Jackie Nealy

Nealy learned early to perfect the fragile art of adjustment.

All these years later, through two different teams and three different coaches, Nealy is one of the best players in Division I-AA college football.

The 6-5, 230-pound senior is a finalist for the Payton Award, the Heisman of the I-AA game.He's been invited to play in the Hula Bowl.

His Texas State University Bobcats (6-2) are ranked 10th in the nation.
...
That's what his family and friends thought they saw when Nealy, now 22, was just a skinny kid in Oak Cliff who would rather throw balls than fiddle with other toys.By the time he was playing Pop Warner football for the Dragons, the adults on his block were pulling him aside, making sure he appreciated what they knew he had.

"They told me all the time: 'You're going to be the one to make it out of here,' " Nealy says in his hushed baritone voice."I never wanted to let them down."

Nealy's mother and grandmother raised him and his younger brother in a wood-frame house with a fenced yard and a hoop outside.The women saw to it that the boys understood how to sit in a church pew and pay mind to a preacher.Nealy hasn't missed a Sunday service since.When Nealy's mother worried about her son's setbacks early in his career, Nealy would ask: "Where's your faith?"

Faith was something Nealy needed, too.He left high school without a championship to join a collegiate program that needed help.

He chose the University of Houston over bigger schools such as Iowa, Illinois and Indiana and Purdue.He earned a spot on the basketball team at Houston and redshirted his freshman year in football.Nealy committed himself to becoming the Cougars' starting quarterback for the 2002 season.

He did just that.He started the first four games of the year, guiding victories over Rice and Louisiana-Lafayette.Then, a minute into the game with the Longhorns in Austin, Nealy darted toward the sideline to avoid a rush.He felt something in his knee snap.

It was his ACL.Nealy was done for the year.

He transferred to Texas State for his sophomore season after the head coach at Houston was fired.In his second season of college football, Nealy was memorizing a playbook for another coach.

"All I wanted to do was get back on the football field," he says.
...
Matsakis installed a pass-dominant offense that allowed Nealy to set school records in completions (240), attempts (473), yards (3,129) and touchdowns (21).
...
Meanwhile, Nealy was preparing to learn another system and meet another coach.

The episode might have destroyed Nealy were it not for a serenity that came from always being pressured and beating it back.Dodging problems?That was nothing new.Nealy's mother and grandmother taught him to ignore the temptations that ruined any hint of possibility for some young people in Oak Cliff.

"In my family, you knew right from wrong," Nealy says."My mom, she carries a swagger herself."

Nealy's mother sustained her household on a jailer's pay.But her job was more than an income to the family.Jackie Nealy told her boys about the broken lives she encountered at the Dallas County Jail."That's no place to be," she warned them.

So Nealy kept a distance from drugs, alcohol and idle time after dark that can lead to bad situations a boy would regret.He studied hard, graduating in the top 10 percent of his class at Adamson, where eight of 10 students live below the poverty line.He also understood his responsibility to Rashad, his younger brother by nine years.

"I guess that's one of the reasons he had to walk that straight path," Jackie Nealy explains."I said, 'You never know what's going to happen to me, and you have a brother.You don't want him to stray.' "

Nealy set his own example and lived by it.When that meant adjusting to a new head coach for his junior year at Texas State, Nealy accepted his fate.

He passed less last season in David Bailiff's balanced offense, but Nealy and his teammates discovered a consistency and security in their new coach, who strove to patch up the wounds left by the year before.Nealy's completion percentage rose 10 points, making him a more efficient passer.The Bobcats went 5-6.But they sensed they were on the rise.

Nealy spent the summer in San Marcos.He and the receivers met most every morning at the stadium to run routes, work on timing and, most important, bond.
...
Nealy was 26-for-41 in a Texas State loss that seemed a lot cozier than the final score of 44-31.He threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns against the Aggies.

On one dazzling play, Nealy rolled left and recognized that his two primary receivers were covered.So he set out on his own.
...
In the span of a year, Nealy has shortened his throwing motion and smartened his steps, becoming a savvy quarterback who stays in the pocket longer and leads an offense ranked 24th of 116 teams in I-AA.He's on a winning team, at last.

Finally, all that scrambling has taken him to a place where the team is succeeding as well as he.

"He's been running for his life since he was a freshman," says Donna Matsumura, Nealy's freshman English teacher and a former coach for the ninth-grade football team at Adamson.
...
Nealy is projected as a late choice in the NFL draft.Eight scouts watched his performance Oct. 22 against No. 22 Northwestern State, a 31-16 Texas State victory in which Nealy rushed for 73 yards and passed for two touchdowns.
...
Asked if Nealy had an NFL career ahead of him, Brandt responds: "Can you tell me how hard he's going to work?"
...
For now, Nealy prefers to think only about the final three games of the season.With a conference championship, the Bobcats can advance to the I-AA playoff that determines the 2005 national champion.

"Until Saturday, the season has been picture-perfect," Nealy says, wincing at the memory of the overtime loss at Nicholls State."Saturday just showed us: We're human."

He stops to consider his teammates, especially the other seniors on the team.Many of them were there for the chaos of 2003 and the shimmering hope of 2004.

