Jimmy Chitwood
Hall of Famer
<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Furr is Murder(ed)<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">If speed kills, then Hunter Furr is the type of assassin that every football coach says he wants. So why is his college career dying on the sideline?[/I]
By Jimmy Chitwood
You don't know him. You've never heard him talked about on ESPN. You've never seen his highlights on Sportscenter. But Hunter Furr might be the most athletic college football player in the country.
A true freshman tailback at the University of North Carolina, Furr embodies possibly the best combination of size and speed in all of college football. At 6-feet, 205-pounds, Furr has ideal size for the tailback position. And with his 10.4 speed in the 100-meters, he possesses the kind of breakaway speed football coaches covet "¦ at least, so they claim.
So, I am puzzled at the lack of opportunities that Furr received this season. You see, Furr wasn't redshirted this year as many true freshmen are. Instead, the "brain trust"Â that is the UNC coaching staff blew an entire year of Furr's eligibility. The result? They wasted their best athlete covering kickoffs and carrying the ball a grand total of 3 times.
But first things first. Why am I so certain of the talent in such a little-used freshman? Who is Hunter Furr?
On the gridiron, the lightly-recruited Hunter Furr ran for over 6,000 yards and 94 touchdowns in his high school career before committing to in-state North Carolina. On the track, Furr won the Nike Outdoor National Championship in the 100 meters as a senior, and he was the North Carolina State Champion in the 100 meters (3 times), 200 meters (3 times), and long jump (once).
As a senior in high school, he won the 100- and 200-meter sprints and anchored a 4x100 team that also won a state championship on the way to winning the MVP award at the NCHSAA Class 4-A track-and-field championships. This, despite carrying 15 extra pounds (approximately 220) since the end of football season. He won the 100 and 200 at the NCISAA's Class 3-A championships as a freshman and sophomore. As a junior in Class 4-A, he was a favorite to win the 100 (but false-started) and placed second in the 200.
Wait a second. What was that about putting on extra weight?
That's a good question.
The answer is: Furr was intentionally gaining weight because UNC head coach Butch Davis had told him to bulk up to 235-pounds in order to play "¦ wait for it "¦ fullback.
That's right. Davis wanted the best athlete on the entire campus to bulk up so he could be a blocker.
Wait another second. The best athlete on campus? Really?
Yes, really.
And he has the track numbers to back it up.
According to the UNC athletic website, Edward Baldwin III, had the 3 fastest 100-meter times of the year this past season for the Tarheels' track team "¦ the fastest of which (10.96 at the ACC Championship meet) is over a half-second slower than Furr's personal record of 10.43.
In fact, the fastest personal record listed for any of UNC's sprinters in the 100 meters (Kelvin Hardy's 10.45) is slower than Furr's.
The same goes for the 200 meters, where sprinter Charles Cox had the 4 fastest 200-meter times. And again his best time was slower than Furr's personal best (21.36 compared to 21.21).
So, the moment he stepped foot on campus as a true freshman, Hunter Furr was the fastest Tarheel at UNC, despite being much, much bigger than the other contenders.
But then things quickly went off track for the track star back in August. Furr, who was fighting for a spot at tailback, was sucker punched in the face in a dorm room by "¦ according to the head coach "¦ Furr's "friend" and "teammate" Donte Paige-Moss.
Of course, Davis stood by the 6-4, 235-pound ghetto thug d-lineman, saying that Paige-Moss was a "great kid"Â and that his attack "shouldn't reflect on the type of person he really is."Â After the arrest, charges were dropped, and "punishment was handled inside the program."Â You can make up your own mind as to whether all that adds up or not.
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">([/I]<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">In related news, I'm sure it's coincidental that Paige-Moss is suspended for the Tarheels' bowl game for "¦ get this "¦ fighting with an N.C. State player after UNC lost to their rival. Sounds like a great kid. And he learned his lesson, too. Really. No, really he did![/I]
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">"He was very apologetic," Davis said after this latest violent outburst. "He understood. We've got a great relationship with the kids. They know that there's high expectations for their actions. He's a young freshman. Sometimes he hasn't had the opportunity to be in a position to be put in that kind of situation. Everything is a teachable moment, and that's what we'll use that as."[/I]
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Davis must've forgotten about the earlier "incident"Â that apparently wasn't a teachable moment.[/I]
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">I also wonder if Davis' statements have anything to do with Paige-Moss being a "phenomenal"Â afflete. He was rated the No. 8 overall recruit in the nation last season, named a Super-Prep and Parade All-American, as well as being touted as the No. 1 defensive end in the country by Scout.com. Oh, and despite being in the defensive line rotation all season, he has a "whopping"Â 5 total tackles. What a "playmaker!"Â Those recruiting "experts"Â are never wrong. And he's such a great person, too! [/I]
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Again, you can add this all up for yourself and come to your own conclusions.[/I]<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">)[/I]<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">[/I]
Meanwhile, back on the football field, Furr and his killer speed were buried on the depth chart "¦ buried under lesser talents, in fact.
