SE: Ready for Life – Darren Sproles on His College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement
Jan 22, 2021 | Football, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Darren Sproles remembers the run. Everyone remembers the run.
November 15, 2003, Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Sproles gets a pitch in the read option at the 28-yard line before a Nebraska linebacker named TJ Hollowell tries to arm-tackle him at the 10. This is a very, very bad idea.
One day, Hollowell is going to play in the NFL. Today, Sproles is going to drag him about ten yards across the Memorial Stadium turf, holding onto a fistful of his jersey, into the end zone.
"Before that game, we hadn't won in Nebraska," Sproles said. "We were going to be the ones to end that streak."
His touchdown that afternoon kicked off a 38-9 demolition of No. 18 Nebraska and gave Bill Snyder his first win over the Huskers in Lincoln. A few weeks later, Sproles would help Snyder deliver the first conference title at K-State since 1934, with an upset of No. 1 Oklahoma.
So, 17 years later, when the College Football Hall of Fame had a little trouble delivering the news to Sproles that he would be enshrined in the Class of 2021, they knew exactly who to call.
For the record, none of this was really Sproles' fault.
The College Football Hall of Fame sent a football to his house, honoring him as one of their newest members. Sproles just wasn't home to open the package and find out for himself.
He was out of town with his family, enjoying the sort of thing you miss out on when you have to work on the weekends. Over a 15-year NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles, Sproles has been a busy man.
But the facts are the facts – a package from the College Football Hall of Fame went unopened and the kind of people who are used to hearing back quickly were still waiting for a phone call.
"They kept asking me about the football they sent me. Did I get it?" Sproles said. "I was like 'No, not yet. But when I'm back in town, I'll see it.' And then they said no, let's just do a Zoom call."
That's how he ended up speaking with Snyder, Chris Klieman and Gene Taylor.
And that's when Sproles heard, from Coach Snyder, that he was about to become the sixth Kansas State Wildcat inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
"When he told me, you start thinking back to your time in college and before college, when I had people telling me that I couldn't do something because of my height or my weight," Sproles said. "For me to get in, I hope it tells other players who are short that you can do anything. Just got to put the time and the work in."
In a radio interview after that Zoom call, Snyder said it was about as emotional as he's ever seen his former running back.
For Sproles, that was as much about receiving the honor as the man who delivered the news.
"Bill Snyder, he means the world to me," Sproles said. "If he asked me to do anything, to this day, I would do it."
The journey that Sproles took from Olathe, Kansas to become an All-American at K-State has become something of a local legend. The childhood nickname, Tank, that was perfect for a future running back and the grainy Pee-Wee and high school highlights that look like a video game.
But Sproles was lightly recruited out of high school, with schools scrolling past his eye-popping numbers and fixating on his height: 5-foot-6. He stayed home with K-State.
"Whenever I see somebody out here wearing something that's got Wildcats on it, I'll always speak to them. It's like a whole thing," he said. "It's special. That whole city is like a family, that's just how I explain it."
In four years at K-State, Sproles helped the Wildcats win a Big 12 title in 2003, a season that he ended as college football's rushing champion and finished fifth in Heiman Trophy voting.
Almost two decades after he arrived in Manhattan as a freshman, Sproles feels strongly about everyone from the people – "They've got to be the best fans in college football" – to the classes and professors that helped shape him as a person.
"Kelly Welch, she teaches Human Development," he said. "That's the best class ever."
Another favorite moment? End of the season in 2002, with Sproles chasing the school record for 100-yard games in a season and the Wildcats in command against Nebraska.
"We had an option to the right and I think I went 50-something yards to break the record that day," he said. "That was another moment that I'll always remember."
When his K-State career ended, Sproles' NCAA rushing numbers ranked 11th all-time.
That didn't seem to matter to NFL scouts – they giggled during the NFL Combine and told Sproles that just a few more inches would have made him one of the first picks in the draft.
