By Mike Whiteford
HQ 36 | AUTUMN 1999
If you were looking for the quintessential student-athlete in America today, you would have to find your way to the rolling hills of Huntington, West Virginia, home of rising power Marshall University and its fair-haired quarterback, Chad Pennington. Here’s a guy who maintains a 3.75 grade point average, works for the campus newspaper and radio station and plays football well enough to be considered one of the best quarterbacks in the nation.
And as if that weren’t enough, he’s always willing to perform his duties as a role model in the community – speaking at schools, churches, civic clubs, senior citizen groups and an assortment of other get-togethers. “He probably needs a full-time secretary,” notes assistant coach Mark Gale who coordinates public appearances and sees first-hand the deluge of requests for the star quarterback.
Pennington’s message varies. “It depends on what the teachers or the administrators want me to speak about,” Pennington said. “It could be drugs and alcohol, it could be staying in school, it could be treating people right. There are a lot of topics up for discussion. Whether we like it or not, we’re looked up to as role models. The least we can do as players is show our appreciation for the support the community gives to us.” Quite a refreshing change from Charles Barkley …
He’s also in big demand from the media, who view him as not only the Herd’s star player but the most articulate and accommodating. When Sports Illustrated visited Huntington for a story touting Marshall as the nations No. 24 team, Pennington was the only person quoted and pictured in the magazine’s full-page spread in its college football issue. Pennington already commands such respect among NFL scouts that he may be one of the first quarterbacks taken in next year’s draft. He’s a Heisman Trophy candidate who may equal or surpass Randy Moss’ fourth-place finish in 1997.
Pennington was the man who got the ball to Moss (the NFL Rookie of the Year) during their sophomore year where they shattered NCAA records and led the team to a 12-3 season and a trip to a bowl game. When Moss turned pro the following year, Pennington got even better leading the Thundering Herd to a 12-1 campaign and a convincing 48-29 bowl victory over highly-touted QB Chris Redman and his Louisville Cardinals. In that game, Pennington passed for 411 yards and four touchdowns. This year, the sky’s the limit.
But Pennington acknowledges that his success wouldn’t be possible without the leadership of Head Coach Bob Pruett or his talented teammates. Pruett, recognized this year by College Football News as the seventh best coach in America, has compiled a remarkable 38-4 record in his three years at Marshall.
As for his teammates, the Herd is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Offensive stars include running back Doug Chapman, wide receiver Nate Poole and center Jason Starkey. On defense, standouts abound including linebacker John Grace, lineman Giradie Mercer, cornerback Daninelle Derricott and safety Rogers Beckett.
The Heisman talk started this summer. Given his incredible numbers and comments from the likes of former teammate Moss who remarked, “He could play in the NFL today,” Pennington is a serious contender for college football’s most prestigious award.
He’s already garnered a closet full of hardware including the Anson Mount Award (given by Playboy to the top student-athlete in the country), first-team GTE Academic All-American, Most Valuable Player of 1998 Motor City Bowl and pre-season Offensive Player of the Year by Street & Smith’s College Football among others. And then there’s the letter sent to him by the Downtown Athletic Club requesting information as one of only 12 players considered a “likely contender” for the Heisman Trophy. If that doesn’t convince you that Chad Pennington is the real deal, both on and off the field, well then …
