Texas A&M Football
“It is still important that I get this degree, because you never know if this company I'm involved with will last six years or if that company I'm involved with will last five years, so if I need to work for someone else I still need to have it and be able to qualify for whatever job comes my way.”
“Coming back to school was really important to me, and to show my parents. I did leave school but I told them I would come back, and in August of 2015 I will be done with school.”
“In inner-city Houston, I will be doing an internship while going through OTAs with various programs that deal with inner-city youth. I am a youth development major at Texas A&M so I’m going to be doing that while trying to earn my spot on the Houston Texans roster. I don't think it'll be too hard because I'm used to playing football and going to school at the same time. It won't be as tough as a full 15-hour schedule and we'll work it out to make sure it all works out well.”
“While I do have a lot of side projects going on, the job I’m addicted to is playing football. It’s a dream come true, but I have goals I set for myself and I’m not just satisfied with getting my foot in the door. ”
“I love the youth and I want to take that power I have with sports and really be a huge influence to the youth. The youth shapes the world, the youth is what makes us young, keeps us energizes, and the youth gives us our new ideas today. If you can help them or be a motivational movement for them, it will be big.”
“The hardest his I ever took was in the first quarter against Arkansas in 2012. I caught a flare pass and I don’t know happened with the corner, but as soon as I caught the ball he caught me at a weird angle right at my thigh. I kept playing as if it was nothing, but I felt that for about three weeks.”
“After hitting Josh Evans when we played Florida in 2012, he was snoring, he was asleep. Seriously, he was asleep. Josh Evans is a hell of a player, he actually is with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s in our division, so I’ll see him again.”
“I was an undrafted free agent in 2014 and after the draft I had multiple offers from teams. I chose the Dallas Cowboys because I felt that I could make that roster. I was doing really well, but injuries happen, and it was the first time in my career I had an injury. It was at San Diego, kick returning in my very first pro football game. I pulled my quadricep muscle, I didn’t have to get surgery or anything but it took 6-7 weeks to heal. So I was out and I was released from the Dallas Cowboys just like that. After I got healed up, the Houston Texans called asking me to come work out. I worked out on a Tuesday, they signed me right on the spot and I was at practice on Wednesday.”
“They had totally different playbooks, totally different systems, different coaches, strength coaches, I didn’t know where the locker room was and I didn’t know where the training room is at. I didn’t even know where the running back room was at and I had to be at practice in 15 minutes. I guess I did a good enough job because they rewarded me with a new contract and it basically gives me the opportunity to prove myself and really compete in camp and hopefully make that roster.”
“I don’t even worry about not making the roster, I try to focus and grind everyday. That’s what I do. I put in hard work, I’m a living example of what hard work can do for you. My whole football career I’ve had to prove myself because there’s always been someone "more talented" than me, which is fine, I’m not worried about that. I’m trying to come back bigger, faster and stronger and then bring my game to the Houston Texans.”
“You’ve just got to know how to score the football and work. Everybody’s going to get their time, everybody is going to touch the field eventually. But the people who are going to stay on the longest produce. I always knew I was going to have to wait six games, eight games, two years but when it’s my time to shine, you best believe I’m going to ball.”
“My first year at A&M I got my redshirt burned to be the off returner on kick return, so I didn’t play at all. Then the whole entire 2011 year, I didn’t play at all until the last game of the season against the University of Texas.The last time Texas and Texas A&M played was my first ever collegiate start.”
“I just came to work everyday, the coaches are going to make the decisions on who they want on the field. I have no say so in that, but what my say so is is my work ethic and my production. Whatever comes with that, if that comes with being on the field 80% of the time, or 60% of the time, I’m down for whatever the coach wants me to do.”
“I don’t really know Coach Chavis personally, but both years we played LSU they gave us trouble. It had to do with the athletes they had on those defenses, they did a great job at shutting us down. Hopefully he can bring his mentality and his experience, his championships, everything he has to help us out.”
“They have three really good backs right now on campus, Tra Carson, Brandon Williams and James White, we’re going to need them big time this year."
