduating. He did not yet know exactly what to do, "but I know he will have a harder time finding out which job he wants to take than actually trying to find a job," said Mulligan.
The day before he was to leave, "he tried to say all of his good-byes to be able to leave that night, but he stayed on campus so that we could hang out one last time before he left the next morning at 7:30."
Adams entered the Army National Guard in the summer of 1998 just after he graduated high school. He has been a reservist ever since and was stationed out of Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. When he was not at school or at his base, he lived with his parents in Fort Mill, which is just across the state line south of Charlotte, North Carolina.
"Justin is a great young man," said Head Football Coach Tim Clifton. "He's worked hard for us ever since he's been here. He's as loyal a person as you can find. He's a great team guy. He's in our prayers every day. It's hard to find them as loyal as he is."
Barnette remembers that when "he scored his first collegiate touchdown this past season, the whole team got excited for him. That shows what they feel about him."
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