The results speak for themselves.
On the year, UNC had 10 total runs of 20-plus yards, but 6 of them came from wide receivers. On the year, 9 players had more carries than Furr, including 3 wide receivers. It's likely none of these players could outrun Hunter Furr in a footrace if he was running backwards. Yet "somehow"Â they were all talented enough to deserve more opportunities ...
The two main feature backs, Ryan Houston and Shaun Draughn, carried the ball 291 times this season. They produced a total of 4 20-plus yard runs while averaging 4.1 yards-per-carry. Not exactly gamebreaking stuff, here.
Houston, who the UNC football site claims "has worked hard to become quicker and faster since enrolling as a freshman," carried the ball 167 times this season, and his longest run was a whopping 20 yards "¦ against the lowly Citadel. Draughn carried the ball 124 times and managed a whopping grand total of three carries of 20 yards or more. Barely. He had a 20-yard run, a 26-yard run, and a team-high-for-the-year 44-yard dash.
And it's not like these guys earned their spot by their performance in high school. Furr put up better numbers against better competition even then. Not to mention the speed factor "¦ where Furr would skin them alive.
So that leads me to my biggest question. Is racism involved?
You see, the best athlete on campus is a White tailback.
Of course, not everyone believes that. The tailback part, I mean.
Butch Davis certainly didn't. He wanted Furr to be a fullback. The "experts"Â at Scout.com thought he should be a safety. Rivals.com didn't know where to put him, but they only rated him as a two-star athlete.
It makes you wonder what it takes for a White athlete to have "talent"Â according to these guys. Doesn't it?
If an incredibly productive tailback, with ideal size, who happens to be one of the fastest sprinters in the nation isn't considered to be good enough, then why are these slower, smaller, less productive "talents"Â more highly touted? Is it because the fast kid is White and the others are black?
Nah "¦ that would be racist. Wouldn't it?
fficeffice" />[/B]<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">If speed kills, then Hunter Furr is the type of assassin that every football coach says he wants. So why is his college career dying on the sideline?[/I]
By Jimmy Chitwood
You don't know him. You've never heard him talked about on ESPN. You've never seen his highlights on Sportscenter. But Hunter Furr might be the most athletic college football player in the country.
A true freshman tailback at the University of North Carolina, Furr embodies possibly the best combination of size and speed in all of college football. At 6-feet, 205-pounds, Furr has ideal size for the tailback position. And with his 10.4 speed in the 100-meters, he possesses the kind of breakaway speed football coaches covet "¦ at least, so they claim.
So, I am puzzled at the lack of opportunities that Furr received this season. You see, Furr wasn't redshirted this year as many true freshmen are. Instead, the "brain trust"Â that is the UNC coaching staff blew an entire year of Furr's eligibility. The result? They wasted their best athlete covering kickoffs and carrying the ball a grand total of 3 times.
But first things first. Why am I so certain of the talent in such a little-used freshman? Who is Hunter Furr?
On the gridiron, the lightly-recruited Hunter Furr ran for over 6,000 yards and 94 touchdowns in his high school career before committing to in-state North Carolina. On the track, Furr won the Nike Outdoor National Championship in the 100 meters as a senior, and he was the North Carolina State Champion in the 100 meters (3 times), 200 meters (3 times), and long jump (once).
As a senior in high school, he won the 100- and 200-meter sprints and anchored a 4x100 team that also won a state championship on the way to winning the MVP award at the NCHSAA Class 4-A track-and-field championships. This, despite carrying 15 extra pounds (approximately 220) since the end of football season. He won the 100 and 200 at the NCISAA's Class 3-A championships as a freshman and sophomore. As a junior in Class 4-A, he was a favorite to win the 100 (but false-started) and placed second in the 200.
Wait a second. What was that about putting on extra weight?
That's a good question.
The answer is: Furr was intentionally gaining weight because UNC head coach Butch Davis had told him to bulk up to 235-pounds in order to play "¦ wait for it "¦ fullback.
That's right. Davis wanted the best athlete on the entire campus to bulk up so he could be a blocker.
Wait another second. The best athlete on campus? Really?
Yes, really.
And he has the track numbers to back it up.
According to the UNC athletic website, Edward Baldwin III, had the 3 fastest 100-meter times of the year this past season for the Tarheels' track team "¦ the fastest of which (10.96 at the ACC Championship meet) is over a half-second slower than Furr's personal record of 10.43.
In fact, the fastest personal record listed for any of UNC's sprinters in the 100 meters (Kelvin Hardy's 10.45) is slower than Furr's.
The same goes for the 200 meters, where sprinter Charles Cox had the 4 fastest 200-meter times. And again his best time was slower than Furr's personal best (21.36 compared to 21.21).
So, the moment he stepped foot on campus as a true freshman, Hunter Furr was the fastest Tarheel at UNC, despite being much, much bigger than the other contenders.
But then things quickly went off track for the track star back in August. Furr, who was fighting for a spot at tailback, was sucker punched in the face in a dorm room by "¦ according to the head coach "¦ Furr's "friend" and "teammate" Donte Paige-Moss.
Of course, Davis stood by the 6-4, 235-pound ghetto thug d-lineman, saying that Paige-Moss was a "great kid"Â and that his attack "shouldn't reflect on the type of person he really is."Â After the arrest, charges were dropped, and "punishment was handled inside the program."Â You can make up your own mind as to whether all that adds up or not.
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">([/I]<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">In related news, I'm sure it's coincidental that Paige-Moss is suspended for the Tarheels' bowl game for "¦ get this "¦ fighting with an N.C. State player after UNC lost to their rival. Sounds like a great kid. And he learned his lesson, too. Really. No, really he did![/I]
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">"He was very apologetic," Davis said after this latest violent outburst. "He understood. We've got a great relationship with the kids. They know that there's high expectations for their actions. He's a young freshman. Sometimes he hasn't had the opportunity to be in a position to be put in that kind of situation. Everything is a teachable moment, and that's what we'll use that as."[/I]
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Davis must've forgotten about the earlier "incident"Â that apparently wasn't a teachable moment.[/I]
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">I also wonder if Davis' statements have anything to do with Paige-Moss being a "phenomenal"Â afflete. He was rated the No. 8 overall recruit in the nation last season, named a Super-Prep and Parade All-American, as well as being touted as the No. 1 defensive end in the country by Scout.com. Oh, and despite being in the defensive line rotation all season, he has a "whopping"Â 5 total tackles. What a "playmaker!"Â Those recruiting "experts"Â are never wrong. And he's such a great person, too! [/I]
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Again, you can add this all up for yourself and come to your own conclusions.[/I]<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">)[/I]<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">[/I]
Meanwhile, back on the football field, Furr and his killer speed were buried on the depth chart "¦ buried under lesser talents, in fact.
The results speak for themselves.
On the year, UNC had 10 total runs of 20-plus yards, but 6 of them came from wide receivers. On the year, 9 players had more carries than Furr, including 3 wide receivers. It's likely none of these players could outrun Hunter Furr in a footrace if he was running backwards. Yet "somehow"Â they were all talented enough to deserve more opportunities ...
The two main feature backs, Ryan Houston and Shaun Draughn, carried the ball 291 times this season. They produced a total of 4 20-plus yard runs while averaging 4.1 yards-per-carry. Not exactly gamebreaking stuff, here.
Houston, who the UNC football site claims "has worked hard to become quicker and faster since enrolling as a freshman," carried the ball 167 times this season, and his longest run was a whopping 20 yards "¦ against the lowly Citadel. Draughn carried the ball 124 times and managed a whopping grand total of three carries of 20 yards or more. Barely. He had a 20-yard run, a 26-yard run, and a team-high-for-the-year 44-yard dash.
And it's not like these guys earned their spot by their performance in high school. Furr put up better numbers against better competition even then. Not to mention the speed factor "¦ where Furr would skin them alive.
So that leads me to my biggest question. Is racism involved?
You see, the best athlete on campus is a White tailback.
Of course, not everyone believes that. The tailback part, I mean.
Butch Davis certainly didn't. He wanted Furr to be a fullback. The "experts"Â at Scout.com thought he should be a safety. Rivals.com didn't know where to put him, but they only rated him as a two-star athlete.
It makes you wonder what it takes for a White athlete to have "talent"Â according to these guys. Doesn't it?
If an incredibly productive tailback, with ideal size, who happens to be one of the fastest sprinters in the nation isn't considered to be good enough, then why are these slower, smaller, less productive "talents"Â more highly touted? Is it because the fast kid is White and the others are black?
Nah "¦ that would be racist. Wouldn't it?
