Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 29, 1993 TAG: 9310290074
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FERRUM LENGTH: Medium
"Devin and Ericka are my inspiration," he says.
Without them, Bates might not have sought out Ferrum, his fourth college in four years. Without them, Ferrum might not have found its top rusher this season.
Bates was flooded with information on colleges while at James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg. He rushed for a state-record 3,039 yards in 1988, a senior season marred by the death of his older brother, Roderick, in a trucking accident.
But the big-name schools stopped calling after Bates failed to earn a 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.
"That killed a lot of the opportunities for me to play football at a major university," said Bates, who has 505 yards rushing for Ferrum. "But because I wanted to play football so badly on the college level, it really didn't matter what level I played on."
The decision was based on more than just football, thought. Bates and his girlfriend from high school were expecting their first child.
"It was a hard decision, but I knew I had to do what was best in the long run," he said.
Bates selected NCAA Division I-AA Western Kentucky, which offered him a full scholarship. That January, Devin was born and Bates returned to Fredericksburg.
"It was just too far from home," he said. "And the coach left after that season and I wasn't really sure where I stood. I just didn't feel like it was coming together like I wanted it to."
Bates transferred the next fall to tiny Chowan College in Murfreesboro, N.C.
"That went pretty well," he said. "But for the first time ever, I guess I experienced coaching trouble. At the time, a lot of other things were going on in my life. The coach didn't feel like [family obligations] were as important as football, so I kind of had to get my priorities in order."
Bates was home for the summer when Ericka was born, and he decided not to return to Chowan.
During the day, he worked for a moving company. At night, he worked on his degree at Germanna Community College. For the first time, football took a back seat.
"I got the opportunity to develop a great relationship with my son and my daughter," he said. "It was a time for me to put things in perspective and develop a new approach to life. It really made me want to go back to school and work toward my [bachelor's] degree."
Ferrum coaches were scouting players at James Monroe in 1991 when they heard Bates was working in Fredericksburg instead of playing collegiate football. Bates visited Ferrum, liked the atmosphere and knew he had another decision to make.
His relationship with his girlfriend was becoming rocky. The two had varying ideas on what was best for them and the children.
"The conflict was basically over the fact that the desire for me to go to school was still there," he said. "But at the same time, I didn't want to leave her with all of the responsibility. We discussed it with my family and her family and decided that it would be best if I went back to school. I felt bad that I had to leave them at such an early age, but I knew it was something I had to do for things to be better off in the long run."
Bates' family backed his decision. In a "friendly" court settlement, Bates received custody of the children and his parents offered to care for Devin, 4, and Ericka, 3, while he went to Ferrum.
"He wanted to go to college and I wanted to help him," said Barbara Bates, Eric's mother. "In the long run, this will help him and his children, and I'm proud of him."
Bates, 24, said he received much criticism for his decision to have children early, but that he tried to ignore the negativity.
"Denise and I felt like we were in love and responsible enough to have children," he said. "Obviously, after growing and living more we realized that it just wasn't the time. But I don't look back on my children with any regret because I love them dearly.
"They are an inspiration to me because I feel like whatever I achieve as far as in school and beyond, they'll benefit in the long run."
Bates is majoring in social work and plans a career as a counselor of troubled youths. He said he thought he could set an example for other children as well as his own some day.
"Another reason why I tried so hard to come back to college and attain my degree is because I want [Devin and Ericka] to not have a reason to quit school. I want them to think of me as someone who didn't give up, didn't quit. Hopefully, they'll realize an education is really important, and without it you're limiting yourself to a lot of opportunity."
by CNB