macbob
  • macbob
  • Veteran Member Topic Starter
14 years ago
http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110507/PKR01/110507027/Family-brings-Sherrod-back-football?odyssey=tab |topnews|img|FRONTPAGE

Family brings Green Bay Packers' top draft pick Derek Sherrod back to football

Derek Sherrod was 10 years old when he quit football.

Overweight and with little or no knowledge of the game, he gave it about three practices and said forget it.

He had a coach that made the kids run if they didnt do something right, his mother, Harriet, recalled this week. Well, Derek didnt like that because he was out of shape and didnt know anything about football. After the second or third time the coach made Derek run, he said, Mom, I dont want to play anymore.

This after Harriet had spent nearly $200 on football equipment.

I said, You dont want to what? she said exasperated. He said, I dont want to play anymore.

A few years went by with not another thought about football. Derek, like his older brother, Dezmond, had gravitated toward soccer, basketball and baseball. Basically anything that wasnt football.

Then Dezmond, nearly four years older, discovered football.

Wherever Dezmond goes, guess what? Harriet said. So does Derek. He does everything he does. Everything. If Dezmond was going to play, Derek is going to play. He had to outdo Dezmonds records. He even wore Dezmonds number.

And follow him, he did. All the way to the National Football League after the Green Bay Packers last week used their first-round selection on Derek Sherrod, the 6-foot-5, 321-pound tackle from Mississippi State.

Dezmond, a tight end at Mississippi State, spent parts of two seasons in the NFL. He was on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad in 2008 and then spent time the next offseason with the Houston Texans. The former undrafted free agent played last season in the UFL but remains hopeful of getting another shot at the NFL. Even if he never returns to the league, he can take solace in knowing that in many ways, he helped pave the way for his younger brother.

They were always in the weight room competing, said Jack Hankins, who coached the Sherrods at Caledonia High School near their hometown of Columbus, Miss. If Dez did 200 pounds, well Derek was going to do 205. So Derek did 205, and now Dezmonds got to do 210. Ill never forget when they got up to 300 on the bench. It was like the other one said, OK, here I come, just get out of the way and let me see if I can do it.

Im big on the power clean (lifts), and Ill never forget the day Dezmond did 275 and threw the bar down and said to Derek, See if you can do that, big boy.

In many ways, theirs was a whatever-you-can-do-I-can-do-better relationship but without the sibling rage that could spawn trouble. Harriet said her boys never fought and never got into trouble outside the home.

Their father, Louis, was a Navy man with 30 years of service 21 of active duty and nine in the reserves as an air traffic controller and then had a second career as a truck driver, which, coincidentally, often brought him to Green Bay because he drove one of Schneiders recognizable orange trucks. Harriet worked at an Air Force base. Both are retired now and can sit back and enjoy their fruits of their parenting. Their third child, a daughter, is in the military.

With two professional football players in the family, it would be easy to assume that Louis and Harriet were the typical, nightmarish Little League parents, who pushed and pushed and pushed. In fact, it was the opposite. When Derek wanted to quit football at age 10, that was just fine with Harriet.

I wasnt going to force him to do something he didnt want to do when it came to sports, she said. So I had to take a loss on the equipment.

Now academics, that was another story. Sports were encouraged in the family, Dezmond says, to keep them off the streets and out of trouble. Education, though, wasnt optional.

Their main focus was to make sure we had our grades and to behave and do right in school, Dezmond said. Playing professional football was never something that was on any of our minds. We came from a school where we didnt have the greatest football program. I was the first person from our school to actually get a Division I football scholarship, and Derek was the second one. As of right now, were still the only two. Because of that, we never thought about even getting a scholarship, but it just happened that way. It seemed like I opened the door for Derek. He was a lot better at his position than I was at mine, and he capitalized on it.

Like Dezmond, Derek earned his college degree. He did so with a 3.5 grade point average in business and has begun working on his Masters, something hes sure to get someday. How can one be so sure? Because Dezmond already has his.