He skipped the festivities in New York City, shot hoops with his Dad back in Olathe and finally got a phone call from the San Diego Chargers, as the 130th pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Technically, nothing Sproles did after that was on his College Football Hall of Fame resume.
But there are worse ways to measure his impact as an NFL player than the calls and texts that poured in when the National Football Foundation announced his enshrinement this month.
"It's been old coaches, old teammates, even people who worked for the media team, they reached out to me," Sproles said. "When I got to the NFL, the person that really gave me my chance was Norv Turner. To this day, we still talk on the phone."
After 15 seasons, three Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl with the Eagles, Sproles retired after the 2019 season, one of only two running backs from the 2005 Draft still playing in the NFL.
COVID-19 added a hurdle to life away from the game, but like every chapter in his football life, Sproles hasn't needed much time to get comfortable. He joined the Football Operations department in Philadelphia as a Personnel Consultant, calling Los Angeles home while scouting for the Eagles.
His first year away from football included a little golf, some home renovations and a reminder that even college football's most prestigious honor can only get you so much Dad cred.
"My kids really don't understand it yet, but I think once they get a little bit older, then they're going to realize," Sproles said. "I mean, it's hard to get into a Hall of Fame."
Sproles has also had time to watch some K-State football and a season when the Wildcats discovered potentially their next great running back, another player whose size is anything but an issue.
For all the moments when Deuce Vaughn has reminded fans of, it can officially be said, a College Football Hall of Famer, that's not what impresses Sproles the most.
"He has great vision and balance," Sproles said. "But I also love, when I ask the coaches about him, they always say that he's a great person. That's what I really love."
It's an assessment that would make his college coach proud, and not least because Snyder and Sproles are now linked in more ways than one.
They're the last two Wildcats to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
"What he has done for Kansas State, to turn this whole program around into winners, for me to be in the same club as him, it means a lot," Sproles said. "When you go through that program, it gets you ready for life. I really feel like without that program, I wouldn't be the person I am today."
Darren Sproles remembers the run. Everyone remembers the run.
November 15, 2003, Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Sproles gets a pitch in the read option at the 28-yard line before a Nebraska linebacker named TJ Hollowell tries to arm-tackle him at the 10. This is a very, very bad idea.
One day, Hollowell is going to play in the NFL. Today, Sproles is going to drag him about ten yards across the Memorial Stadium turf, holding onto a fistful of his jersey, into the end zone.
"Before that game, we hadn't won in Nebraska," Sproles said. "We were going to be the ones to end that streak."
His touchdown that afternoon kicked off a 38-9 demolition of No. 18 Nebraska and gave Bill Snyder his first win over the Huskers in Lincoln. A few weeks later, Sproles would help Snyder deliver the first conference title at K-State since 1934, with an upset of No. 1 Oklahoma.
So, 17 years later, when the College Football Hall of Fame had a little trouble delivering the news to Sproles that he would be enshrined in the Class of 2021, they knew exactly who to call.
For the record, none of this was really Sproles' fault.
The College Football Hall of Fame sent a football to his house, honoring him as one of their newest members. Sproles just wasn't home to open the package and find out for himself.
He was out of town with his family, enjoying the sort of thing you miss out on when you have to work on the weekends. Over a 15-year NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles, Sproles has been a busy man.
But the facts are the facts – a package from the College Football Hall of Fame went unopened and the kind of people who are used to hearing back quickly were still waiting for a phone call.
"They kept asking me about the football they sent me. Did I get it?" Sproles said. "I was like 'No, not yet. But when I'm back in town, I'll see it.' And then they said no, let's just do a Zoom call."
That's how he ended up speaking with Snyder, Chris Klieman and Gene Taylor.
And that's when Sproles heard, from Coach Snyder, that he was about to become the sixth Kansas State Wildcat inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
"When he told me, you start thinking back to your time in college and before college, when I had people telling me that I couldn't do something because of my height or my weight," Sproles said. "For me to get in, I hope it tells other players who are short that you can do anything. Just got to put the time and the work in."
In a radio interview after that Zoom call, Snyder said it was about as emotional as he's ever seen his former running back.
