Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 4/20/05 Section: Sports

TONY FICKLIN [Click to enlarge]

Tony Ficklin is an athlete with a dream.

Not that he recognizes this - that's just the lifestyle he has led, football in hand, since the fourth grade.

During the past three months, this San Jose State University linebacker ventured to New Orleans, La., to intensely train for the NFL Draft. With a mere three days to go, he has joined family and friends in his hometown, St. Natchitoches, La., to await a phone call that could change his life.

"It's inside me and I'm getting nervous, scared and I'm at that frame of mind - 'What's going to happen next?' " he said. "It's hitting me hard."

Margaret Walker, Ficklin's grandmother, who raised him and his sister, came from a family of 12 boys and had seven children of her own. She recognizes the importance of support, and notices the intensity driving Ficklin and remembers how football has been a driving force throughout his life.

In fact, she said the other morning Ficklin scared her when he was up at 4 a.m. to go out running.

"I thought maybe it was someone breaking into the house," she said, giggling to herself.

With family and friends joining in celebration this weekend to watch the 2005 NFL Draft, Walker said she only has one regret about Ficklin's decision.

"If there is anything I hate about all of this, it is that my husband is not here," she said. "He instilled a lot of this (motivation) in Tony."

Walker remembers when Ficklin was growing up a block away from a park and how he would run down the street to play football all day.

"He loves football more than anything," she said. "I am thankful for the people in San Jose who helped him."

Football was always a release from his childhood struggles. Ficklin coped with a mom battling addiction and constantly endured fights with people in his town who were arrested by his dad, a police officer.

"I had to take care of my (six-month-old) sister the best way I knew how at 10 years old," he said.

His ambition began in fourth grade, and was dominant during high school at Natchitoches Central High School, continuing on to San Jose State University.

However, the decision to move across the country wasn't an individual one. Former Spartan football head coach Fitz Hill was a prominent figure in helping Ficklin make this decision.

"My grandpa had passed and Coach Hill was a good friend of the family," he said. "He took me in and gave me a chance."

Ficklin also knew the move would give him opportunities he couldn't get if he stayed at home.

"I wanted to go out and see the world," he said. "I always try to push myself overboard and it was a big step I had to take."

Ficklin's ambition isn't just driven by athletics, but also from the people who continually supported him while growing up.

"I want people to (know) he always made sure the family was together," said Daryl Walker, Ficklin's uncle. "I am real happy for him. This is something he has been working on since he has been able to play."

With Coach Hill leading the way for his move to San Jose, Ficklin said his coach's resignation at the end of the 2004 football season was upsetting. But Ficklin recognized what Hill was going through and accepted it, he said.

Ficklin made his decision to declare himself eligible for the draft in February because of uncertainties with SJSU's football program, he said.

He said playing football for the Spartans was definitely an experience he grew from.

"We lost more games than we won, but we have to figure out a way to stick together and not turn our backs on each other," he said. "You have to think about the good that will come out of it. That is how I felt when I was little and here I am now."

With high hopes set on a call from an NFL team on Sunday, Ficklin said he is trying to keep his chin up while he remembers why he is doing this.

"I think I have a real good chance," he said. "I can play a lot of positions - fullback, linebacker. To me, I am a team player - I will play whatever position helps the team."

If things do not work out as he hopes, Ficklin is planning to return to San Jose and finish up his final semester.

"I want to become an All-American - having little kids looking up to me," he said. "I want to do something positive in life. There are a lot of rich people out there that aren't always giving back and I want to find some kind of program to keep kids off the street."

Football may have been Ficklin's saving grace, and, as the days count down, he will anxiously await a decision that could decide which road his life will take.

"People don't understand that you have to grab the moment in your life and do something with it," he said. "I am waiting for my next moment to grab."

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