Up Close With Senior Taco Wallace
Oct 14, 2002 | Football
Oct. 14, 2002
- by Kerri Mueller, Kansas State Sports Information student assistant
Last season, senior wide receiver Taco Wallace saw the field much less than he would have liked, playing in only one game and having two receptions for a total of 17 yards. That wasn't his idea of getting quality playing time. He knows exactly why he didn't have the opportunity to set foot on the turf and he's not about to shift the blame onto anyone else's shoulders.
"I didn't know the plays," Wallace said. "I wasn't ready for big time football. I had to get in the playbook and I wasn't really doing that. It was a shock to my ego."
Wallace didn't take kindly to the fact he wasn't getting the playing time he wanted and even admits to being a "knucklehead." But instead of quitting the team and transferring, he went in search of a playbook and fellow wide receiver James Terry.
"He has been in the playbook everyday since last season asking me questions," Wallace said. "I learned that you have to live in the playbook. I started doing that right after last season. Now I feel like I know at least 85-90 percent of this offense."
Because of Terry's constant inquisition, Wallace's statistics have skyrocketed him on to the NCAA Division I national statistical leader board. His 254 yards puts him at 92nd for total receiving and is currently 76th in receiving yards per game (63.5). And if that isn't enough, he leads the team in receptions with 12 catches, including two touchdowns. He is also averaging 3.0 yards per game in rushing. Wallace and fellow wide receiver Derrick Evans are the only two Wildcats to have at least one catch in all four games this season.
Wallace is eager to divvy up the credit of the increased playing time, as Terry wasn't the only influence in the senior's current starting position; his family has been a major influence in his increased confidence and presence on the field.
"I talked to my family and they told me to do what I had to do," Wallace recalls. "Of course, I listened this time, and look at what the team is doing right now."
Wallace realizes the impact that his family has had goes hand in hand with his ability to succeed as a Wildcat. These achievements have come from two people he considers to be his number one fans; his mother, Lanay, and grandmother, Kathern.
"My mom is a wonderful woman," Wallace said with a smile. "She's the mother of five. There are no words to explain what she has done for me in my life. If it wasn't for my mom or my grandmother, I would probably be in jail right now."
"My grandmother, she's like my best friend," Wallace continues with an even bigger smile. "I believe that she is my number one fan. No one can be better than my mom can or grandmother can. It could be an all Nebraska crowd and just my mother and my grandmother, and if I'm on the field, they will make everyone else believe in me. That's the power that they have."
The overwhelming impression that Wallace's mother and grandmother can have over a crowd carries over to Wallace's need for constant contact with them. The trio speaks to each other at least once a week, if not more. Sometimes it's a call just to say 'hi', other times it's because things are going great and sometimes it's because Wallace is in need of a little pep talk from one of his number one fans.
"He knows that all he has to do is pick-up the phone," Wallace's grandmother Kathern said. "We talk at least once a week and if I haven't heard from him, I pick up the phone and give him a call."
Every major decision Wallace has made has first been cleared through his family, including moving 1,500 miles from home. Most kids in Kansas say they can't wait to get out of here and move somewhere else, like California. But Wallace, from the time he was little, knew that he wanted to get out of California and even considered joining the Army right out of high school.
"They (K-State) called and offered me a scholarship and I asked my mom if she wanted me to stay," Wallace remembers. "I told her I would stay and help her out if she needed it. She wanted me to go out of town like I wanted to do. So, I was like, 'all right then, don't miss me.'"
Although Wallace won't actually admit to missing his family, he did mention he enjoyed his three-and-a-half week trip home this summer, leaving as soon as finals were over. During that time, he enjoyed the relaxation and the full benefits of being at home. He had the opportunity to catch up with friends and have fun with his family.
"I am especially close with my little brother, Jason, who came out here this summer for a week," Wallace said. "He had fun. I got to show him around. That's my best friend right there. If anything happens to him, I don't know what I would do."
Even though they are 1,500 miles apart, Wallace has an impact on the decisions that his younger brother, Jason, has made have been evident.
"This has had a major effect on Jason," Wallace's mother, Lanay said. "He looks up to him. He is following in his footsteps. He wants to do everything that Lawrence did. He's involved in football, basketball and track. Lawrence did all three. Although he doesn't want to go to K-State, he still admires him."
At this point in the game, though, Wallace's thoughts are on his whole family.
"I'm playing for my whole family," Wallace said. "I want to get to the next level to take care of them."
Wallace may have been a "knucklehead" last year when it came to football, but he knows what is most important off the field, his family.