Dezmond was already at Mississippi State when Sylvester Croom, the former Packers running backs coach, was hired as the Bulldogs head coach in 2004. After getting to know Dezmond, he knew he needed another Sherrod in his program.

I knew Derek had talent, said Croom, who now coaches running backs for the St. Louis Rams. But the thing that impressed me, having been around his brother, he was just an unbelievable worker. Dezmond didnt have all the ability that Derek had, but my deal was if theyve both got the same work ethic, then theres no question that Dereks going to be a first-round pick. It turned out he did have the same kind of work ethic. He just had more ability.

It was that ability that the Packers football people fell in love with. As a senior, his third straight year as Mississippi States starting left tackle, he didnt give up a single sack. Thats the kind of protection the Packers want for their Super Bowl MVP quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. And it was his family-oriented background that further sold the Packers character-conscious General Manager Ted Thompson on the pick at No. 32 overall.

He was everything you asked for, Croom said. I think he started every game when I was there. He was a very good student, a classy individual, smiled all the time. He was sort of reserved, but I think sometimes people mistake his kindness for meekness. But thats a mistake because hes a tough guy. Hes one of those guys who will knock a guy on his behind and then will reach down and pick him up. Thats just the way hes been taught.

Croom recalled one moment he felt summed up Dereks personality.

Youve got to remember hes one of those kids who never says anything, Croom said. So we had this etiquette course for all the athletes, and he walks in with a girl from the volleyball team thats almost as tall as he was. I called him over said, Hey, you dont say much, but you must say enough to get to walk in here with her.

GBPressGazette wrote:

wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member
14 years ago
Sounds like a great family. It is always amazing when a story illustrates how think the line is being a potential starting player in the NFL and someone who ends up on the practice squad.
UserPostedImage
Fan Shout
Zero2Cool (11h) : Both LB Quay Walker and Rookie DB Micah Robinson have passed their physicals
Zero2Cool (12h) : Happy to see site feels more snappy snappy
Zero2Cool (12h) : No sir. I did not.
dfosterf (12h) : You didn't get free childcare when you were at work?
wpr (13h) : These guys make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Pay for their own childcare.
dfosterf (14h) : 2nd issue. Number 1 issue was no gameday childcare. 1 of 3 teams not providing it
Zero2Cool (14h) : Suppose if locker room is main issue, we sitting pretty
wpr (14h) : I thought so Mucky. In those useless player polls GB always rates high overall. Locker is a part of it.
Mucky Tundra (15h) : Wasn't the locker room just updated like 6 or 7 years ago?
Zero2Cool (15h) : I have forum updated on different site. We'll see how this one goes before going to that
Zero2Cool (16h) : Elgton Jenkins has a back injury, is expect to end contract dispute
wpr (18h) : It's funny the PA complained about the locker room. It wasn't that long ago it was top shelf. Things change in a hurry.
wpr (18h) : The site is much more better.
Zero2Cool (18h) : NFLPA report said Packers lockerroom needed upgrade. Whining bout where you change?
Zero2Cool (18h) : I saw that and thought it was kind of lame.
dfosterf (18h) : Packers new locker room is pretty awesome. Great for morale, imo
Zero2Cool (19h) : Shuffled things on the web server. Hope it makes it faster.
Zero2Cool (19h) : Other times, it's turtle ass
Zero2Cool (19h) : Sometimes it's snappy, like now.
beast (20h) : I feel like it's loading at the top of the next minute, or something like that.
beast (20h) : Also the thanks/heart takes FOREVER to load, and posting in the shout box takes three times FOREVER!
beast (20h) : Thanks for saying something, I thought it was slow, but assumed it was on my end
beast (20h) : Thanks for saying something, I thought it was slow, but assumed it was on my end
Zero2Cool (20h) : Yeah, I noticed that too. Is it slow for PackerPeople.com too?
wpr (21h) : I don't know what you IT guys call it but the page loading is very slow for me today.
Zero2Cool (21h) : SSL might be settled now.
Zero2Cool (23-Jul) : Still working through SSL cert issues
wpr (23-Jul) : Glad to be back
Zero2Cool (23-Jul) : I think PH original finally working.
dfosterf (22-Jul) : Can tell you are having a fun day Kev
Zero2Cool (22-Jul) : Yep, I had to manually move them. It'll fix itself after more posts.
Mucky Tundra (22-Jul) : Same deal with the songs/videos thread, says you replied last but when I go there it's what I posted earlier is last
Zero2Cool (22-Jul) : I had to manually move three posts.
Mucky Tundra (22-Jul) : But when I go it, Martha's is the last reply
Mucky Tundra (22-Jul) : Still a little screwy; it shows on the main forum that you were the last person to reply to the Jenkins trade thread
Zero2Cool (22-Jul) : Host issues, been crazy day
Mucky Tundra (22-Jul) : Connect 4?
Zero2Cool (22-Jul) : Connecting to new database
Zero2Cool (22-Jul) : What the hell
beast (22-Jul) : Packershome going to the Whiteout unis again
Zero2Cool (21-Jul) : Oh wait, they got Cam Ward. 1st overall right? haha oops
Zero2Cool (21-Jul) : They could send Packers a 1st for a QB they are familiar with
Zero2Cool (21-Jul) : Titans QB Will Levis to have season-ending shoulder surgery
Zero2Cool (19-Jul) : Their season did kind of start there, so 🤷
dfosterf (19-Jul) : Eagles put an engraved Brazil flag on their super bowl rings
Zero2Cool (18-Jul) : Benton unsigned no more
Zero2Cool (17-Jul) : That's good analysis, yes you are getting old. It'd a blessing!
dfosterf (14-Jul) : *analysis* gettin' old
dfosterf (14-Jul) : One of the best analyisis I"ve ever watched at this time of an offseason
dfosterf (14-Jul) : Andy Herman interviewed Warren Sharp on his Pack a day podcast
Please sign in to use Fan Shout
2025 Packers Schedule
Sunday, Sep 7 @ 3:25 PM
LIONS
Thursday, Sep 11 @ 7:15 PM
COMMANDERS
Sunday, Sep 21 @ 12:00 PM
Browns
Sunday, Sep 28 @ 7:20 PM
Cowboys
Sunday, Oct 12 @ 3:25 PM
BENGALS
Sunday, Oct 19 @ 3:25 PM
Cardinals
Sunday, Oct 26 @ 7:20 PM
Steelers
Sunday, Nov 2 @ 12:00 PM
PANTHERS
Monday, Nov 10 @ 7:15 PM
EAGLES
Sunday, Nov 16 @ 12:00 PM
Giants
Sunday, Nov 23 @ 12:00 PM
VIKINGS
Thursday, Nov 27 @ 12:00 PM
Lions
Sunday, Dec 7 @ 12:00 PM
BEARS
Sunday, Dec 14 @ 3:25 PM
Broncos
Friday, Dec 19 @ 11:00 PM
Bears
Friday, Dec 26 @ 11:00 PM
RAVENS
Saturday, Jan 3 @ 11:00 PM
Vikings
Recent Topics
3h / Around The NFL / beast

4h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Mucky Tundra

6h / Around The NFL / Mucky Tundra

9h / Green Bay Packers Talk / bboystyle

10h / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

10h / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

21h / Green Bay Packers Talk / wpr

23-Jul / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

22-Jul / Random Babble / Zero2Cool

22-Jul / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

22-Jul / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

20-Jul / Green Bay Packers Talk / Mucky Tundra

20-Jul / Green Bay Packers Talk / Mucky Tundra

18-Jul / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

15-Jul / Green Bay Packers Talk / Mucky Tundra

Headlines
Copyright © 2006 - 2025 PackersHome.com™. All Rights Reserved.