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The Story Behind the Jersey Number

Caliskinsfan

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Fun read.


Excerpt

71 - T Trent Williams

"There were two factors in it, but the most influential was, once I figured out I would be playing left tackle for good, you know, when I got to high school, I didn't know much about the position. I was just 14, 15. So, I watched a lot of football and wanted to learn who the best left tackle was in the league. I happened to watch a Seattle Seahawks game and in pre-game introductions, the TV announcer said, 'Walter Jones, this is hands down one of the best left tackles in the league.' And I said, 'Oh, okay!' I started keeping up with him for a few weeks, and I noticed he wasn't 6-8 like Jonathan Ogden or Orlando Pace.

All those guys were so huge, and I was only scraping about 6 feet around then. I was like, 'Well, he's only 6-5 and performing at the highest level,' and that gave me hope that maybe I could make it. And I kept keeping up with him, and I saw how athletic he was and good with his footwork, and I was like, man, we just had so many similarities with the athletic abilities we possessed. And I was always No. 70 because my big brother was No. 70, but I was like, 'You know what? This is a chance to gain my own identity and also take after the guy that the guy that I feel like influenced me in playing the position.'

That's where 71 came about and I haven't got off it yet. I even have it tattooed big as day on my thigh. So, I really can't change it. When I first came here [in 2010], I was 72 for the whole preseason. I wanted to get 71 from Mike Williams, but he was a vet, I was a rookie, and he wanted astronomical dollars for it. I was like, 'Damn. I'm stuck in between.' I'm kind of superstitions and I was kind of scared because I felt like I really needed that number to play.

But, I went with it, and he ended up getting blood clots and put on IR, and when they put him on IR, I got 71, and so I felt like it was meant to have it. I'm not saying I wouldn't have gotten desperate and decided to buy it from Mike, but it worked out that I didn't have to."
 

Stymietee

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Very nice article......interesting that so many got their numbers without choice on arrival. Equally, interesting that each wants to put their own imprint on that number and don't appear interested in gatting their preference. Thanks for posting Cali.
 
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