Attention to detail, on and off the field
Gerell Golightly's meticulous nature makes him a star at Hampton University on the field and in the classroom.
November 24, 2005
HAMPTON -- Two things you rarely notice on television are the linemen blocking for the running back or the tax auditor carrying boxes of files behind the white-collar criminal in handcuffs. But Gerell Golightly has made a name for himself knocking defenders into the dirt, so who's to say he won't do the same leveling tax cheats?
Golightly, a guard at Hampton University, received his highest football honor Wednesday when he was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year. He led an offensive line that produced two 1,000-yard rushers this season for the Pirates (11-0), who host Richmond (8-3) in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Golightly, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound senior, became the MEAC's top blocker because of his attention to detail, the same trait he's used to earn a 3.79 grade-point average at Hampton. Golightly had to do well in school as he grew up or his parents, Gerald and Lisa, wouldn't let him play football.
"If I brought home an 85 on a test, they would say, \'We think you need more time to study this week, so we might need to take you out of practice,'" Golightly said. "At first I thought it was unfair, but they realized I had a gift for learning so their expectations were higher.
"It's like the Bible says, 'To whom much is given, much is required.'"
Golightly needed little urging to study hard, because missing practice was unthinkable. He grew up in football-mad Lancaster, Texas, where his uncles played prep football.
Golightly's favorite memories include wrestling his uncles on the living room floor before Thanksgiving dinner, then watching the Cowboys and Redskins play on television. His heroes have always been Cowboys, particularly the linemen who helped the team win three NFL titles in the 1990s.
Golightly became a lineman for Lancaster High, where he says the players were treated like celebrities.
"It's like in the movie 'Friday Night Lights,'" he said. "If you're having a good season, the town shuts down and everyone is at the games. It's almost like playing in the pros. The mayor's on the sideline shaking your hand.
"When the police pull you over, you think they're going to give you a ticket, but then they tell you 'Good game.'"
Golightly came to Hampton as a defensive tackle, and started six of 11 games as a freshman. But Pirates' coach Joe Taylor convinced him he could help the team more at offensive guard and he's started the 34 games since.
Golightly says he's relentlessly learned the details about blocking, and the work has paid off. Alonzo Coleman has rushed for more than 1,000 yards the past three seasons, while Ardell Daniels has done so the past two.
"Gerell has been a real big key," Coleman said. "He never really lets you down. You don't have to worry about him making a mistake that gets you tackled behind the line."
HU offensive line coach Harry Galbreath added, "This is one occasion when classroom discipline translates into intelligence on the field. Gerell is consistent game after game, and he's smart enough to adjust quickly to an opponent while on the move."
Golightly says he understands plays almost instantly when he sees him on paper. As a result, he spends less time studying the playbook and more watching film to find opponents' flaws.
And Golightly is relentless in searching for mistakes. Last summer, his supervisors counseled him to lighten up during his internship as an auditor for the Ernst & Young accounting firm.
"I was looking for every penny on accounting statements," he said. "They showed me that being $100 off isn't that big a deal on a multimillion dollar account. I would love to become a criminal investigator for the Internal Revenue Service, because I love numbers and I love the thrill of the chase.
"I'm the guy that you see on TV carrying the white boxes behind the criminal. I love looking behind the numbers, at a person's life story, and figuring why they would do something wrong."
He could just make a name for himself doing that, the way he has in football.
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Thursday, November 24th 2005 at 3:23PM
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