"Tell them … tell the team to bear down"

Adams makes a case for himself to be in the UA’s Hall of Fame

This is a continuation of WILDABOUTAZCATS.com’s countdown to Arizona’s football season-opener vs. Central Michigan at Arizona Stadium on Sept. 5. We are showcasing the best player with that uniform number in UA football history.

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT:
>>Arizona football All-Decade team (offense) (WILDABOUTAZCATS.com)
>>Arizona football All-Decade team (defense) (WILDABOUTAZCATS.com)
>>A look at the units (WildcatSportsReport.com)

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By Javier Morales Running back, David Adams (1984-86). Nobody from Tucson has gained more yards rushing at Arizona than Sunnyside High School product David Adams. His total number of games missed because of injury in his career at the UA: One, at Stanford in 1985. He was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection in 1986 when he rushed for a career-best 1,175 yards (which also topped all Pac-10 rushers that season). He is one of only seven UA running backs to gain at least 2,500 career yards. Adams did all of this, and more, at 5-foot-6-inches and 170 pounds.

Because of his diminutive size, Adams overcame obstacles in his career well before he avoided tacklers at Arizona. Now he faces a tall order, one that’s dogged him since he played his last game as a Wildcat 23 years ago — getting inducted in the UA Sports Hall of Fame.

“If someone were to ask me when I finished my career at Arizona if I had the credentials to be in the (school’s) Hall of Fame, I’d have said, ‘Yes, my credentials speak for themselves,’” Adams told me Tuesday night. “I led the Pac-10 in rushing. I was an All-Pac-10 player and honorable mention All-American. On top of all that, I was a home-grown kid.

“I was very consistent. My teammates could count on me to not miss any games. I was always ready to play. The sad thing is they might be waiting for me to die before I get in (the Hall of Fame). That’s when it might happen.”

Adams, 45, is alive and well in his native Tucson. Along with business partner and former Sunnyside teammate Murphy Kittrell, Adams runs his own residential and commercial real estate development company called A & K Ventures. When he is not working on projects and sales deals, he is at a local high school football field talking to the young players about his experiences. He said he also works out every morning at the UA and communicates with some of the current coaches and players.

Communicating is not one of Adams’ weaknesses. In fact, it is difficult to dissect Adams for any shortcomings (no pun intended). In addition to his omittance from the UA Hall of Fame, Adams is also quizzical as to why he has rarely been approached for a radio or television broadcasting position for Arizona games.

“I’ve always been interested in broadcasting, and I have asked Dave Sitton to keep me in mind,” said Adams, who offered postgame commentary with former Tucson radio personality Mike Gabrielson in the 1990s. “I have experience and I am knowledgeable. The guys they got now (on TV) are UA guys: Glenn Howell on the sidelines and John Fina in the box. Why not me?”

Perhaps the pre-game and post-game analyst?

“Sure, why not?” Adams said. “I’ve had no such luck with that and I don’t know why. I’ve also had no such luck with (Arizona athletic director) Jim Livengood when I ask him about the Hall of Fame.

“I’ve asked him what the criteria is to get in there and I never got a straight answer. When you think of it, I was the first back from Tucson to lead the conference in rushing. Something has to be said about people from Tucson being a good example for others.”

Of the seven leading rushers in UA history, only two — Art Luppino and Hubert Oliver — are in the Hall of Fame. The school’s two most prolific rushers — Trung Canidate and Ontiwaun Carter — have yet to be selected as well.

So the wait might be an extended one for Adams. Carter, by the way, was also a dimunitive scatback who wore No. 2. We went with Adams as the UA’s best No. 2 because of his flair for the big play, durability and impact on his teammates and others.

Here is more of my Q&A with Adams:

