THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 15, 1995 TAG: 9501150202
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 120 lines
There was no lull before the storm Saturday as the new Norfolk Neptunes held the first tryouts in franchise history.
There was just the storm - of players who hope the eight-on-eight United Football Association is their chance of a lifetime.
By 8:30, 30 minutes before registration was scheduled to begin, prospects already were knocking on the door of the hotel conference room that served as the center of operations.
Around 200 prospects had been expected, but by 9:30, it was apparent that the Neptunes would get more, many more.
By the time coach Ron Killmon stood in the middle of a wind-swept football field at Norfolk Academy to explain the day's schedule, nearly 300 would-be Neptunes were listening - and more were finishing registration.
``Man, this place needs a pro football team,'' said one mountain-sized prospect, climbing out of his car and observing the crowd waiting outside the registration tables.
They came in all shapes and sizes. Some had been in NFL training camps. Some had played in the Canadian Football League. Some had played Arena Football. Some never made it past the sun-parched fields of high school.
Some leaned forward at the final instant of their 40-yard dash, seeking to skim a hundredth of a second or so off his time. Others crossed the finish line seconds after their beer-swelled bellies.
Those who passed the physcial drills of the morning had the afternoon session to show off their football skills.
For all, it was a day about time, from what they ran in the 40, to how many times they benched 250 pounds. For some, it was a day for turning back time, or at least making the attempt.
The script lettering above the right breast of the green-and-gold jacket read ``G-Money.'' Across from it was a tiny helmet, with the letters ``EE'' - for Edmonton Eskimos - inside.
Many would-be Neptunes greeted Gary Morris, owner of the windbreaker, as he filled out his paperwork. They remembered him from Norfolk State, where he played wide receiver. They remembered that he spent three seasons in the Canadian Football League - two with Edmonton, where he won a Grey Cup, the last with Hamilton in 1993.
``I haven't gotten it out of my system yet,'' Morris said when asked why he was trying out. ``I've been in situations where I feel I've gotten bad breaks. I still feel I can play.''
Morris, 6-feet-2 and 185 pounds, started the last eight games for Edmonton in '92. He caught 20 passes, two for touchdowns. The year in Hamilton, however, started him thinking about a career change.
He returned to Hampton Roads and started work on his master's degree in education at NSU. He'll finish in May.
``I was thinking of giving up football, teaching, settling down,'' Morris said. ``But this is the perfect thing to happen to me at this time. I wanted to stay in the area, so this seems like a right-time, right-place opportunity for me.''
United Football Association rules are basically the same as those Morris played under in the CFL. That doesn't mean much to the American public, but Morris thinks the game will go over big in Hampton Roads.
``I think it will be welcome,'' he said. ``Look at expansion in the NFL and CFL. Everyone wants a team, every city. It's a great addition.''
Christina Gorski and Willie Cooley are standing in the center of the registration room having an animated conversation - with their hands.
Cooley is hearing impaired and he has asked Gorski, a professional interpreter, to accompany him to the tryout. Whenever Killmon or one of his assistants reviews the rules for a particular exercise, Gorski will stand with her back to them, facing Cooley, translating what they say into sign for her friend.
This is not a new experience for Cooley, 27. He played in the secondary at UCLA, then left before graduation to try the CFL's Toronto Argonauts.
He has had three tryouts with the Washington Redskins, two in 1988, another in '92. But although none ended in an invitation to training camp, it was the friendship he made with Redskins cornerback Darrell Green during those auditions that led him to contact the Neptunes.
``Darrell told me the other day that I should try out and if I made the team and people saw me play, it might lead to something on another level,'' Cooley says through Gorski. ``I'm trying to get myself into the best situation I can to get into the NFL.''
Cooley says he was an All-Pro with the Argonauts and that he has run 40 yards in 4.2 or 4.3 seconds.
``I have a problem with communication,'' he admits. ``But Darrell always told me that if you run a 4.2 or so, you can make a team. I think I can really make this team, and that's exciting.''
Even if he doesn't stick with the Neptunes, Cooley says he will continue to hang around town for a while. After all, it wasn't football that brought him to Hampton Roads. It was his fiance.
Perhaps the last thing Matt Puryear was seeking was another tryout camp.
The former Bridgewater College quarterback had been to five of them, trying to land a position in the Arena Football League. All ended badly, and Puryear finally accepted a job as athletic director and football coach at Crestwood High School.
``Then this comes up and it makes it a real good opportunity because I don't have to travel to Charlotte or Miami,'' he said, walking towards the practice field in the direction of the other 12 Neptune quarterback candidates.
At 6-1 and 200 pounds, Puryear thinks he can run this offense and play in the league because it is based on speed and quickness.
``And I have real good quickness, although not necessarily all-out speed,'' he said. ``And I have pretty decent arm strength.''
Don't ask about his college stats.
``They were lousy,'' he says, laughing. ``We did almost nothing but run. Had a couple of All-American running backs and coach loved to use 'em.''
A season with the Tidewater Sharks got him started on this merry-go-round of breakthroughs and heartbreaks. Now, he can't get off. Not yet.
``I'll admit it,'' he says, ``No matter how many of these I go through, I'm still excited at each camp.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos
MOTOYA KAKAMURA/Staff
Christina Gorski, left, translates to Willie Cooley, who is hearing
impaired, during the Neptunes' tryout.
Sean Smith of Virginia Beach, left, attempts a long jump drill under
the watchful eyes of coaches and candidates while, below, Matt
Puryear, a quarterback candidate, goes through a high-jump trial.
by CNB