THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 20, 1994 TAG: 9411170218
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 27 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY REGINALD WORLDS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
Former ECSU football players Jaun Langford and Shannon Pendergrass are still involved in football, but their movements are confined to the sidelines. Both are young, energetic and full of hope, and coaching at local high schools.
Former quarterback Langford and defensive back Pendergrass, just a couple of years out of Elizabeth City State University, are now guiding potential successors in Northhampton and Halifax counties.
While the coaches are happy to still be in football, the transition from player to mentor hasn't always been easy.
Langford, 24, who could easily be mistaken for a high school student, is in his first year as head coach of Northampton County West High School.
One of the most important aspects of coaching, he said, is knowing the physical and mental limitations of his players.
``I can't expect as much from a player as I do of myself, taking what they know or don't know for granted,'' said Langford, who logged in two years of assistant coaching at ECSU.
Pendergrass, nicknamed ``Talk-em-all'' for his reputation of talking all his opponents to death, was a small guy (5 feet 10 inches tall, 165 pounds) who played very big.
``Actually seeing and teaching somebody to do something that you do instead of doing it yourself is the biggest difference,'' said Pendergrass, 26, discussing the difference between coaching and playing football.
Last year Pendergrass was a starting defensive back for ECSU. Now he's an assistant coach at Southeast Halifax High School.
The two met in 1991 when ECSU went 7-2 with one game canceled, its best season in 20 years. Langford and Pendergrass were members of the 1991 team, and both say that what they experienced from that season and college in general helps them in coaching.
The diverse backgrounds of the players on that team and how they put it all together is particularly important to Langford, who hails from Laurinburg near the South Carolina border.
He said the sacrifice of personal differences, and the dispersal of cliques on the team, were the key to success.
``College showed me how to deal with all those different cultures and attitudes and put it together for a common goal,'' Langford said. ``It also showed me how to get the respect of my players and gain their trust.''
Pendergrass, a native of Ohio, says something he tries to relate from his college football experience is to never give up.
``I tell them that the game is played between the lines and you always have a chance to change the game,'' he said.
Both coaches agree that while football is important, it is not the most important thing. Langford, who has a few college prospects on his team, tells his players everything must be put in its proper perspective.
``The first thing is to get your education,'' he said. ``You can't play ball for the rest of your life.''
Langford, who'd rather be a role model than a father figure, also encourages his players to do their best at whatever they try in life. Everybody, he says, is not able to play college or professional sports.
Pendergrass advises his players more about avoiding the pitfalls of college life. He tells them if they are lucky enough to go to college and play sports they should make the most of it.
``I tell them that the parties, girls and other stuff is going to be there regardless,'' Pendergrass said. ``But you only have four to five years to get your education and play ball.''
Because of the responsibilities of his position as head coach, making the transition from player to coach was more difficult for Langford than Pendergrass.
``Being young, I had to be real tough on the guys at first to gain their respect,'' he said.
Pendergrass, on the other hand, treats his players like his little brothers: ``I run with them during practice, and lift with them in the weight room to keep myself in shape.''
Both coaches are happy in their positions, but both have higher aspirations.
Pendergrass said he wants to obtain his teaching certificate first, but the former all-conference safety doesn't rule out playing professional football.
Langford said this position is just temporary, and he dreams of returning to the college ranks as a coach.
``I like it here a lot, but I would love to be an offensive coordinator at a big-time school,'' Langford said.
No matter where they end up, both men agree that ECSU had much to do with their starts. Pendergrass thanks Chris Watford, head coach of Southeast Halifax, also an ECSU graduate, for the chance to coach.
``He needed a coach and he asked me if I wanted to, and now coach Watford is starting to give a little more freedom by calling the defenses,'' Pendergrass said.
Langford, whose team is struggling this year, says he relates his slow start to a couple of losing seasons at ECSU.
``I tell the guys that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail and that you need to set goals,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Jaun Langford
Shannon Pendergrass
by CNB