10/17/2001 - Football
Becoming A Role Model
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How many times have you heard about the kid from a single-parent family getting in trouble in school or on the street?
They are the favorite whipping boys for people in society. People aren't surprised when those kids get in trouble. Take into account an African-American kid from Baltimore and he becomes that much more of a target of this stereotype.
Navy's Ralph Henry dispels all the rumors; stereotypes and looks headed for great success at the Naval Academy.
The sophomore defensive lineman has improved from game to game and Charlie Weatherbie and his defensive staff have promoted Henry to the starting lineup and he started for the first time last week against Rice.
"Ralph is a guy we knew all along was going to be a good player. He has great speed and size and he's one of the reasons we have improved over the past couple of weeks on defense," Weatherbie said.
The 6-1, 254 Economics major was a star Defensive End at Eastern Technical School, one of Baltimore 's top football public school programs. He was all-state as a senior and considered Maryland and Towson among other state schools before Navy came in literally out of no where.
"The came in at the very last minute. I mean I had heard nothing from them and then all of a sudden there they were,'' Henry said.
After taking the time to talk to his mother Jennifer, a former Chemistry major, his decision was easy.
"My mom and I took a lot of time to make the decision because we wanted to make the right decision,'' Henry said. "Mom was great during the whole thing. She's my role model and someone who gives me inspiration.''
"You can never plan on being and NFL player. If you are lucky enough that's great, but you also have to think about your life ahead as well, and when I weighed all the options, a great education with a guaranteed career afterward is hard to pass up,'' Henry said.
When you sit down and talk with Henry, it becomes clear quickly in the conversation that he comes from good stock. A well-spoken young man, Henry is exactly the kind of youngster who can make it work despite coming from a single-parent home. He didn't use it as an excuse to fail; he's used as a reason to achieve.
While the football team has had its share of problems with some players off-field problems, it is players like Henry who give you faith in the Academy and the type of people you want to be future leaders in our country.
Not only will the Academy and its alumni be proud, but there is sure to be a proud mother out there who can look at her son as a role model to other kids who come from a similar background.
Henry spends his weekends banging heads with the likes of Georgia Tech and Notre Dame, instead of banging heads with others on the streets of Baltimore.
"That's a dream come true to be playing against those types of teams. I knew I was going to play football somewhere, but to play against these teams is a great challenge and that's what I love about the Academy,'' Henry said.
"It tests you physically and mentally. I never thought I could get through any thing like plebe summer before, but the sense of what you've done when it's over is tremendous,'' Henry said.
