Mike Hass named OSU's second greatest player of the past decade, as detailed in this mindless, Caste-speak filled article:
Gameday Countdown No. 2: Mike Hass went from walk-on to top receiver in the nation
When you think about what made the Oregon State football team successful the last decade, images of hard work, over achievement and surprises are the norm.
At the forefront of all those memories is the Mike Hass story. Coach Mike Riley likes to use him when he describes his blue-collar, Lunch Bucket U. program.
In a way, he is what Riley wants his program to be about.
That's why Hass was voted the second greatest player of the last decade at OSU by the Corvallis Gazette-Times sports staff and community members.
"Mike Hass is a great story for a lot of reasons," Riley said. "It tells the Oregon State story in a lot of ways, in faith and perseverance and self-confidence. It's a unique, tremendous story."
Hass, a Portland native, rose from unheralded walk-on to the greatest receiver in OSU's history. He was considered the best in the nation in 2005 as the Biletnikoff Award winner.
He came out of Jesuit High as the 4A player of the year. Hass had a knack for the ball, good hands and
worked hard. However,
colleges didn't beat down his door with scholarship offers due to his lack of size and speed.
The Beavers were his best option because coach Dennis Erickson at the time and Riley later welcome in-state walk-ons to try to compete. And OSU was a good place for him to work on his engineering major.
Hass was a scout team player for two seasons. He redshirted in 2001 and didn't see much of the field as a freshman, other than on special teams.
However, he performed every day in practice. He pulled in any ball close to him. It was automatic.
Riley noticed what Hass could do going into his sophomore year and awarded him a scholarship. Hass didn't think he had arrived at that point, so he kept working.
He was a secondary possession receiver his sophomore season with 44 receptions. Then he became the go-to guy as a junior and senior with 86 and 90 receptions, respectively.
What made his performance those last two years more impressive was that he was the possession receiver and deep threat. Everyone knew where the ball was going when the Beavers were in a pinch.
There was little support in the running game at the time. The Beavers were a passing team with future NFL quarterback Derek Anderson at the helm.
That led to acrobatic catches as he fought through double- and triple-team coverage.
"He had some of the greatest performances of a pass receiver that I've ever seen," Riley said. "And the catches he made were very unique."
Hass left OSU as the school's all-time leading receiver with 3,924 career yards, third in the Pacific-10 Conference. He broke the school record for single-season catches as a junior and again as a senior, held until James Rodgers caught 91 last season.
The Associated Press, Walter Camp Foundation and
ESPN.com named him a first-team All-American his senior season. He was a two-time first-team all-Pac-10 selection, and honorable mention AP All-American as a junior.
He had 19 100-yard receiving games in his career and five 200-plus games.
Hass was the first Pac-10 receiver to record three 1,000-yard seasons and owns the OSU single-game reception mark with 14 against Arizona State in 2004.
For all his success, Hass wasn't a highly touted NFL draft pick. He was taken in the sixth round by the New Orleans Saints and signed a three-year contract.
The Saints quickly released him. He spent two seasons with the Chicago Bears, one entirely on the practice squad, and last season with the Seattle Seahawks. He has yet to catch a pass in his two career games.
After making the regular roster with the Bears before the season he was released twice and signed to the practice squad twice before signing with the Seahawks, where he bounced between the roster and practice squad.
Hass continues his quest to prove people wrong and show his ability.
http://www.gazettetimes.com/sports/beavers-sports/article_97b49294-f916-11df-b30d-001cc4c03286.htmlEdited by: Don Wassall