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All Rashawn Can Do Now is Wait
by Shawn Esworthy
Rashawn Champion, a senior at Mars Hill College, has recently worked out for an NFL team. On Monday, March 3, he gave his best effort in a workout for a Tennessee Titans scout. The NFL draft is scheduled to take place on April 26. Until then, all he can do is continue to work hard and wait.
Champion played defensive back and returned kickoffs on special teams for the Mars Hill Lions. A Titan scout came to Mars Hill to watch him workout at Mears Athletic Field. There were students in the stands, and on the sideline watching to see how he would do.
Coach Kevin Barnette, defensive backs coach for the Mars Hill Lions, coached Rashawn during his time playing for the Lions. "He has all the tools physically to allow him to be looked at, and on top of that, he has great desire," Barnette said. "Mars Hill has been good for him, and he's been good for Mars Hill."
A Champion kickoff return
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He was tested pretty well on workout day. They measured his height and weight, they measured his hand size, arm span, and he did the vertical jump, broad jump, ran the forty-yard dash, and did some position specific drills.
Champion had a very good senior season for the Lions. He had four interceptions, returned for a total of 112 yards. A 48-yard interception return was his longest. Rashawn had fifteen career interceptions. He really excelled as a return specialist. On special teams, he had 22 kickoff returns for a total of 492 yards. A 57-yard return was his longest. He averaged 22.4 yards.
In Division II, Champion made the First Team All Conference team twice. He was 2007 Second Team All Southeast Region All-American. He also was awarded AP All-American Honorable Mention.
He went through some tough times during his college football career. As a junior in 2006, he was suspended from college for one year for a violation of the disciplinary code code. "That was a huge setback for me because I was injured during the 2005 season, and that was a big setback for everything that goes with football," Rashawn stated. His injury during was major injury - a dislocation and separation between the wrist bones in his hand.
He had had to deal with some rough patches in high school, too. At the end of his junior season in high school, he was living on his own. On coming into college, he also became a father.
"It was a very tough time, but I had the heart and dedication to push through. It was a very down moment for me when I was suspended and expelled from school for a year in college, but I pushed myself through those times and worked hard to stay in shape back home in Florida," Rashawn said.
He gets his inspiration to play football from his heart. When he was young, his mom took him to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Houston Oilers game. "Ever since then, I have always been inspired to play football to help put my family in a better situation." His dad played minor league baseball in Texas. "He excelled before his death," Rashawn said.
The scout checking for speed
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The Tennessee scout wanted him to gain a little weight, and not lose any speed. "I am eating ten times more than normal, working hard to condition myself to make sure I am very fit, and I am also keeping up with the NFL news," Champion said. Last week, they followed up on him by getting his medical records.
That's a big step, but the real call has yet to come. "The day I become a professional football player, I am moving my mom in with me," he said.
Even if the news is good on draft day, Rashawn will still have a steep road ahead. He will have to go through summer camp, and start football camp in August with the Titans. He will have to survive cuts at the end of August camp before he can "dress out," and possibly play on the Titans on Sunday afternoons. If he makes the team, he will join two players who played for the Mars Hill Lions that are currently playing pro football, Michael Grant, currently with the Cincinnati Bengals, and Khalid Abdullah, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
Reader Comment:
Tammy Ballard, Parent, 4/11/2008, 11:45 a.m.
I am Shawn Esworthy's mother(he wrote the article). I am so proud, that in his first year at Mars Hill college, he is already doing this well in his writing skills! Shawn also plays football as wide receiver for the Lions. Of course his ultimate dream is to go into the NFL, but I am so proud of the college for allowing him as a freshman, to already be working on his 2nd dream, which is to become a sports writer and/or sports broadcaster. MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU MARS HILL COLLEGE-YOUR THE GREATEST!!!
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