They say you can tell a lot about a man by looking at how he deals with adversity. If there's one man who can atest to this theory, it's former Seahawks Offensive Lineman Floyd Wedderburn. Unlike the more popular professional athlete who shares the same first name (and the same amount of letters, ten, in their last name) Floyd Wedderburn's story has been that of hard work and perseverance. His storied four year career with the Seattle Seahawks is a testament to that work ethic and resiliency.
There's a saying in Wedderburn's native country Jamaica. "You don't block off the island." Oh how true this would be. Floyd grew up in Kingston, Jamaica before his family uprooted to Quebec. Then, in 1988, the Wedderburns packed their bags and headed to the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. How people still have the balls to call that city by that nickname with a straight face is beyond absurd to me, but whatever.
Upper Darby High School Football Coach Jack Shingle recalls the first time he laid eyes on the massive Jamaican. "I just expected to find some great big fat kid." Well Mr. Shingle, you were wrong! The "great big fat kid" was a natural in both football and basketball. Some say that Wedderburn secretly dreamed of being the next Patrick Ewing. However, that wasn't meant to be. He was meant to be the first Floyd Wedderburn! Wedderburn spoke barely any English upon arrival to the United States. What he spoke was the language of ass-whoopin! And he spoke it quite fluently. Wedderburn was said to have a little bit of Michael Oher goin on as well, extremely soft spoken and quiet, trying not to hurt anybody too bad out there on the field. But when the switch turned on, watch out!
Wedderburn would then go on to play for Joe Paterno at Penn State University where he was originally a defensive tackle. At 6'5 330 pounds Wedderburn was a behemoth of a man but never quite figured out how to put it together. Maybe he didn't enjoy playing for Jerry Sandusky, after all, Wedderburn is a man of great values. Despite a legitimate chance at an NFL career, Wedderburn always wanted to teach children, and even spent a spring working with kids at a local kindergarten while at Happy Valley. What a guy! It's as if he knew something wasn't right at Penn State and he wanted to do something to change it.. Our hero then switched over to the offensive side of the ball where he finally blossomed as an Offensive Guard. A road-grading mauler, Wedderburn impressed NFL teams with his size and strength and decent heart.
The Pacific Northwest Feels the Burn, Floyd Wedder Style
As fate would have it, our hero was then selected in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Seahawks in the 5th Round (Pick 140 Overall). He would go on to play three seasons for the 'Hawks, often times looking lost and overmatched. They say it was due mostly in part to the fact that Floyd just never wanted to kill a man with his bare hands out there on the field. Carrying this enormous burden around took it's toll on Wedderburn, as his weight began to spiral out of control. He would retire in 2002 after playing three seasons with the team. To the casual fan he will be forever known as a "waste of a draft pick" and a key cog in one of the worst draft classes in franchise history. To friends, coaches, teammates, and Upper Darby kindergarteners he will be known as a "gentle giant." And to us, he will forever be.. a Seattle Seahawk! Floyd Wedderburn is retired and now resides in Upper Darby, Pa. It is unknown whether or not he pursued his dream of teaching children the lessons of life. I sure hope he is! Go get em Floyd!
I should preface this by saying that I was what you would call, "different", growing up. Always the rebel, always the underdog, I don't know what it was that attracted me to being that way, but I was that way through and through.
Unlike most people who loved the headline grabbing, record shattering QB's like Marino, Favre, Manning, Vick, and Brady (to name a few) for some reason (maybe it's part of being a Seahawks fan?) I was drawn to the lesser QB's by comparison. The Dave Brown's, Ty Detmer's, Stan Gelbaugh's (more on Stan 'Not the Man' later, I promise!) , Danny Kannell's, and Mike Tomczak' of the world registered with me as more memorable than the former group. I know, I'm sick!
Which brings me to the man who sits atop of this notorious list in my mind and the man whom this section of blogosphere is partially dedicated to.. John Friesz!
It doesn't help matters that Friesz attended the University of Idaho. As a Coug, I developed a fondness of the Vandals. Being out on the Palouse and hangin out in Moscow, Idaho and attending the Kibbie Dome are still some of my finest experiences in life, so I've got serious love for the Vandals.
Friesz was born in Missoula, Montana but grew up in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. For all of his football exploits, not many people know or care that Friesz also excelled at baseball and basketball. A 3 sport megastar, Friesz attended a football camp at the University of Idaho, where he caught the eye of former Seahawks Head Coach Dennis Erickson. What Erickson and the other coaches saw amazed them! They put their tongues back in their mouths, wiped the drool away, and approached Friesz about a full scholarship to quarterback the Vandals. The rest, as they say, is history.
Johnny Boy never got to play for Coach Erickson, instead serving as the backup for famed future Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan, under Head Coach Keith Gilbertson. It wasn't until the next season, 1987, that Friesz got the start but he made the most of it. He threw for 28 touchdowns that season as a sophomore, and was named the Big Sky Player of the Year and was a 2nd team All American! After a solid Junior season in which he led the Vandals to a 9-1 record and two playoff wins, John saved the best for last. His senior season featured 31 touchdowns, over 4,000 yards passing and a 9-1 record for the Vandals. It was also the only time when the Vandals would ever finish undefeated in conference play, mostly in part thanks to Big John. All this was capped off by the fact that Big John Friesz is the ONLY Idaho Vandal in the College Football Hall of Fame!
After all the success at Idaho, Friesz was slept upon like a futon and hated on by NFL teams around the league. Shockingly, he slid to the 6th round (138th overall), where he was selected by the San Diego Chargers. After riding the pine for his rookie season, Friesz was named the starter in 1991, his second season in the league. Sadly, he sustained an ankle injury during the pre-season and was placed on IR. The Chargers replaced Friesz with Stan Humphries and it wouldn't be until 1995 that the Chargers would #FreeJohnFriesz!
1995 - John Friesz to the Seahawks/A New Era
As fate would have it, Friesz ended up with the 'Hawks in 1995. If I was old enough to know what was going on, I would probably have gone nuts! In '95 the Big Kahuna posted a modest 6/3 TD/INT ratio while going a tough-luck 1-2 as a backup to the much maligned Rick Mirer. Then in '96, Friesz would replace Mirer again, this time for 6 games. The savvy veteran took advantage, leading the 'Hawks to an impressive 4-2 record during that span while posting a very sexy 8/4 TD/INT ratio. He also posted 1,629 passing yards to go along with a devastating 13.6 Yards Per Completion. It was safe to say that John Friesz had finally made it on the big stage!
Sadly, however, life is not a fairy tale. And the clock struck midnight on Friesz' cinderella story. The Seahawks replaced him with Warren Moon and John Kitna and he eventually moved on to New England for 2 seasons. His mentoring of then rookie Tom Brady will forever go down in NFL history as being instrumental to the construction of a modern dynasty. John Friesz, we tip our cap to you. Your 8,699 career passing yards and 45 TD's are more than that of JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf combined and the world needs to know that!
John Friesz is an average dude. He enjoys deer and elk hunting in Idaho, as well as fishing. Let this be how John Friesz is remembered..
