Big Dream: A Little Luck
June 12, 2003 12:37 PM | General
Reprinted from 1993 Mountaineer Illustrated
Ed Hill is all smiles as he ambles out of the cafeteria following the Mountaineers' evening meal at the Milan Puskar Center. He's a picture of confidence -- relaxed, grinning and clutching a handful of cookies. But establishing himself as one of West Virginia's leading receivers hasn't come easy for Hill.
 Wide receiver Ed Hill (WVU Sports Communications photo) |
For most athletes, the physical part of football is the easy part -- you throw, you catch, you run, you block and you tackle. Elemental. Simple. Easy. But football isn't all physical. What goes on above the shoulder pads can often distinguish a good college football player from a great one, turn a former college star into a current NFL luminary.
The mental part of the game can make or break you. If a player makes a mistake and loses his confidence, it can be fatal for his career. For Hill, one play during the 1991 season almost shattered his confidence beyond repair.
"My sophomore year, we were playing Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on ESPN. There was a play where I was wide open and I blew it. I just couldn't believe I dropped a touchdown pass against Syracuse on national TV," Hill says.
"I was really down after that. I carried that with me all winter. But that spring, when we started practice again, Coach (Dan) Simrell came to me and told me not to worry. He said I'd make a hundred more catches like that. I have to give credit to Coach Simrell for helping me get my confidence back and setting the stage for me to have the kind of year I had last year."
Last year, the 6-2, 210-pound Cincinnati native racked up 43 catches for 540 yards and six touchdowns.
It wasn't just his coach who bolstered Hill's confidence following the 1991 season and the dropped pass against the Orangemen. He also credits a current Mountaineer teammate with helping keep his confidence level up.
"Scott Gaskins has really helped me, too. We play two different positions -- he's a defensive lineman and I'm a receiver -- but he keeps me up and won't let me get down on myself," Hill says. "Attitude-wise, he's there for me and is a really good friend. We've been close since we came here."
Hill came to WVU from Mount Healthy High in Cincinnati. He was courted by Louisville, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Kentucky, but the hospitality displayed by the Mountaineer coaches and everyone associated with the program eventually turned the tide in Hill's mind.
"What really turned me toward signing with WVU was my visit. It was my first official visit. I came here and met a lot of nice people,~ he says. "The atmosphere was really exciting and the coaches and players treated me real nice. It stuck with me, so I decided to become a Mountaineer."
Like several of the seniors on this year's Mountaineer squad, Hill saw playing time as a redshirt freshman. He was one of the post-Fiesta Bowl recruits -- the class of 1989. Although many people expected great things from the members of this recruiting class, Hill says it hasn't been easy following in the footsteps of the 1988 national championship contenders.
"It's been a struggle. A lot of the guys on the team who are seniors this year started out playing right away in their redshirt freshman year,~ Hill recalls. "We've learned the hard way; by learning our lessons on the field."
"It hasn't been easy trying to establish our own identity, but I think now we're finally ready to handle the situation. We've seen virtually everything that can happen and been through all kinds of experiences. The seniors have been frustrated by the past few seasons. This year we decided to just go out and take it."
Wide receiver coach Doc Holliday says Hill has the experience and leadership ability that WVU needs.
"Ed is a great leader and a great kid," says Holliday. "He's smart and hard-nosed and he always gives a 100 percent effort in practice and in the game.
"We've had a couple of seasons where things didn't go quite the way we wanted them to. We endured some bad breaks and some odd things happened. Ed has been through all that and he knows what it takes to get there. He understands what we're doing out there and, more importantly, he knows how to win."
As Holliday mentioned, last season was a strange one. A few bounces of the football and little luck might have turned a 5-4-2 campaign into a bowl-caliber season. There is a fine line between a successful season and a mediocre one, and Hill believes the Mountaineers now have that intangible quality that they have lacked in recent seasons.
"We finally realized that all it takes is confidence," says Hill. "We know we can play with the Miamis and the Syracuses and the rest of the Big East. So all we have to do now is get the confidence and keep it. I think this team has done that."
To keep team confidence running high, Hill knows he must do his part. Although he won't turn down the occasional long bomb, he knows his role on the team -- catching the short stuff.
"I'm the possession receiver. We've got Mike Baker and Jay Kearney on the outside and they're the speed guys. My job is to be the possession guy. Every once in a while, if the coverage breaks down, then I get to go deep," he says with a smile.
Possession is also Hill's goal in the classroom. A liberal arts major, he hopes to gain possession of a diploma before his stay in Morgantown ends. If professional football doesn't come calling, the plan is to teach or coach some day soon.
Like the quick slant for 10 yards on third-and-eight, that degree is as sure as the first down in Hill's hands.
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