What’s important to know is that while this is the first season as a sanctioned team, Georgia State football has existed in some capacity for nearly 10 years. Efforts were great in the club football early days and the budget was non-existent. It was tougher to garner coverage as a club team and there were no scholarships to be given. A volunteer coaching staff led players who paid their own way to play.
We had another first in 2009, when Georgia State club football produced its first professional football player. Corey Alberty, a wide receiver who graduated from GSU, by way of Butler High School in Augusta, signed with the Green Bay Blizzard of the Indoor Football League (formerly Arena League 2). Corey was gracious enough to speak with PantherTalk and share his story.
PT: Tell me about your playing background .
CA: I started playing organized football at the age of eight after seeing Jerry Rice play. I told myself then that is what I want to do when I grow up. I was born and raised in Augusta and attended Butler High School. We had NFL players like Carlos Rogers [former 1st round pick out of Auburn and currently the starting CB for the Redskins] play there. In high school, my game was good and it’s funny as my whole life I played receiver until I got to high school. We had a scrimmage and a corner went down with an injury so they put me in and I had a interception on the first play. The coaches move me from WR to CB full time and that made me mad because my heart was at receiver.
PT: Were you recruited at all coming out of high school?
CA: No. I was not. I only played my 9th and 10th grade year and had to stop playing due to family reasons. I feel like if I would have played all four years, my road to the NFL would have been a lot easier. PT: What brought you to Georgia State?
CA: I came to Georgia State because of the film program but a friend of mine told me they had a football team. I said to him, ‘Man, Georgia State does not have a team!' I did some research and reached out to Coach Carl Lawrence, which was the head coach at that time, and I came to Atlanta to meet with him. I saw the campus and he told me about the team and I just knew that I wanted to be a Panther and bleed G-State Blue.
PT: What were your impressions about club football at Georgia State Club Football?
CA: My initial impressions of the Georgia State football team was that I could not believe how much talent this team had. From my first day at practice at Pantherville in 2005 to my last game with my teammates against Clemson in 2007, we really had a lot of players who could have played on Sunday. I believe there were some players that could play at the next level and we had some great coaches in Coach Carl Lawrence and Coach Shambry.
PT: Were you disappointed that there was no NCAA sponsored football when you were on campus? CA: I was very disappointed that there was no sanctioned football at Georgia State, but at the same time I am thankful for the people like Mr. Mark Lawson and Coach Lawrence, who kept the club team up and going so that Georgia State students could have some football to watch.
PT: What was the reaction on campus from students when you played from 2005-2007?
CA: The reaction that I received the most, and if you ask most guys who played they will probably say the same thing, was people saying, ‘I didn’t know we had a football team!.” Once they found out, the students were very supportive and we always said if they made the team [NCAA] sanctioned the student body will support them because they supported us.
PT: Were they ready for an NCAA sponsored team?
CA: Georgia State has been ready for a football team, in my opinion. This team should have been at State [a long time ago]. This is what the school been missing. You have students in the past who wanted to attend Georgia State but decided to go to UGA or Tech because they wanted that football atmosphere on Saturdays. Now those students can attend Georgia State and be proud that we have a great coach who has been there and done that in Bill Curry. Fans should have something to look forward to.
PT: What affect did club football have on your professional career?
CA: Club football had a lot to do with my professional career because I know every time I put on the helmet for a game or practice I represent every person who has played club football around the world. Now coaches and scouts can say, ‘Man, that player has a lot of talent where did he play? Georgia State Club Football.’ The team allowed scouts to change the way they viewed club teams and it gave them a chance to see more talent. I wanted to show coaches that I can play with the players who went to the Maryland’s, to the Michigan’s, to the Georgia Tech’s, etc. I am blessed to be getting paid for playing the game I love, but I did what people thought was the impossible coming out of Georgia State.
PT: Who were some of the teams that were looking at you?
CA: I received letters from the New York Giants. I worked out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars scouts during my college pro day at Morehouse College before the NFL Draft. Who would have ever thought that a player from a Club football team would work out for the NFL and go on to have a professional career playing Arena football? I have done things some D1 players have been able to do.
PT: Tell me about your Arena League career.
CA: I started my Arena League career in 2009. I signed my first contract with the Green Bay Blizzard and after being released I was immediately picked up by the San Angelo Stampede Express in the Indoor Football League. I played the whole 2009 season with them and re-signed the 2010 season and then was traded to the Maryland Maniacs in Week Eight. I’m still currently signed with the Maniacs going into the 2011 season.
PT: Do you wish you had any eligibility left?
CA: Yes, I do because then I could make the Georgia Dome my stage and I could put on a show every Saturday for the world to see. The road would be a lot easier.
PT: What's next for you?
CA: I work and train hard and stay ready for the private workouts for these teams. I have been contacted in recent weeks by the Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger Cats in the Canadian Football League. I have also been contacted by the Omaha Nighthawks in the United Football League and also been contacted by the Kansas City Chiefs.
PT: Do you plan on attending games when they fit into your schedule?
CA: Yes, I do to plan to make a few games this season at the Dome and support the new GSU team.
No comments:
Post a Comment