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Madison
uses the past as boost for future It is one of those days that every TCU football player dreams about. The temperature is in the low 60s, the sun is shining down just hard enough to keep you warm and you are playing one of the most storied football programs in the country — Notre Dame — in South Bend, Ind. With less than five seconds remaining in the game, you take the pitch from the quarterback, cut left through the hole your fullback has made for you and dodge the weakside linebacker. As you break into the open field you can hear the ground-shaking roar from the standing room only crowd. With your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping, you cross the goal line and seal the victory for your team. For redshirt freshman running back Ricky Madison that dream may not be too far away. “Yeah, my perfect game would be just like that,” Madison said. “The only thing is, I would not care if I was making the run or making the block. As long as we won the game and brought the victory home for TCU, I would not care.” Therein lies the essence of Madison. For a running back who has not seen consistent playing time in more than two years, he has confidence in his abilities to dream about the future, yet he is wary of his past. “My mother always told me to not forget where I came from,” he said. “She told me to never forget my roots. My family is important to me, so is my past.” For Madison, the past and present came together Sept. 23 when the Frogs played Arkansas State. That night, Madison scored his first touchdown in a TCU jersey. However, the touchdown came during the same week as the death of his high school football coach, James Jones. “It was a very special moment,” Madison said. “When I scored the touchdown, I said to myself that this was for him. Because he was a coach for so long, he had so many words of wisdom and taught me so much about the fundamentals of football.” Madison and sophomore cornerback Kenneth Hilliard, who was also coached by Jones at Dallas Kimball High School, wore wristbands with the initials J.J. for the rest of the season in his honor. “The pride and the fight that he taught me will always stay with me,” he said. “He always told me that when you get tired, sit down and rest for awhile then get up and fight again. He definitely would be happy with my accomplishments.”
Madison’s love for the game started at 7-years old while he was playing for the Oak Cliff Jets. After scoring two touchdowns in his first game, he knew he was sold on the sport. “My dad and some of the neighbors would get out cones and put them in the front yard,” Madison said. “They would have me do different exercises. For some reason, it just really stuck. I really liked the game.” Over the next eight years, Madison worked on his skills at the junior high and high school level. Many times he helped lead his team to victory, other times he led them to defeat. One thing was for certain, though: Madison was always learning on the football field. Jones not only taught him about the fundamentals of football but also taught him about life, Madison said. “Coach Jones was more like a teacher about life and a father figure to everyone,” Madison said. “The first thing he always said to you was ‘How’s your grades?’ and ‘How’s it going.’ He taught me that football is a business and not to take it too seriously. Instead of focusing on my talent, he knew it was there and didn’t put pressure on me. That’s what I loved about him the most.” But perhaps the most important lesson Madison learned came far away from the green grass of the football fields he grew up playing on. “My mom told me that I can’t do anything without God,” he said. “She also told me to always be humble. I’ve tried to apply these traits throughout my life, and I will try to apply them in the future. I think these two things are probably the most important things anyone has ever told me.” In his senior year of high school, coaches across the nation began calling, and scholarship offers began rolling in. “At first it was a bit overwhelming,” Madison said. “I was not an All-American-type running back. I was more of the all-district-type back. But, by the time I was through with my senior year, I was being recruited by Oklahoma, Memphis, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, TCU, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State.” With less than a month left until national signing day, all signs pointed toward Madison signing with Wisconsin. Badgers coach Barry Alvarez had made an in-home visit, and the thoughts of playing for a team that was out of state and in the Big Ten seemed more and more appealing to Madison. “I really thought I was going to go (to Wisconsin),” he said. “Coach Alvarez flew all the way down from Wisconsin to see me and that meant a lot to me. I wanted to get away from my high school friends and start a new chapter in my life. I was ready to go, but then at the last second, I decided to take a visit to TCU.” After visiting TCU for a weekend, all thoughts of playing for Wisconsin evaporated. “I knew I wanted to go (to TCU),” Madison said. “I knew it was the place for me. There was such a great feeling with all the players. Everyone was so nice, and the coaches treated me very well. “I was also able to stay close to my mom and dad, which was important to me.” Now after two years of limited playing time (Madison redshirted his freshman year and was a back-up this past season), the time has come for Madison to contend for a starting job. But with making the jump comes the pressure of following in the footsteps of two of the top running backs in TCU history. “TCU has had some great running backs the last few years,” Madison said. “Both Basil Mitchell and (LaDainian Tomlinson) were great. L.T. really helped me learn a lot of things about playing this game on and off the field. He always used to talk to me about how all of the running backs at TCU have single digit numbers. My number is 34, so I don’t know what I’m going to do.” After two years of conditioning, Madison can now bench 410 pounds and squat 500 pounds. He has also decreased his time in the 40-yard dash to 4.3 seconds. All very impressive numbers for a running back that stands less than six-feet tall. But the physical statistics did not come without hard work. “When I was a freshman on the scout team, the (coaches) really worked us hard,” Madison said. “There were times when I just felt like quitting, but I’ve never quit anything in my life. I had to realize that the hard work I was putting in was only going to make me better. The hard work has put me in the position I’m in now.” Head football coach Gary Patterson said he believes that Madison’s hard work could allow him to see significant playing time next year. “Ricky is a guy who has really worked hard in our off-season program.” Patterson said. “He has a chance to play a lot next year.” While Madison realizes where he came from, more importantly, he knows where he wants to go. “This summer I plan on working with kids,” Madison said. “I’m going to work at the Boy’s Club and give back to the community. I want to show kids that they can do what I’m doing.” Tightly sandwiched around the time he spends at the Boy’s Club, Madison will be working out and preparing for the 2001 football season. Like the chance to play in a football player’s dream situation, Madison said he is ready to grab the opportunity in front of him.
Chad Carey |
