Any student of the game can tell you that the history of football is rife with legends of repeated, mysterious "football ghosts", players that seemingly come out of nowhere to beast it one the field for a season to two and then, just as quickly, fade off into sunset never to be seen again, like cleat-clad vaporous puffs diminishing into the air.
Since well before even the 1920's there have been rumors, sometimes well substantiated with multiple eye-witness accounts, of strange players appearing literally from out of nowhere in the locker room or on the field next to the team, strapped up, cleated, and ready to go, but with little or no backstory, past history, or explanation of where they came from.
These odd players where often immediately excellent at their positions and quickly demonstrated prowess and grit in practice impressing coaches and fellow players alike. When talked to these players said very little, sometimes nothing, but nevertheless demonstrated keen understandings of the game and quickly (if not immediately) grasped what the coaches where trying to communicate.
In short they were ideal football players: Athletic, Hard Working, Respectful, Goal-Oriented, and Mute.
These players seldom formed tight friendships with their teammates, largely on account that they never talked and apparently never ate or slept. In 1926, there are accounts of a Rice Institute (now Rice University) defensive back named Lawrence Crausby (sometimes spelled 'Crosby'), a lightning quick ball hawk who appeared one day cleats in hand outside the Rice football field. The head coach at the time Coach Vernon Rap approached the quiet athlete and asked him what his business was. The slightly-built but muscular blond man pointed towards the field and quietly muttered "I will dash between and through the hash marks like bolts of lightning." Coach Rap decided to give the strange player a tryout and immediately impressed by the DBs agility and quickness gave him a spot on the roster. Over the course of the 1926 season Lawrence Crausby proved to be a dynamic playmaker, even being nominated for All Conference honors. Oddly, Lawrence was never seen eating or sleeping. One account even has a player entering the team's locker room late one morning to retrieve some textbooks he had mistakenly left to see his teammate standing mute and still under a lone gaslight facing his locker. Even more strangely, when the 1927 season rolled around Coach Rap was shocked to discover that his prized d-back didn't
show up for first practices. All that was left of the player who lit up the gridiron the year before were his well-worn cleats left sitting atop Coach Rap's desk and a note with the cryptic words "Lorem mihi per occasionem ridendi." jotted on the inside in a faint, jittery hand.
In Aggie football lore there are also legends of our very own football ghosts, the random guard here, a running back there. Coach Bear Bryant while he was here was so against playing rumored "ghosts" that he even instructed his coordinators to immediately run away anyone who showed up and wouldn't agree to eat a chocolate nougat bar.
He called it the "Nougat Test".
More recently, the wide-receiver Robert Ferguson was rumored to be a "football ghost". He appeared for one season, 2000, and immediately was a monstrous success achieving conference records that year in receiving yards. By 2001, Ferguson was gone. A ghost, never to be seen on Kyle Field again.
This is why the mystery of Josh Reynolds deepens.
Here we were late last year, a little over a year ago, when we got wind that a receiver named "Josh Reynolds", supposedly a JUCO transfer from the San Antonio area would be joining the team. The
new kid lit if up in Spring practice and quickly impressed Coach Sumlin and staff. Almost immediately, despite a hugely talented receivers corp already in place, Josh Reynolds earned a firm #3 on the
roster. From game #1against South Carolina Reynolds has lit it up with 10 touchdowns through 10
games just 2 touchdowns short of the Aggie receiving touchdown record for a season. This, in his first
year!
Supposedly, Reynolds is a JUCO transfer (like Robert Ferguson)from the San Antonio area but this to me sounds like spun gold whipped up by the boys in the Aggie athletics press room.
Just who is this player, where does he come from, and more importantly, will ne be here next year?
In short, is Josh Reynolds just the latest Football Ghost to grace the hash marks of hallowed Kyle Field?
Seacrest Out.
WDiss
Since well before even the 1920's there have been rumors, sometimes well substantiated with multiple eye-witness accounts, of strange players appearing literally from out of nowhere in the locker room or on the field next to the team, strapped up, cleated, and ready to go, but with little or no backstory, past history, or explanation of where they came from.
These odd players where often immediately excellent at their positions and quickly demonstrated prowess and grit in practice impressing coaches and fellow players alike. When talked to these players said very little, sometimes nothing, but nevertheless demonstrated keen understandings of the game and quickly (if not immediately) grasped what the coaches where trying to communicate.
In short they were ideal football players: Athletic, Hard Working, Respectful, Goal-Oriented, and Mute.
These players seldom formed tight friendships with their teammates, largely on account that they never talked and apparently never ate or slept. In 1926, there are accounts of a Rice Institute (now Rice University) defensive back named Lawrence Crausby (sometimes spelled 'Crosby'), a lightning quick ball hawk who appeared one day cleats in hand outside the Rice football field. The head coach at the time Coach Vernon Rap approached the quiet athlete and asked him what his business was. The slightly-built but muscular blond man pointed towards the field and quietly muttered "I will dash between and through the hash marks like bolts of lightning." Coach Rap decided to give the strange player a tryout and immediately impressed by the DBs agility and quickness gave him a spot on the roster. Over the course of the 1926 season Lawrence Crausby proved to be a dynamic playmaker, even being nominated for All Conference honors. Oddly, Lawrence was never seen eating or sleeping. One account even has a player entering the team's locker room late one morning to retrieve some textbooks he had mistakenly left to see his teammate standing mute and still under a lone gaslight facing his locker. Even more strangely, when the 1927 season rolled around Coach Rap was shocked to discover that his prized d-back didn't
show up for first practices. All that was left of the player who lit up the gridiron the year before were his well-worn cleats left sitting atop Coach Rap's desk and a note with the cryptic words "Lorem mihi per occasionem ridendi." jotted on the inside in a faint, jittery hand.
In Aggie football lore there are also legends of our very own football ghosts, the random guard here, a running back there. Coach Bear Bryant while he was here was so against playing rumored "ghosts" that he even instructed his coordinators to immediately run away anyone who showed up and wouldn't agree to eat a chocolate nougat bar.
He called it the "Nougat Test".
More recently, the wide-receiver Robert Ferguson was rumored to be a "football ghost". He appeared for one season, 2000, and immediately was a monstrous success achieving conference records that year in receiving yards. By 2001, Ferguson was gone. A ghost, never to be seen on Kyle Field again.
This is why the mystery of Josh Reynolds deepens.
Here we were late last year, a little over a year ago, when we got wind that a receiver named "Josh Reynolds", supposedly a JUCO transfer from the San Antonio area would be joining the team. The
new kid lit if up in Spring practice and quickly impressed Coach Sumlin and staff. Almost immediately, despite a hugely talented receivers corp already in place, Josh Reynolds earned a firm #3 on the
roster. From game #1against South Carolina Reynolds has lit it up with 10 touchdowns through 10
games just 2 touchdowns short of the Aggie receiving touchdown record for a season. This, in his first
year!
Supposedly, Reynolds is a JUCO transfer (like Robert Ferguson)from the San Antonio area but this to me sounds like spun gold whipped up by the boys in the Aggie athletics press room.
Just who is this player, where does he come from, and more importantly, will ne be here next year?
In short, is Josh Reynolds just the latest Football Ghost to grace the hash marks of hallowed Kyle Field?
Seacrest Out.
WDiss
