NFL players Kelly, Woodbury, Huntley working toward degrees at Winston-Salem State

By John Dell
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL REPORTER

Stephon Kelly was asked what it's like to be in the real world. Without hesitation he said: "I'm not in the real world, I'm in the NFL."

Kelly, who spent his rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals after an outstanding two-year career at Winston-Salem State, is back in school this semester moving closer to his goal of a college degree.

For NFL players Kelly, Tory Woodbury and Richard Huntley, all former WSSU stars who were in the NFL last season, they know life in the pros will only last a short time.

While some might find it incredible that WSSU, a small Division II school, had four former players in the NFL last season (including Oronde Gadsden), some might consider it even more remarkable that three of them are back in school. Gadsden, who played for the Rams in the early 1990s, graduated in 1995.

"One of the reasons I came back to school was I wanted to finish what I started," said Kelly, a defensive back who transferred from South Carolina State before playing two years for the Rams and compiling 15 interceptions. "Another reason I came back to school was I just would have sat around at home (in Dorchester, S.C.) and this way I can keep going to class and get closer to that degree. Plus, I can work out here and get ready for the next season."

Kelly, 22, who signed a two-year contract with the Bengals after his senior year in 2001, knows all too well that an NFL career doesn't last long. He tore his quad in the third game of the preseason against Indianapolis and was on injured reserve the whole season for the Bengals.

Sitting out last season he was able to get a first-hand look at what type of business the NFL has become. He watched as some of his friends got cut during the preseason and during the regular season.

Getting back on campus, he says, will help him in the future.
"There's a lot going into this," said Kelly, who is taking four classes and has an off-campus apartment. "I will have just a few hours left after this semester and I might be able to finish up at a school in Cincinnati."

Woodbury, who left WSSU after his senior season in 2000 as the school's all-time leading passer, has spent the last two seasons with the New York Jets. Woodbury will enter his last year of a three-year deal this fall, but he is also hitting the books this spring.

Woodbury is a Winston-Salem native who was raised by his grandmother, Doretha.
"Oh yes, it's very important that he get that degree and I tell him that all the time," Doretha said. "And he's been back in school and studying so he's doing OK. We are hoping he'll get that degree because it's something we've talked about ever since he left high school."

When Huntley left school after the 1995 season he was the all-time rushing leader in CIAA history with 6,286 yards, but he fell short in getting his degree. Blount said that Huntley needs only six hours to graduate.

Huntley, 30, has spent the last six seasons bouncing around the NFL having played with four different teams including spending two seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He played just three games with the Detroit Lions this past season and his future in the league is in doubt.

Coach Kermit Blount of the Rams knows that not every athlete he recruits is going to get a degree. He would like that to be the case, but he is a realist.

"It's huge for those guys to come back and try to get their degrees," Blount said. "It tells you about what they are thinking, even with the kind of money they are making in the NFL."

Blount said that Kelly, Woodbury and Huntley now realize what it means to get a college diploma.
"They want to set the right lead for the guys that are here and for them to see that," Blount said. "When you have young athletes here and they see three guys who are in the NFL back in school then that shows them something."

One of Kelly's classes this semester is with Dr. Richard Walker, a professor of psychology. Walker's sensation & perception class is something Kelly needs to fulfill some of his requirements.

Walker, who has taught at WSSU for the last five years, said that Kelly coming back to continue his education makes a bold statement.

"I think what Stephon has done has taken a realistic view of his life," Walker said. "Because what happens is a lot of college kids get to the NFL, but they don't look long term. And what a college degree can do is something that can't be measured."

Walker said that he's gotten to know Kelly pretty well.
"I've had Stephon in three or four of my classes and he's somebody who knows what he wants out of life," Walker said. "So by him getting back here to take classes is something some folks might not do. Sure, there's a lot of money being made by NFL players, but that doesn't always last and Stephon realizes that."

Kelly, who was the CIAA's defensive player of the year in 2001, said that after his senior season many were wondering why he didn't attend classes that spring semester. Instead, he took time out to train for what he thought was his only shot at the NFL.

He wasn't drafted, but was quickly signed by the Bengals as a free agent.
"Some people misunderstand the whole NFL thing because they think you should graduate then go to the league," Kelly said. "But it doesn't work like that for most people. When that senior year comes you better be ready for when that opportunity comes.

"I can always come back to school and that's what I'm doing."
Kelly said that job security in the NFL is something that's very stressful.
"But the money is good," he said about the NFL where the minimum salary for a rookie last season was $250,000. "And if you don't know how to manage it then things can get all out of whack."

Kelly hopes that he can stick with the Bengals this season. Marvin Lewis is the team's new coach and Kelly is optimistic about his future.

"I like it in Cincinnati," he said. "We just have a lot of unknowns right now with all new coaches."
Kelly said he has been frugal with his money and says he has invested a lot of his first-year salary. When his days in the NFL are over he would like to become a guidance counselor and a football coach in high school. But to do that, he'll need a degree.

"That's why I'm here again," he said. "I want that piece of paper."

John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com