—
By BEN JOHNSON
Press Sports Editor
If Ben Randle appears to be playing with more conviction in 2010, there's a good reason for that.
During a trip to Canton, Ohio in early August, the Northeastern State wide receiver watched a new class of football players be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, motivating him to return to Tahlequah and work harder than he ever has.
"When I saw him (Ben's uncle, John Randle) put on that jacket, walk (across the stage) and those lights came on, and everybody was like, 'Wow!'" Randle said, "that really made me want to go run and work toward a national championship."
Randle, who missed the first couple of NSU practices to go to the small town in the Buckeye State, was on hand to watch former National Football League greats, Russ Grimm, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith and others, receive their yellow jackets. Along the way, he also crossed paths with other marquee names from the NFL.
"I walked up to Dan Marino," Randle said. "...And I said, 'you're the greatest,' and I walked away."
What about guys like Smith and Rice, did he have anything to say to them?
"To be honest, I was too nervous to introduce myself," said Randle, whose RiverHawks will open the 2010 season Thursday night at Tarleton State.
Even though he didn't talk to Rice, he still picked up some valuable pointers from the NFL's all-time leading receiver's speech.
"He said he was always running from fear of losing," Randle said. "I took a little bit out of it that I shouldn't settle for second place or failure. Always strive for perfection and always win no matter what."
Now, Randle will take what he learned and attempt to translate it into success during his senior year. But he's more worried about team success than he his with personal statistics.
"I try not to set numerical goals any more," said Randle, who caught 19 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns in 2009. "I'll run as many routes as fast as I can, and I'll catch every single ball that comes near me. But I'll do whatever it takes to get the W.
"Because me getting my stats, and us still losing, isn't going to make me happy."
For Randle, college football has been somewhat of a journey.
Out of high school, he went tried his hand at Big 12 football at Baylor. The experience with the Bears was an eye-opener.
"I had a really narrow-minded perspective of college," he said. "...I expected since I was getting a scholarship, they were going to put my in the starting lineup, and I was going to get to do my thing."
However, he quickly saw the light in Waco, Texas.
"I realized the talent level is a lot higher," said Randle, who started nine of 11 games last year. "...And I kind of got lulled into a depression mode, and I just kind of went through the motions. And as the days went on, I realized, 'this just isn't working out.'"
That's when NSU head coach Kenny Evans made a call to the Randle family.
"I really wanted to be a part of it," Randle said of the NSU program. "And it really revitalized me coming here."
As for the numbers that Randle will try to pile up in 2010, Randle has a believer in Evans, who foresees future success -- on the field or off the field -- for Randle.
"The best thing about Ben Randle -- even though his father (Ervin Randle) played in the NFL and his uncle is a Hall of Famer in the NFL -- he's got his degree," said Evans, whose RiverHawks will kick off at 7 p.m. in Stephensville, Texas on Thursday. "He will get a history degree because he's been a very good student, and he knows the importance of that.
"So if another opportunity comes up, it would just be icing on the cake for him."
