Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 3, 1990 TAG: 9007030481
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-5 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: KIRKLAND, WASH. LENGTH: Medium
"It's going to be an interesting year," said Fenner.
"I think I have a chance to play and showcase my talents," said Warren.
"It's a good opportunity," said Harris. "It's a wide-open spot and I'm working hard to get it."
Fenner and Harris, 1989 draft choices, had only 19 caries between them last season. Warren, from NCAA Division III Ferrum (Va.) College, was the Seahawks' fourth-round draft choice this year.
Warner, 29, came to Seattle from Penn State in 1983 and became the team's all-time rushing leader. But then his performance began to slip and he had his poorest year last season. Not coincidentally, the Seahawks slipped to 7-9 and missed making the playoffs.
The Seahawks felt Warner's future was behind him and didn't protect him under Plan B during the off-season. He signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Rams.
At the Seahawks' recent minicamp, Harris was listed as the starting running back, Fenner was No. 2 and Warren was No. 3.
But if there was ever a wide-open position on a pro football team, the Seattle running back's job is it.
The departure of Warner, who rushed for 6,705 yards and 55 touchdowns in seven seasons, made Harris, Fenner and Warren more hungry than ever.
"I worked out more than I ever worked out before," Harris said. "I worked on my strength. I think it's going to pay off, too."
"When I got the word about Curt, it definitely made me go out and run a little longer," said Fenner. "It got me ready."
Fenner, Harris and Warren are all interesting stories - Fenner most of all.
Fenner was Seattle's 10th-round draft choice last year although he didn't play football for two years after leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing as a sophomore at North Carolina with 1,250 yards.
He has had serious problems with the law, spending 44 days of 1987 in a Maryland jail on a murder charge later dropped for insufficient evidence. In 1988, in a related case, Fenner pleaded guilty to cocaine possession and was placed on three years probation. He was also wounded, but not seriously hurt, in a 1988 shooting outside a nightclub.
Fenner has been a solid citizen in Seattle. He has stayed out of trouble and is popular with his teammates, the fans and the media.
His two seasons out of football made him want to be a success in the NFL.
"You know my background," he said. "I want it pretty bad."
At 6-foot-3 and 229 pounds, Fenner is the tallest and heaviest of the Seahawks' trio of running backs. Harris is 5-9 and 218. Warren is 6-2 and 225.
Harris played football at NCAA Division I-AA Eastern Kentucky, where he rushed for 4,555 yards.
In two seasons at Ferrum, Warren rushed for 2,708 yards after playing two seasons at Virginia. He left the ACC school after becoming academically ineligible.
Harris and Fenner watched from the sidelines most of last season although it was clear Warner had slipped. The Seahawks dropped three of their last four games and Warner averaged a career-low 3.3 yards per carry. He rushed for just 631 yards and only three touchdowns on 194 carries.
Trying to win as many games as he could, Seahawks coach Chuck Knox stuck with Warner. Harris had just eight carries for 23 yards and Fenner, alternating between running back and fullback, carried the ball 11 times for 41 yards. Fenner scored a touchdown.
The way they were used was a jolt to both players' confidence.
"I was crushed," admitted Harris. "I was always on the field before. I never ever sat on the bench. That wasn't any fun at all."
"You really need to play where you've been playing," Fenner said of his brief switch to fullback.
At Ferrum, Warren became the school's all-time leader with 4,583 all-purpose yards. He also became the first football player to be drafted in Ferrum's history.
The Seahawks picked him despite Ferrum's wishbone offense.
If a running back has size, speed, quickness and talent, the NFL will find him no matter where he is. The Seahawks spotted Warren early and kept an eye on him. They think he can help them.
The rookie is happy to be picked by a franchise that is looking for a running back.
"This is just a good situation to be in," Warren said.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB