THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 22, 1995 TAG: 9510200221
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 25 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMI FRANKENBERRY, SUN SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
THERE'S LITTLE to cheer about for North Carolina State football fans this season.
Going into Friday's game at Duke, the Wolfpack was 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, including a 43-22 loss to Clemson and a 77-17 drubbing at the hands of top-ranked Florida State.
One Wolfpack player - Bobbie Cotten - may not be taking the disappointing season as hard as others. Of course he's disappointed at the team's lack of success this year, but the Windsor native couldn't be happier that he's getting a chance to play Division I college football.
``It's overwhelming,'' Cotten said in a telephone interview from Raleigh on Tuesday. ``Playing for a big school like this is something you dream about. After a game I always think about how I used to watch them on TV and now I'm here playing with them.''
Cotten, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound freshman, has made the most of his chances in the short months he's been at N.C. State. He earned a starting spot at linebacker against Florida State, the Wolfpack's third game, and before Friday was second on the team with 45 tackles.
``He's been a very pleasant surprise,'' N.C. State coach Mike O'Cain said. ``He stepped in and has done a tremendous job. He's still going through getting adjusted, but he has caught on to the system.''
Cotten, 20, has also had to adjust to the academic challenges that come with attending college.
``It ain't been easy,'' Cotten said with a long sigh. ``It's stressful dealing with academics and athletics. It's been a challenge to adjust.''
N.C. State isn't the first place that Cotten has had to adjust to performing well in the classroom. He repeated sixth and seventh grade and, admittedly, had trouble concentrating on schoolwork at Windsor High.
``In high school, you tend not to think about studying and you're not as focused as you should be,'' Cotten said. ``I was thinking about playing football and going out on Friday nights.''
Not taking school seriously caught up with Cotten. Repeating two grades made him 18 as a junior. The Virginia High School League didn't allow students who were 19 before Oct. 1 of their senior year to compete in athletics and Cotten's birthday is Aug. 10. The rule was changed this year to Aug. 1.
``I knew what the deal was going into my senior year,'' Cotten said. ``(Windsor coach Joe Jones) made it known to me my freshman and sophomore year that I would have to go to a prep school for a year to play football (as a senior).''
Cotten saw his older brother, Alex, get caught in the same situation. Alex, a standout wide receiver at Windsor from 1990-91, also ran out of eligibility as a senior, but he decided to stay at Windsor.
Bobbie Cotten, on the other hand, chose Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. He credits a disciplined year there for helping him ``buckle down.''
``(Hargrave) helped me out a lot athletically and academically,'' said Cotten, who received his high school diploma at Hargrave. ``They teach good study skills and teach you not to be partying when you have to get your work done.
``Football-wise it gave me a lot of experience playing against bigger and faster people and made me ready for college.''
Jones, who now coaches at Franklin High, knew Cotten was ready for college football, but told him he needed to get serious about his grades.
``We felt he could do well and could do a little better than he was, but you can only tell him so much,'' Jones said. ``The rest was up to him. He got the opportunity and ran with it. He started off not listening, but did listen and it's paid off for him.''
Cotten's work in the classroom has given him as much recognition as his football talent. At Hargrave, he earned an award for being the best student in government class and after taking a summer session at N.C. State this year was named the most outstanding student in the program.
``I just have put my mind to it,'' said Cotten, who plans to major in business management. ``I know what I have to do and if I don't do it I won't be here for long. I've gotten a lot of help on the way. That's why I'm here, but at some point you have to do it yourself.''
Cotten did a lot of things himself while playing football at Windsor. In three years with the Dukes he started at linebacker and fullback. Cotten, who was also recruited by Hampton University, rushed for 3,452 yards on 492 carries and scored 59 touchdowns during his career.
``You can never forget the feeling of running the ball and scoring a touchdown,'' said Cotten, who rushed for 180 yards in his first game as a freshman. ``I do miss it a little.''
Said Jones, ``He had moves you just can't coach. We told him his only boundaries were the sidelines and there weren't very many people who could catch him.''
Cotten was moved primarily to linebacker at Hargrave, where he led the team in tackles. That's where O'Cain said Cotten will flourish.
``Gracious yeah,'' O'Cain said when asked if Cotten has a chance to play in the NFL. ``He's not nearly as good as he can be. If he continues to improve and stays healthy, he can play at the next level.''
Cotten said the NFL is possible, but it isn't his top priority.
``To be in the NFL would be a bonus,'' he said. ``My education is what I like the most about being here. Football is just a game I grew up with, and that's how I look at it. I never thought football would take me this far.'' ILLUSTRATION: File photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
When Bobbie Cotten was a Windsor High player, he enjoyed watching
North Carolina State football on television. Now he's part of the
Wolfpack.
by CNB