9/5/2004 - Football
A Special Homecoming

As the saying goes ?everything happens for a reason?. In the case of Navy offensive tackle Casey Hughes, nothing could be closer to the truth.

For Hughes, the hard work and determination that he displayed in practice throughout the first two and half years of his college career had yielded zero varsity game action. Finally, midway through the 2003 season, Hughes got the opportunity that he had been waiting for when he was told he would start his first collegiate game, which coincidentally was in his hometown of Houston, Texas, against Rice.

?I was speechless for a moment, but then I knew I had to make the most of my opportunity and turned any kind of nervousness that I had into motivation to keep the starting spot after that,? said Hughes, who starred at Houston's Cy-Fair High School. ?I was excited to get the chance to play in front of my family and friends, but I couldn't concern myself with it too much because I had a job to do on game day.?

Throughout the first two years of his college career, Hughes worked hard on the field and off.
On the practice field, Hughes was steadily improving by learning from the upperclassmen. They taught him how to prepare himself mentally and physically for the game and how to react to success and failure.

?I learned a lot from the upperclassmen,? he said. ?They taught me how to do things the right way. Now as an upperclassmen myself, I really try to help the younger guys.?

Hughes took those lessons with him into the weight room where he continued to get stronger and prepare himself for the daily grind of practice. Whether it was spring practice, summer training sessions or working out during the season, Hughes knew that any little thing he could do to help his game would greatly enhance his chances of finally getting into a varsity game.
Hughes also displayed that same dedication in the classroom. Following his first year at the Academy, he chose to major in economics, which he knew would not be an easy workload.

?Any major here at the Naval Academy is going to require a lot of time and commitment,? he added. ?But I was used to working hard. I took the work ethic that I had in practice and used it when I was doing my class work. It kept me in the frame of mind where I had to give everything I had to be successful here at Navy.?

That strong work ethic wasn't lost on any of the coaches, who noticed his desire to get better.
?I'm sure Casey got frustrated early on because he wasn't getting a chance to play,? offensive line coach Todd Spencer said. ?But it didn't stop him from working hard or continuing to improve his game. I gained a lot of respect for him during those first two years and I knew that when he got his opportunity to start, he wasn't going to give it up easily.?

And when the word finally came down that he would start against Rice, Hughes knew he was ready.

The next challenge for Hughes was finding tickets for his family and friends to come and watch the game.

?It wasn't that bad at all,? Hughes said. ?My mom bought some extra tickets and some of the guys on the team gave me theirs, so I was able to get enough tickets for everybody.?

Everyone that came to cheer on Hughes left Rice Stadium that night very happy. Hughes was part of a Navy offensive line that paved the way for quarterback Craig Candeto to rush for 151 yards, as the Midshipmen totaled 366 yards on the ground in posting an impressive 38-6 win over the Owls.

?With everything going on, Casey wasn't that nervous before the game,? Spencer said. ?He was focused in on what he had to do and I wasn't surprised because I had come to expect that from him.?

The win for Hughes was the perfect capper to a great day.

?It was awesome getting to run out onto the field and know that you were going to get the chance to impact a game,? he added. ?I was focused so much on the game that I didn't get to look around the stadium too much to see where everyone was. Near the end of the game I got to look around and I found my family and gave them a quick wave to show that everything was going great.?

That start was the first of six at tackle for Hughes in the final seven games of the campaign.

The season that he had worked hard and waited for finally came to an end on December 30, again, in his hometown of Houston as the Mids played in the EV1.net Houston Bowl versus Texas Tech.

The game did not end the way that Hughes and the rest of teammates had hoped for, but nonetheless, it was another special homecoming.

?We didn't get the win, but it was great to come home again and not just start for a team but one that was successful,? said Hughes, who started the game and helped Navy pound out 289 rushing yards. ?My family and friends were all proud of me and I was thankful for the opportunity to play in front of them again.?

In addition to coming home as a football player, Hughes was even more thrilled to say that he was from the Naval Academy.

?It's tremendous to come home and talk to your family about all the experiences that you get at Navy, and not just on the football field,? said Hughes, who carries a 3.07 grade point average. ?They're interested in hearing about what classes are like and how much work that we put into them each night. It's a lot of work, but you come to expect it here.?

Hughes has been hampered with an ankle injury that has limited his practice time this season. However, when Hughes gets his next opportunity to play again, he'll be ready to go at full-speed.

?I'm not going to change my approach to anything,? he said. ?You just have to go out and give it your all.?