WILDABOUTAZCATS.com: What’s the biggest difference between now and when you played at Arizona?
ADAMS: For me, the biggest difference is there is so much grandstanding going on now. I mean, if you get a sack, you have to dance for like 10 minutes? If you score a touchdown you must go give high-fives to everybody in the stands nowadays. Some of these guys must spend 15 minutes every day coming up with a new dance.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.com: What was the biggest misnomer about your size?
ADAMS: A lot of people thought that since I was a smaller person that I should expect to be hurt all the time. I guess if you are a big back you shouldn’t expect to be injured? I played with a lot of bumps and bruises. I had 600 carries in my career, including 238 one season (1985). I played hurt because I wanted to be in there for every play. But now I see guys out there leave the field when they suffer a minor injury. They lay on the ground and roll around when they get hurt and then you see them come back two plays later? That’s becoming very common in all levels of football today, unfortunately.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.com: What was it like for the opposition to try to locate you and make the tackle?
ADAMS: The thing about it is defensive people always want to make the kill. You could tell by the look on their face that they could not make the kill with me. They were extremely frustrated. They never could get that monster shot on me and that bothered them.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.com: What rushing play do you remember the most at Arizona?
ADAMS: (His zig-zag run after a screen pass for touchdown against ASU in 1986) is the one that gets played the most. I like to remember those 5- to 10-yard gains when we needed the yards to keep the drive alive. I remember against Georgia (in the 1985 Sun Bowl) we had a 4th-and-2 and we were tied at 13. I made a nice gain of 25 yards. I liked those pressure runs. That run set up a field goal to win the game but Max (Zendejas) missed it somehow.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.com: Do any of the current Hall of Fame selections surprise you?
ADAMS: I am not against anyone making it in. I’m glad they got in. But I look at Kenny Lofton in the Hall of Fame and wonder how he got in as a basketball player. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he’s there, but was he an All-American in basketball? No. He was put in the Hall of Fame for what he did after he left Arizona as a big-league baseball player. It should be an award for what you did at Arizona. the same goes for Michael Bates. He’s in the Hall of Fame as a football player. He did not have a Hall of Fame career as a football player. Maybe as a track athlete he did, but not in football. One more thing, and I’m not boo-hooing them for getting in, but how can a whole team like the softball team make the Hall of Fame? I mean, do Super Bowl championship teams get selected to the football Hall of Fame because they won a championship? All I am saying is I don’t know the criteria for getting in. There’s no bitterness here at all. I’m just asking the question and I haven’t got a clear answer.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.com: Why is getting in the Hall of Fame so important to you?
ADAMS: It’s not as important to me personally as it is to being a non-perfect looking athlete who made it big. Athletes like myself, Mugsy Bogues and Spud Webb are not prototypical athletes. It’s important to get an honor like the Hall of Fame to show kids you don’t have to be 6-foot-2 to get ahead. It’s important for my stepson, so he can say, “I see what you’re saying, you’re a Hall of Famer.” The same goes for all these kids I talk to at the schools. I’d like them know that what I tell them is coming from a Hall of Famer.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.com: What kids do you talk to after school?
ADAMS: I’ve been to the practices at Santa Rita, Salpointe, Sahuaro and Sunnyside. It’s my way of giving back and being a positive influence. I don’t get paid for doing it. If they offered money, I would not take it. When I talk about role modeling, I look at it this way: Anybody can give money. The most precious gift is your time. I can pay $1,000 and get another $1,000 again someday. You can never take back time. You can’t get that hour back. Time is so valuable and I don’t mind giving my time to these kids.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.com: How is your realty development business going?
ADAMS: We’ve been in operation since 2000. We were going strong for the first seven years. The last couple of years have been tough because of the economy. The biggest thing is I’m in business with someone (Kittrell) who is like my brother. When you are in a business where you love working with that person and they love working with you, it makes for only good things to happen. I love putting deals together. We’re currently trying to pick up some small hotels, with 80-100 units, and get some cash flow going.

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ARIZONA’S CURRENT NO. 2: Keola Antolin, Soph., RB, 5-8, 185, Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman HS. Burst on the scene as a true freshman, with 525 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Scores were a freshman school record. Also factored in the kicking game with 15 kickoff returns for 21.5 average and a pair of punt take-backs. Two-time Pac-10 Player of the Week honors with 149 rushing yards and three TDs against Cal for Offensive nod and Special Teams citation after three KOR for 98 markers against Toledo. Tied school rushing record with four TDs at Oregon (2 totes, 87 yards), also a freshman record. Earned coaches’ award for offensive player of the week against OSU. Information provided by the UA Sports Information Department. Mike Turner, a junior cornerback suspended from the team last season for undisclosed reasons, is vying for a starting spot. He also wears No. 2.

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CENTRAL MICHIGAN REPORTS

>>CMU BLOG UPDATES (Sun Sports Blog)
>>CMU returns experienced secondary in 2009 (Mount Pleasant, MI, Morning Sun)
>>Central Michigan Chippewas 2009 College Football Predictions, Picks & Odds (sports-odds.com)
>>CMU hoping for a balanced offensive attack (Morning Sun)
>>Chippewas hungry to win third Mid-American Conference championship in four seasons (Morning Sun)
>>Linebackers lead veteran CMU defensive cast into 2009 (Morning Sun)
>>Chippewas show off new look during media day (Morning Sun)

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NOTE: WILDABOUTAZCATS.COM will run a similar countdown toward Sean Miller’s inaugural season opener, starting when the season tip-off is 55 days away. The season-opener is Sun., Nov. 15, against Northern Arizona at McKale Center, which is 76 days away.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 at 10:50 PM and is filed under UA football countdown 2009. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.