"They want the best for me," Nealy says."Now I'm at the point in my life where I'm seeing all those struggles were just building character.My success?

"It's their success."

Nealy learned early to perfect the fragile art of adjustment.

All these years later, through two different teams and three different coaches, Nealy is one of the best players in Division I-AA college football.

The 6-5, 230-pound senior is a finalist for the Payton Award, the Heisman of the I-AA game. He's been invited to play in the Hula Bowl.
...
That's what his family and friends thought they saw when Nealy, now 22, was just a skinny kid in Oak Cliff who would rather throw balls than fiddle with other toys. By the time he was playing Pop Warner football for the Dragons, the adults on his block were pulling him aside, making sure he appreciated what they knew he had.

"They told me all the time: 'You're going to be the one to make it out of here,' " Nealy says in his hushed baritone voice. "I never wanted to let them down."

Nealy's mother and grandmother raised him and his younger brother in a wood-frame house with a fenced yard and a hoop outside. The women saw to it that the boys understood how to sit in a church pew and pay mind to a preacher. Nealy hasn't missed a Sunday service since. When Nealy's mother worried about her son's setbacks early in his career, Nealy would ask: "Where's your faith?"

Faith was something Nealy needed, too. He left high school without a championship to join a collegiate program that needed help.

He chose the University of Houston over bigger schools such as Iowa, Illinois and Indiana and Purdue. He earned a spot on the basketball team at Houston and redshirted his freshman year in football. Nealy committed himself to becoming the Cougars' starting quarterback for the 2002 season.

He did just that. He started the first four games of the year, guiding victories over Rice and Louisiana-Lafayette. Then, a minute into the game with the Longhorns in Austin, Nealy darted toward the sideline to avoid a rush. He felt something in his knee snap.

It was his ACL. Nealy was done for the year.

He transferred to Texas State for his sophomore season after the head coach at Houston was fired. In his second season of college football, Nealy was memorizing a playbook for another coach.

"All I wanted to do was get back on the football field," he says.
...
Matsakis installed a pass-dominant offense that allowed Nealy to set school records in completions (240), attempts (473), yards (3,129) and touchdowns (21).
...
Meanwhile, Nealy was preparing to learn another system and meet another coach.

The episode might have destroyed Nealy were it not for a serenity that came from always being pressured and beating it back. Dodging problems? That was nothing new. Nealy's mother and grandmother taught him to ignore the temptations that ruined any hint of possibility for some young people in Oak Cliff.

"In my family, you knew right from wrong," Nealy says. "My mom, she carries a swagger herself."

Nealy's mother sustained her household on a jailer's pay. But her job was more than an income to the family. Jackie Nealy told her boys about the broken lives she encountered at the Dallas County Jail. "That's no place to be," she warned them.

So Nealy kept a distance from drugs, alcohol and idle time after dark that can lead to bad situations a boy would regret. He studied hard, graduating in the top 10 percent of his class at Adamson, where eight of 10 students live below the poverty line. He also understood his responsibility to Rashad, his younger brother by nine years.

"I guess that's one of the reasons he had to walk that straight path," Jackie Nealy explains. "I said, 'You never know what's going to happen to me, and you have a brother. You don't want him to stray.' "

Nealy set his own example and lived by it. When that meant adjusting to a new head coach for his junior year at Texas State, Nealy accepted his fate.
...
Nealy spent the summer in San Marcos. He and the receivers met most every morning at the stadium to run routes, work on timing and, most important, bond.
...
Nealy was 26-for-41 in a Texas State loss that seemed a lot cozier than the final score of 44-31. He threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns against the Aggies.

On one dazzling play, Nealy rolled left and recognized that his two primary receivers were covered. So he set out on his own.
...
In the span of a year, Nealy has shortened his throwing motion and smartened his steps, becoming a savvy quarterback who stays in the pocket longer and leads an offense ranked 24th of 116 teams in I-AA. He's on a winning team, at last.

Finally, all that scrambling has taken him to a place where the team is succeeding as well as he.
...
Nealy is projected as a late choice in the NFL draft. Eight scouts watched his performance Oct. 22 against No. 22 Northwestern State, a 31-16 Texas State victory in which Nealy rushed for 73 yards and passed for two touchdowns.
...
Asked if Nealy had an NFL career ahead of him, Brandt responds: "Can you tell me how hard he's going to work?"
...
For now, Nealy prefers to think only about the final three games of the season. With a conference championship, the Bobcats can advance to the I-AA playoff that determines the 2005 national champion.

"Until Saturday, the season has been picture-perfect," Nealy says, wincing at the memory of the overtime loss at Nicholls State. "Saturday just showed us: We're human."

He stops to consider his teammates, especially the other seniors on the team. Many of them were there for the chaos of 2003 and the shimmering hope of 2004.

"They want the best for me," Nealy says. "Now I'm at the point in my life where I'm seeing all those struggles were just building character. My success?

Nealy learned early to perfect the fragile art of adjustment.

All these years later, through two different teams and three different coaches, Nealy is one of the best players in Division I-AA college football.