Catching up with former A&M RB Ben Malena
Key quotes from Ben Malena interview
“As a person, what I try to do is, I try to build the foundation for the rest of my life when it comes to income as being a person that is able to provide for his family.”“It is still important that I get this degree, because you never know if this company I'm involved with will last six years or if that company I'm involved with will last five years, so if I need to work for someone else I still need to have it and be able to qualify for whatever job comes my way.”
“Coming back to school was really important to me, and to show my parents. I did leave school but I told them I would come back, and in August of 2015 I will be done with school.”
“In inner-city Houston, I will be doing an internship while going through OTAs with various programs that deal with inner-city youth. I am a youth development major at Texas A&M so I’m going to be doing that while trying to earn my spot on the Houston Texans roster. I don't think it'll be too hard because I'm used to playing football and going to school at the same time. It won't be as tough as a full 15-hour schedule and we'll work it out to make sure it all works out well.”
“While I do have a lot of side projects going on, the job I’m addicted to is playing football. It’s a dream come true, but I have goals I set for myself and I’m not just satisfied with getting my foot in the door. ”
“I love the youth and I want to take that power I have with sports and really be a huge influence to the youth. The youth shapes the world, the youth is what makes us young, keeps us energizes, and the youth gives us our new ideas today. If you can help them or be a motivational movement for them, it will be big.”
“The hardest his I ever took was in the first quarter against Arkansas in 2012. I caught a flare pass and I don’t know happened with the corner, but as soon as I caught the ball he caught me at a weird angle right at my thigh. I kept playing as if it was nothing, but I felt that for about three weeks.”
“After hitting Josh Evans when we played Florida in 2012, he was snoring, he was asleep. Seriously, he was asleep. Josh Evans is a hell of a player, he actually is with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s in our division, so I’ll see him again.”
“I was an undrafted free agent in 2014 and after the draft I had multiple offers from teams. I chose the Dallas Cowboys because I felt that I could make that roster. I was doing really well, but injuries happen, and it was the first time in my career I had an injury. It was at San Diego, kick returning in my very first pro football game. I pulled my quadricep muscle, I didn’t have to get surgery or anything but it took 6-7 weeks to heal. So I was out and I was released from the Dallas Cowboys just like that. After I got healed up, the Houston Texans called asking me to come work out. I worked out on a Tuesday, they signed me right on the spot and I was at practice on Wednesday.”
“They had totally different playbooks, totally different systems, different coaches, strength coaches, I didn’t know where the locker room was and I didn’t know where the training room is at. I didn’t even know where the running back room was at and I had to be at practice in 15 minutes. I guess I did a good enough job because they rewarded me with a new contract and it basically gives me the opportunity to prove myself and really compete in camp and hopefully make that roster.”
“I don’t even worry about not making the roster, I try to focus and grind everyday. That’s what I do. I put in hard work, I’m a living example of what hard work can do for you. My whole football career I’ve had to prove myself because there’s always been someone "more talented" than me, which is fine, I’m not worried about that. I’m trying to come back bigger, faster and stronger and then bring my game to the Houston Texans.”
“You’ve just got to know how to score the football and work. Everybody’s going to get their time, everybody is going to touch the field eventually. But the people who are going to stay on the longest produce. I always knew I was going to have to wait six games, eight games, two years but when it’s my time to shine, you best believe I’m going to ball.”
“My first year at A&M I got my redshirt burned to be the off returner on kick return, so I didn’t play at all. Then the whole entire 2011 year, I didn’t play at all until the last game of the season against the University of Texas.The last time Texas and Texas A&M played was my first ever collegiate start.”
“I just came to work everyday, the coaches are going to make the decisions on who they want on the field. I have no say so in that, but what my say so is is my work ethic and my production. Whatever comes with that, if that comes with being on the field 80% of the time, or 60% of the time, I’m down for whatever the coach wants me to do.”
“I don’t really know Coach Chavis personally, but both years we played LSU they gave us trouble. It had to do with the athletes they had on those defenses, they did a great job at shutting us down. Hopefully he can bring his mentality and his experience, his championships, everything he has to help us out.”
“They have three really good backs right now on campus, Tra Carson, Brandon Williams and James White, we’re going to need them big time this year."
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