DATE: Friday, October 3, 1997               TAG: 9710030863

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                        LENGTH:   81 lines

PEGUES TUNED IN AND WAS TURNED ON BY VA. TECH FOOTBALL TAILBACK LIKED WHAT HE SAW ON TV AND TRANSFERRED FROM CLEMSON TO HOKIES.

Were it not for television, tailback Lamont Pegues wouldn't be playing football at Virginia Tech.

A Parade All-American from Thomasville, N.C., Pegues rushed for 6,232 yards at Thomasville High in 1993, the third-most ever by a high school tailback in North Carolina.

He was recruited by most Top 25 programs, including Tech, but narrowed his choices to Clemson and Penn State.

``To be honest, I never thought much about Virginia Tech when I was in high school,'' he said.

He chose Clemson over the Nittany Lions, much to his chagrin after he arrived at the rural South Carolina university. He hated the social life, didn't think much of the football program and thought even less of the town.

Thus, two years ago, as a sophomore preparing to play in the Gator Bowl, Pegues sat on the bed of his Jacksonville, Fla., hotel room, clicking the remote control as he pondered where he was going to transfer.

Then the Sugar Bowl came on TV.

As he watched Virginia Tech beat Texas in the Superdome, he decided Blacksburg was his next destination.

He liked the Hokies' tailback-oriented offense. He liked their exuberant style.

Within a few weeks he had gotten his release from Clemson, contacted Tech and was accepted as a transfer student.

``We don't often get players like Lamont out of North Carolina,'' Tech coach Frank Beamer said. ``They have five Division I-A programs there. We only have two in Virginia, so we have better luck recruiting in-state.

``We were fortunate to get him.''

Pegues, who led Clemson in rushing as a freshman, sat out last season and began this season with junior eligibility.

After a slow start in Tech's first three games (67 yards on 28 carries), he finally displayed All-American form last week against Arkansas State, rushing 14 times for 94 yards.

He received the game ball from his teammates following the 50-0 victory, a gesture that appeared to touch him.

``I never got a game ball,'' he said. ``Not in all the years I've played football. It felt pretty good.''

Pegues' performance didn't earn him a starting spot. That remains the property of senior Ken Oxendine, a Parade All-American himself who is Tech's 10th career rushing leader.

Yet Pegues' arrival prompted a shakeup of the Tech backfield. Shyrone Stith, the Chesapeake native who starred last season as a freshman, is redshirting, at the suggestion of backfield coach Billy Hite, rather than compete with Pegues. Marcus Parker, who rushed for 467 yards last season, moved to fullback to make way for Pegues, who will essentially split time with Oxendine.

At 5-foot-9, 203 pounds with 4.49 speed in the 40, Pegues is a potent combination of speed and power. ``He can run over you and run around you,'' Hite said. ``Every time he's gang tackled by three or four guys, at least one of them is slow to get up. The guy can ring your bells.''

Pegues won't say what went wrong at Clemson. Friends say Pegues, an African-American, didn't like the racial atmosphere there. When asked about why he left Clemson, he said: ``I don't talk about that.''

Nor will he talk about his personal life, though he had a difficult upbringing. He grew up in a poor neighborhood. His brother was killed in a shooting several years ago. His father died a year ago.

``He's had a tough go,'' Hite said. ``But he's a great kid. He's come through it all well. This guy's going to be a success in life.''

Pegues is majoring in criminal justice. He says he hopes for a career in the FBI or CIA. He admits he picked the major because he thought it would be easy, but became intrigued with law enforcement. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of an older brother, who got a criminal justice degree while he was in the Army.

``I might be interested in the Secret Service,'' he said. ``Anything dealing with'' the criminal justice system.

For now, he's just happy to be a Hokie.

``I like my teammates, and the school,'' he said. ``I'm happy here. I'm doing well in school and am going to graduate.''

All because he clicked the remote control. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Lamont Pegues received the game ball from his teammates for his

94-yard rushing effort in last Saturday's 50-0 victory.

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