The life of a walk-on

[963BUSC]

Interesting article on the life of a walk-on. I do agree they are treated pretty unfairly, especially the part where they are given no protections, no meals, no benefits, but if they transfer they have to sit out a full year and lose a year of eligibility. No benefits should equal no penalty at the minimum.


Former USC fullback pushing for walk-on reforms - CBSSports.com

 

[Wild Turkey]

Great article and the former player has a lot of great points. At a minimum I would say walk-ons should get the following:

1. Health Insurance in case they are injured and the same medical treatment as a scholarship player.
2. They should be able to participate in limited meals during the season.
3. They should be able to transfer with no penalty.

The health insurance was the biggest thing for me it is immoral to throw those kids out there and not have them covered.

 

[lilchi721]

Great article and the former player has a lot of great points. At a minimum I would say walk-ons should get the following:

1. Health Insurance in case they are injured and the same medical treatment as a scholarship player.
2. They should be able to participate in limited meals during the season.
3. They should be able to transfer with no penalty.

The health insurance was the biggest thing for me it is immoral to throw those kids out there and not have them covered.

If they dress for a game either at home or abroad they still eat with the team. If not they still have to pay like any other normal student.

 

[WizardHawk]

I was under the impression that meals were taken out of their scholarship money and are not free. They don't pay at the time they eat, but it is still off those numbers so that part makes sense.

Still, if you take a kid and put him on the field he should be covered for any type of injury that could come up. Period. And no compensation should equal no penalty for transfers. Just common sense isn't it?

 

[trojanfan12]

He has some great points. I think most people probably assume (I know I did) that walk-on's received meals and medical coverage, so it's good that he's making folks aware of that. After all, the NCAA isn't likely to change much without public pressure.


I think that NCAA person's response re: transfer eligibility is a lot of NCAA double talk crap. They want them to have time to adjust to the new campus, etc.?!? Seriously?!? Then why are kids eligible to play as true freshmen?

 

[963BUSC]

I think that NCAA person's response re: transfer eligibility is a lot of NCAA double talk crap. They want them to have time to adjust to the new campus, etc.?!? Seriously?!? Then why are kids eligible to play as true freshmen?

My first thought here was about the freshmen as well, not sure how the NCAA rep got that out with a straight face.

 

[trojanfan12]

My first thought here was about the freshmen as well, not sure how the NCAA rep got that out with a straight face.

What really makes it funny is that there was actually a time when freshmen weren't allowed to play, for the very reason that the NCAA rep stated.

 

[HuskerOC]

Quote from the article:


I felt my high school accomplishments would garner me a Division I scholarship. I was wrong. Angry for being overlooked after being named CIF Player of the Year in Southern California, I decided I would walk on and prove everyone wrong. My dream from the age of 7 was to play college football for a major powerhouse program. I was too impatient to go to a junior college and was eager to get the process started so walking-on was my only option. USC afforded me the opportunity to walk on

I give props to the kid for wanting to compete and show everybody wrong. He earned his scholarship through hard work and determination through his thankfulness of USC offering him that chance.


He took a chance to prove he was good enough. And he was. The reality is that 90% or more of walk ons never do shit. And he is right, they are practice dummies until they can prove they are more than a practice dummy.


I had some good friends walk on at Nebraska. They tell the same 'tackling dummy' stories. In the end a couple of them started a game or 10 or so at Nebraska.


Most walk ons have scholarship options available to them. Big time schools don't offer up slaps to walk on, you have to have some ability to play.


Those walk ons have passed up those other scholarship opportunities, and know the sacrifices up front so that they can play for their almighty U.


Not sure what he is bitching about. He passed up schollies to walk on at USC. He earned a schollie and played while proving a lot of people wrong. Nobody drafted him in the NFL, and/or he wasn't good enough to play in the NFL, and now he wants some kind of hazard pay?


Sorry, but isn't this the course you chose?

 

[963BUSC]

Quote from the article:





Not sure what he is bitching about. He passed up schollies to walk on at USC. He earned a schollie and played while proving a lot of people wrong. Nobody drafted him in the NFL, and/or he wasn't good enough to play in the NFL, and now he wants some kind of hazard pay?


Sorry, but isn't this the course you chose?

Whether they chose it or not I don't think it fair that walk-ons lose a year of eligibility just for trying. So some kid decides to walk on at USC and after two years realizes he has as much chance of seeing the field as I do and decides to transfer to Idaho. Why would he have to sit a year and lose eligibility for that transfer. He never got crap for walking on, if Idaho wants to give him a schollie good for him.

I also don't like the meals aspect, I remember Oklahoma State getting in trouble a few years back because they gave walk-ons the same meals they gave scholarship kids. If you go to the practices and play a tackling dummy and the school wants to give you a sandwich for it, they should be allowed to give you a sandwich for it.

 

[cane_man]

I wpuld have cut my own dick off to be a walkon when I was at the U.

 

[Wild Turkey]

I wpuld have cut my own dick off to be a walkon when I was at the U.

I image getting your ass handed too you every single day with every bone in your body screaming mercy would wear on you after a while. I've always thought it would have been cool to be the long snapper (coaches aren't going to let them get hurt in practice). I was a center in high school and decent snapper but it never occurred to me until years later.

I wish it had then I would have spent all of high school becoming the best in the country.

 

[Rolltide94]

What really makes it funny is that there was actually a time when freshmen weren't allowed to play, for the very reason that the NCAA rep stated.

Exactly...what a load a self-serving double speak...but since it was an NCAA rep, what should we really have expected.

 

[mrwallace2ku]

I image getting your ass handed too you every single day with every bone in your body screaming mercy would wear on you after a while. I've always thought it would have been cool to be the long snapper (coaches aren't going to let them get hurt in practice). I was a center in high school and decent snapper but it never occurred to me until years later.

I wish it had then I would have spent all of high school becoming the best in the country.

Must have been those warm hands up yer backside that kept you coming back play after play then?