THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 22, 1996 TAG: 9604220138
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
Local college football success on the field translated to off-the-field rewards on Sunday.
Norfolk State teammates Kenny McDaniel and James Roe, along with Hampton University's Hugh Hunter, were taken in the second day of the NFL draft.
McDaniel, an offensive tackle, was taken by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round as the 157th overall pick. Hunter, a defensive end and graduate of Wilson High School, and Roe, a wide receiver, were each taken in the sixth round.
Hunter, the 168th overall selection, was taken by the New York Jets while Roe was taken by the Baltimore Ravens with the the 186th overall pick.
McDaniel was surprised with his selection.
``I kept thinking I was going to go to a team on the East Coast,'' McDaniel said from a friend's house Sunday afternoon.
McDaniel got the word from Cowboy offensive line coach Hudson Houck.
``Of all the teams in the NFL, I think they will give me a better chance because they have a history of getting linemen from smaller schools,'' McDaniel said, excited but low-key about the news.
Of the Cowboys' starting offensive line - Larry Allen, Derek Kennard, Nate Newton, Mark Tuinei and Erik Williams - only Tuinei went to a Division I-A school. Newton and Kennard, who played in the United States Football League, and Tuinei were not drafted.
McDaniel, a 327-pound tackle, earned All-CIAA honors last season. But McDaniel knows he still has a lot to prove.
``I have to get out there and put on a helmet first,'' McDaniel said. ``... My basic thing is I am ready to play and I want to contribute.''
Also hoping to make an NFL contribution is teammate Roe.
Expected to be the first Norfolk State player selected, the wide receiver had to wait a while before receiving his call from Baltimore.
Roe, who went to Atlantic City for the weekend, could not be reached by telephone on Sunday.
Roe, last year's recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award as the nation's best player at an historically black school, set Division II records for consecutive games with a touchdown (15); career games with a touchdown (26); and career yards (4,468).
The Ravens, formerly the Cleveland Browns, were sixth in the AFC in receiving yards and 11th in total offense last year.
Hunter, a 256-pound lineman, was a finalist for the Robinson at his position. He also could not be reached for comment.
Aaron Sparrow, Norfolk State's quarterback and Hunter's high school teammate, was not drafted.
``That's life,'' Sparrow said. ``Sometimes you have things that don't work out the way you want to.
``Now I know how Charlie Ward and Warren Moon felt.''
Sparrow hopes to sign with an NFL team as a free agent.
``My career is not over,'' Sparrow said.
A two-time CIAA offensive player of the year, Sparrow passed for 3,434 yards last season.
In addition to Roe and McDaniel, two other CIAA players were drafted Sunday.
Winston-Salem State running back Richard Huntley was taken in the fourth round by the Atlanta Falcons as the 117th pick overall. Defensive end Kelvin Kinney of Virginia State was taken in the sixth round by the Washington Redskins as the 174th overall selection. ILLUSTRATION: Color file photo\ The Virginian-Pilot
James Roe set Division II records for consecutive games with a
touchdown (15); career games with a touchdown (26); and career yards
(4,468).
Photos
Kenneth McDaniel
Hugh Hunter
James Roe
by CNB