The 6-5, 230-pound senior is a finalist for the Payton Award, the Heisman of the I-AA game. He's been invited to play in the Hula Bowl.

His Texas State University Bobcats (6-2) are ranked 10th in the nation.
...
That's what his family and friends thought they saw when Nealy, now 22, was just a skinny kid in Oak Cliff who would rather throw balls than fiddle with other toys. By the time he was playing Pop Warner football for the Dragons, the adults on his block were pulling him aside, making sure he appreciated what they knew he had.

"They told me all the time: 'You're going to be the one to make it out of here,' " Nealy says in his hushed baritone voice. "I never wanted to let them down."

Nealy's mother and grandmother raised him and his younger brother in a wood-frame house with a fenced yard and a hoop outside. The women saw to it that the boys understood how to sit in a church pew and pay mind to a preacher. Nealy hasn't missed a Sunday service since. When Nealy's mother worried about her son's setbacks early in his career, Nealy would ask: "Where's your faith?"

Faith was something Nealy needed, too. He left high school without a championship to join a collegiate program that needed help.

He chose the University of Houston over bigger schools such as Iowa, Illinois and Indiana and Purdue. He earned a spot on the basketball team at Houston and redshirted his freshman year in football. Nealy committed himself to becoming the Cougars' starting quarterback for the 2002 season.

He did just that. He started the first four games of the year, guiding victories over Rice and Louisiana-Lafayette. Then, a minute into the game with the Longhorns in Austin, Nealy darted toward the sideline to avoid a rush. He felt something in his knee snap.

It was his ACL. Nealy was done for the year.

He transferred to Texas State for his sophomore season after the head coach at Houston was fired. In his second season of college football, Nealy was memorizing a playbook for another coach.

"All I wanted to do was get back on the football field," he says.
...
Matsakis installed a pass-dominant offense that allowed Nealy to set school records in completions (240), attempts (473), yards (3,129) and touchdowns (21).
...
Meanwhile, Nealy was preparing to learn another system and meet another coach.

The episode might have destroyed Nealy were it not for a serenity that came from always being pressured and beating it back. Dodging problems? That was nothing new. Nealy's mother and grandmother taught him to ignore the temptations that ruined any hint of possibility for some young people in Oak Cliff.

"In my family, you knew right from wrong," Nealy says. "My mom, she carries a swagger herself."

Nealy's mother sustained her household on a jailer's pay. But her job was more than an income to the family. Jackie Nealy told her boys about the broken lives she encountered at the Dallas County Jail. "That's no place to be," she warned them.

So Nealy kept a distance from drugs, alcohol and idle time after dark that can lead to bad situations a boy would regret. He studied hard, graduating in the top 10 percent of his class at Adamson, where eight of 10 students live below the poverty line. He also understood his responsibility to Rashad, his younger brother by nine years.

"I guess that's one of the reasons he had to walk that straight path," Jackie Nealy explains. "I said, 'You never know what's going to happen to me, and you have a brother. You don't want him to stray.' "

Nealy set his own example and lived by it. When that meant adjusting to a new head coach for his junior year at Texas State, Nealy accepted his fate.

He passed less last season in David Bailiff's balanced offense, but Nealy and his teammates discovered a consistency and security in their new coach, who strove to patch up the wounds left by the year before. Nealy's completion percentage rose 10 points, making him a more efficient passer. The Bobcats went 5-6. But they sensed they were on the rise.

Nealy spent the summer in San Marcos. He and the receivers met most every morning at the stadium to run routes, work on timing and, most important, bond.
...
Nealy was 26-for-41 in a Texas State loss that seemed a lot cozier than the final score of 44-31. He threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns against the Aggies.

On one dazzling play, Nealy rolled left and recognized that his two primary receivers were covered. So he set out on his own.
...
In the span of a year, Nealy has shortened his throwing motion and smartened his steps, becoming a savvy quarterback who stays in the pocket longer and leads an offense ranked 24th of 116 teams in I-AA. He's on a winning team, at last.

Finally, all that scrambling has taken him to a place where the team is succeeding as well as he.

"He's been running for his life since he was a freshman," says Donna Matsumura, Nealy's freshman English teacher and a former coach for the ninth-grade football team at Adamson.
...
Nealy is projected as a late choice in the NFL draft. Eight scouts watched his performance Oct. 22 against No. 22 Northwestern State, a 31-16 Texas State victory in which Nealy rushed for 73 yards and passed for two touchdowns.
...
Asked if Nealy had an NFL career ahead of him, Brandt responds: "Can you tell me how hard he's going to work?"
...
For now, Nealy prefers to think only about the final three games of the season. With a conference championship, the Bobcats can advance to the I-AA playoff that determines the 2005 national champion.

"Until Saturday, the season has been picture-perfect," Nealy says, wincing at the memory of the overtime loss at Nicholls State. "Saturday just showed us: We're human."

He stops to consider his teammates, especially the other seniors on the team. Many of them were there for the chaos of 2003 and the shimmering hope of 2004.

"They want the best for me," Nealy says. "Now I'm at the point in my life where I'm seeing all those struggles were just building character. My success?

"It's their success."