For Sproles, that was as much about receiving the honor as the man who delivered the news.
"Bill Snyder, he means the world to me," Sproles said. "If he asked me to do anything, to this day, I would do it."
The journey that Sproles took from Olathe, Kansas to become an All-American at K-State has become something of a local legend. The childhood nickname, Tank, that was perfect for a future running back and the grainy Pee-Wee and high school highlights that look like a video game.
But Sproles was lightly recruited out of high school, with schools scrolling past his eye-popping numbers and fixating on his height: 5-foot-6. He stayed home with K-State.
"Whenever I see somebody out here wearing something that's got Wildcats on it, I'll always speak to them. It's like a whole thing," he said. "It's special. That whole city is like a family, that's just how I explain it."
In four years at K-State, Sproles helped the Wildcats win a Big 12 title in 2003, a season that he ended as college football's rushing champion and finished fifth in Heiman Trophy voting.
Almost two decades after he arrived in Manhattan as a freshman, Sproles feels strongly about everyone from the people – "They've got to be the best fans in college football" – to the classes and professors that helped shape him as a person.
"Kelly Welch, she teaches Human Development," he said. "That's the best class ever."
Another favorite moment? End of the season in 2002, with Sproles chasing the school record for 100-yard games in a season and the Wildcats in command against Nebraska.
"We had an option to the right and I think I went 50-something yards to break the record that day," he said. "That was another moment that I'll always remember."
When his K-State career ended, Sproles' NCAA rushing numbers ranked 11th all-time.
That didn't seem to matter to NFL scouts – they giggled during the NFL Combine and told Sproles that just a few more inches would have made him one of the first picks in the draft.
He skipped the festivities in New York City, shot hoops with his Dad back in Olathe and finally got a phone call from the San Diego Chargers, as the 130th pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Technically, nothing Sproles did after that was on his College Football Hall of Fame resume.
But there are worse ways to measure his impact as an NFL player than the calls and texts that poured in when the National Football Foundation announced his enshrinement this month.
"It's been old coaches, old teammates, even people who worked for the media team, they reached out to me," Sproles said. "When I got to the NFL, the person that really gave me my chance was Norv Turner. To this day, we still talk on the phone."
After 15 seasons, three Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl with the Eagles, Sproles retired after the 2019 season, one of only two running backs from the 2005 Draft still playing in the NFL.
COVID-19 added a hurdle to life away from the game, but like every chapter in his football life, Sproles hasn't needed much time to get comfortable. He joined the Football Operations department in Philadelphia as a Personnel Consultant, calling Los Angeles home while scouting for the Eagles.
His first year away from football included a little golf, some home renovations and a reminder that even college football's most prestigious honor can only get you so much Dad cred.
"My kids really don't understand it yet, but I think once they get a little bit older, then they're going to realize," Sproles said. "I mean, it's hard to get into a Hall of Fame."
Sproles has also had time to watch some K-State football and a season when the Wildcats discovered potentially their next great running back, another player whose size is anything but an issue.
For all the moments when Deuce Vaughn has reminded fans of, it can officially be said, a College Football Hall of Famer, that's not what impresses Sproles the most.
"He has great vision and balance," Sproles said. "But I also love, when I ask the coaches about him, they always say that he's a great person. That's what I really love."
It's an assessment that would make his college coach proud, and not least because Snyder and Sproles are now linked in more ways than one.
They're the last two Wildcats to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
"What he has done for Kansas State, to turn this whole program around into winners, for me to be in the same club as him, it means a lot," Sproles said. "When you go through that program, it gets you ready for life. I really feel like without that program, I wouldn't be the person I am today."
Players Mentioned
RB
/ FootballK-State Rowing | Media Day
Tuesday, February 24
K-State Rowing | Weights Practice
Tuesday, February 24
K-State Tennis | Weekend Recap vs Old Dominion & Minnesota
Tuesday, February 24
K-State Track and Field | Sights & Sounds Steve Miller Invitational
Monday, February 23
