10/7/2002 - Football
A Running Back's Hall of Fame Vision
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A Running Back's Hall of Fame Vision
By Bob Socci
Forty-eight hours after a Homecoming loss to the Duke Blue Devils and five days before the Midshipmen would venture off to the wild blue yonder, a soon-to-be Hall of Famer sat in the bleachers at Rip Miller Field.
While the players of the present practiced behind him, one of the best from Navy's past chatted with reporters about the future. His own and that of his alma mater's football program.
As a player, Napolean McCallum once held 26 Academy records - his long, gliding strides covering more than 7,000 yards by way of rushing, receiving and returning.
When Sports Illustrated profiled McCallum in 1985, his coach Gary Tranquill described the rare physical tools that would make the running back so attractive to the NFL's Los Angeles Raiders upon graduation.
"The defender never seems to get the shot at him that he thought he would," Tranquill told the magazine. "And, of course, he has the thing all great backs have - vision."
With his rare appearance in Annapolis on this final day of September 2002, the local media had their shot at McCallum, hoping he'd share a different type of vision.
By his own admission, McCallum's involvement in Navy football has been minimal, at most. But upon this latest return to the Academy, he indicated a change of heart.
It certainly appears McCallum is willing to invest himself in helping the Midshipmen transform the recent on-field futility into future prosperity.
"After this visit I probably will," said McCallum, who'd been honored during the Duke game and spent the weekend touring upgraded facilities and talking to coaches and administrators.
More than two decades earlier, he arrived at the Academy out of Cincinnati, Ohio - a plebe contributing to a seven-win season and a third bowl appearance in four years.
McCallum competed against the likes of Michigan and Ohio State from the Big Ten. He celebrated victories over Eastern powers such as Syracuse, Pittsburgh and nationally-ranked Virginia.
And then, struggling to establish his own pro career, he witnessed a lasting decline in Navy football.
Only now, McCallum sees an administration intent on a reversal of fortune.
"I can tell they have a real commitment to get this program up and running," he said. "I got a good feel talking to the Superintendent (Vice Admiral Richard Naughton), talking to (athletic director) Chet Gladchuk. It seems like they want to win."
Illustrating his point, McCallum referred to the facelift underway at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
"(Renovating) that stadium and getting the fans closer, that's a big step," McCallum says. "When you're going to put $40 million into a stadium, that's showing that 'Hey, I want to do something about (winning).'"
It won't be easy. Winning never is. But McCallum believes it can be done.
"Obviously, there are some hurdles that they have to overcome," said McCallum, who - according to Sports Illustrated - opted for the Naval Academy over Air Force and Syracuse in hopes of becoming an Astronaut. "A lot of it's recruiting, getting more players in here.
"And then, really, working on the players here - getting their assignments down. What you lack in ability, you have to overcome with smartness and doing the right things."
McCallum spoke those words shortly before the present-day Mids sprinted across the field, running back and forth, East and West, in their final drill of the day.
Considering what advice he might provide to them, McCallum echoed his earlier thoughts.
"If I were to say anything to them, I would say exactly what I told you just now," he said. "They have to execute, the team. And when they execute, there's going to be a spirit and the crowd is going to be with them. The crowd's with them already, but there's just so much more excitement and adrenaline these guys can get when they start executing well.
"We know they're undersized. We know they're not the fastest guys...It's all about executing and continuing to execute."
Moments later, he had the opportunity to deliver such a message. At the request of head coach Paul Johnson, McCallum addressed the team.
Before meeting with those Mids - who together are working to turn around a 1-4 season - McCallum remembered his own college teammates.
"I fed off my teammates, because I saw them giving their guts, putting it all on the line," he said. " When you see your teammates doing that, you want to follow suit.
"It was just the rush of the game, all the adrenaline, and you end up doing more and playing better than you ever have in your life before."
A resident of Las Vegas and the owner of two companies - one in the advertising industry, the other brokering his wife's legal services - McCallum is rightfully proud to be an Academy graduate.
"It's an awesome accomplishment just to graduate from this place," says the one-time Raider, whose NFL career was first put on hold due to Naval service and, later, cut short by injury. "To graduate and be able to play professional football, I mean you gotta take pride in what you were able to accomplish.
"There were a lot of obstacles I had to overcome to play (in the NFL). I know because (I) was here and (considering) all the things I did here, I was able to do that."
Perhaps McCallum's accomplishments can serve those who play for Navy - today and tomorrow.
"When you're able to share your stories with people, that gives them confidence," he suggests. "(It) gives them a feeling that, 'If he can do it I can do it too' or that 'It's possible.'"
In December, he'll share something else. McCallum will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. An individual tribute to a collective effort.
"It's a fantastic honor," says McCallum. "To me it's an honor for my teammates. They really pushed me, they kidded me, they joked around with me and they made the game fun. When you're having fun, you're able to go out and give it your all in a game that you love.
"Seventeen years later I'm in communication with a lot of my teammates, just because of this event. This has really been a fun experience."
