2008 Woodie Awards
Derek Stanley: from Ram to Warhawk
Cherome Owens
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: Sports
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Stanley averaged 25.5 yards as a kick returner for the Rams in his first pro season. Similar to his play on the gridiron, Stanley dominated track and field competitions from 2004-2006 and decided to come back to UW-Whitewater to complete his final year.
"I had a year of eligibility left," Stanley said. "The [NFL] allowed me to run. Obviously, I'd be training, doing sprints and other stuff that will make me a better football player … so why not just compete at the collegiate level again?"
Since Stanley is competing in a different sport, he does not violate any rules of the National?Collegiate Athletic Association. The Verona native wanted to compete in collegiate athletics again, but there was a much more important reason he came back to campus.
"I still have a few credits left to finish," he said. "Education is extremely important. I know the NFL life is not going to be something that's going to last the rest of my life. I have to get my degree and do other things when I'm done playing football."
The process of coming back to school after spending a year in the NFL wasn't difficult at all for Stanley. He said he simply had to reapply for school, select his courses and pretend like he never left.
When it came down to making the decision of taking time out during the Rams' offseason to finish school, it wasn't all Stanley's idea.
"The Rams actually encouraged me to go to school," Stanley said. "The NFL is paying for me to go to school since I came back to get my degree. Education is important in all aspects, even in athletics. The NFL knows guys come early and don't finish school, so they encourage us to get a degree."
Stanley will continue to workout for the Rams and complete training camps at the end of May. In the meantime, track and field Head Coach Darren Schneider is ecstatic to have Stanley back with the program.
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