Heisman Trophy celebration
marred by dad’s absence

by Reginald Rogers
Paraglide




The Heisman Trophy, named after former Brown University college football player and coach John Heisman, is awarded annually by the Heisman Trophy Trust to the most outstanding player in collegiate football, according to Wikipedia.

University of Alabama running back Mark Ingram, Jr. who topped this year’s nominees, which also included Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Stanford tailback Toby Gerhardt, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamakong Suh, to become the country’s 75th winner of the coveted award.

Ingram’s selection also marked the first time a Crimson Tide player has won the Heisman.
Ingram’s stats are impressive. He carried the ball 249 times for a school-record 1,542 yards, while gaining 6.2 yards per carry and scoring 18 touchdowns. In his two-year collegiate career, Ingram has only fumbled the ball twice – once at Louisiana State University in 2008 and again at Tennessee this year.

As impressive as his stats are, what is even more impressive about the young man is the way her handled his acceptance into college football’s most exclusive fraternity – with humility, grace and appreciation.

Ingram thanked first and foremost, God. “I’m so blessed and without Him, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this,” he said. Next he thanked his Family, which included his grandparents who were in attendance at the ceremony. Then, the soft-spoken Mark Ingram, Jr. thanked Mark Ingram, Sr.,“Who’s been a great influence on my life and I love him to death,” he added. Then he thanked the rest of his Family, including his aunts, uncles and sisters. Ingram thanked his college teammates, and said, “This is truly a team award and they’ve had a tremendous amount to do with my success.” He also thanked his college coach, Nick Saban and the entire Alabama coaching staff, faculty, student body and his fellow nominees. That’s the sign of a thankful young man. There are not too many of them left.

Of all the acknowledgements that went out, none stood more noticeable than the mention he gave to his absent father. There’s a story behind that. You see, the elder Ingram was also a football player. In fact, he was one of the starting wide receivers for the New York Giants’ 1987 Super Bowl Championship team. It would be easy to assume that the elder Ingram would have attended the Heisman presentation and any proud father would have. It is also safe to assume that he would have been present to shed some of the same tears that filled his emotional son’s face during his acceptance speech. But the reality of it is that Mark Ingram, Sr. was not at Manhattan, New York’s Downtown Athletic Club. He was actually about 45 minutes away, in the Queens Correctional Facility, awaiting sentencing after being convicted of bank fraud and money laundering. His run-ins with the law are extensive. In 2004, he was sentenced to one year after pleading guilty to stealing a credit card from a Michigan golf course. Ingram also found himself behind bars again in 2007, when he was charged with felony breaking and entering of a building in Grand Blanc Township, Mich., where he reportedly stole a purse containing cash and credit cards.

It’s sad to say, but it sounds like a common story for today’s pro athletes.

I have a son who is a high school athlete and to be quite honest, I can’t fathom the thought of missing his proudest achievements because of my own irresponsibility. I’m sure Mr. Ingram is as proud as I would have been had that been my son on the podium, giving his acceptance speech. But for now, we can only speculate that he was.

I can recall when being an athlete was equivalent to being a superhero. Even after their career was over, Dallas Cowboys running backs Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith still led productive lives.
I really feel bad for young Mark Ingram, who will always have to hold on to the memory that his father was not there for him. I’m sure he is destined for NFL greatness. I’m also sure it would have been nice to have “Pops” there the share the joy of that special moment. Maybe Ingram, Sr. will be lucky. Maybe Mark, Jr. will still be playing professionally when he completes the 10 years that he is facing. Just maybe.