Sports scoreboard:
Daily Wildcat
• Page B1
Sports Editor: Alex Williams • 520.626.2956 • sports@wildcat.arizona.edu
NBA Playoffs LA Lakers 104, Denver 100
NHL Playoffs New Jersey 4, Philadelphia 1
MLB Arizona 5, Washington 1
Path to NFL Former UA lineman Eben Britton details his long, bumpy road to the pros Childhood distress
By Zack Rosenblatt Daily Wildcat
On Oct. 14, 1987, in New York City, Jeff and Abbie Britton gave birth to Eben, their first son. After living in various parts of Brooklyn over the next 10 years, Britton’s parents got divorced. The 11-yearold Eben received an unprecedented culture shock when his mother decided to take him and his brother, Gus, and move to California. “It was brutal, in sixth grade I was a wreck,” Eben Britton said. “I missed all my friends, I missed my dad, it was really tough. It was one of the toughest things for me.” He added that it took him “six or seven months, maybe longer” to adjust to his new environment, away from his friends. This was made tougher by the fact that he would only see his father “maybe twice a year” until he reached high school. “He didn’t have a whole lot of money so he wasn’t able to visit or fly out from New York,” Britton said. “Then, finally, he saved up enough money and moved out to California when I was in ninth grade. He basically saw my brother and I get through high school.” Despite the rough transition, he said the ordeal brought him closer to his younger brother. “We have a great relationship,” Britton said. “I think any time you deal with parents splitting up or having to deal with a lot of adversity growing up, you probably either go one way or the other, either become really close or really estranged. We were close.”
A tattoo on Eben Britton’s right forearm reads, “vitualamen pro fatum,” a Latin phrase meaning “sacrifice for destiny.” “It really struck a chord with me,” Britton said. “I try to live my life that way. I’ve always been a ‘things happen for a reason’ kind of guy. I’ve always put myself on the path to reach where I’m at. It can be destiny or just me working my ass off, but that saying made sense to me.” The former Arizona offensive lineman has made sacrifices, he’s been through the wringer and come out fine. Now he’s working his butt off to reach his goal — success at the highest level. Britton, 24, started playing football his freshman year of high school. Soon after that, he was already telling himself he would make it to the NFL. People told him to come up with a plan B. No, he said. There was no plan B. “‘I’m not having a plan B, I’m playing in the NFL,’” Britton said to the doubters. On NFL Draft Day three years ago, Britton expected to be drafted in the first round. The people around him at the time — agents, family and friends — kept telling him that it was all but certain. At 6-foot-6, 309 pounds, Britton had the prototypical size for an NFL lineman and the numbers to back it up. In his three years at the UA from 200608, he was named to two All-Pacific 10 Conference teams and recorded 289 knockdowns. Even better, he was only penalized four times in 2,461 career snaps. Despite all that, the first round came and went. Then, with the seventh pick in the second round, the Jacksonville Jaguars made a move Britton emphatically promised they would not regret. Britton, who admits he might’ve “had a little bit too much to drink” that day, told the media that every team that passed him up would “regret it for the rest of the history of that franchise,” and that his agenda included first taking the Jaguars to the Super Bowl and second becoming the “greatest offensive tackle to ever play the game.” At the time, Britton understandably received flak for his comments. Now, he knows that it was probably not the best idea to speak out like he did. People close to him, such as his former Arizona offensive line-mate Joe Longacre, know why Britton said what he said, and believe that he can follow through on his word. “I understand the (public) reaction,” Longacre said. “I know how much of a competitor he is and anytime somebody tells you that you’re not good enough, if you’re a competitor, you get up and say, ‘I’m going to prove you wrong.’ Actions speak louder than words, so he probably didn’t need to say it. But I know exactly why he did. He had every right to say it and I believe he still thinks it and he’s gonna go out and prove it.”
The path to the draft Britton had always wanted to play football, but before high school, his mother wouldn’t let him play. After relentless prodding — plus a little bit of convincing from his father — Britton’s mother gave in and Eben’s career began.
Online at DAILYWILDCAT.COM Check out the rest of Britton’s story and what he had to say about college recruitment, draft day and injuries
Courtesy of arizona athletics
Former UA offensive lineman Eben Britton received a lot of criticism for his comments on draft day in 2009, but now in his fourth season in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he has learned from his mistakes and is ready to move forward.
Foles excited to play for Eagles By Mike Schmitz Daily Wildcat
gordon bates / Daily Wildcat
Former UA quarterback Nick Foles evades a tackle against Stanford on Sept. 21, 2011. Foles was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Draft.
With friends and family members by his side, Nick Foles sat in his living room in Austin, Texas, waiting to discover his NFL fate. The draft was deep into the third round and six quarterbacks had already been selected, leaving Foles anxious to hear when his name would be called. The Eagles, who were the only team to work Foles out before the draft, were five minutes from announcing their 88th overall selection, and Arizona’s all-time leading passer knew he could very well be their guy. As stress levels increased and anticipation built, crisis struck. All of the power in Foles’ house went out and he, his family and friends were left in the dark, clueless about the 6-foot-5, 243-pound quarterback’s destination. “We had no idea what was going on,” Foles said. “It was crazy.” Then Foles received a phone call from a number with a Pennsylvania area code, and the rest is history. The Eagles selected Foles with the 25th pick in the third round, giving him the chance to develop under
Check out our new design at
dailywildcat.com More content— FAST!
head coach Andy Reid and heralded offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, play behind Michael Vick, and be a part of one of the most passionate sports communities in the country. “Oh man, it’s a great feeling,” Foles said. “It’s a great organization. It was a team I liked a lot going through the draft process so I’m just blessed and ready to get to work.” The Eagles flew Foles out to their facilities on Saturday until Sunday to meet with the media, his fellow draftees and the rest of the coaching staff, and to start diving in to the playbook. Foles is currently in Austin, but he’ll head back to Philadelphia on May 11 for the start of mini-camp. He doesn’t know his exact role yet, but is driven to prove that the Eagles made the right pick and that there weren’t six quarterbacks in the draft better than him. “That’s something I’ll remember forever,” Foles said. “I think six quarterbacks were drafted before me and that’s something that drives me even more to become the best player I can be.” Foles will have all of the tools to do exactly that. Reid and Mornhingweg are notorious for developing
quarterbacks, and Foles is chomping at the bit. Then there are the offensive weapons he’s surrounded by that Foles described as “outstanding.” Wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are two of the more electric targets in the league, and running back LeSean McCoy is no slouch catching the ball out of the backfield. “What better situation for a quarterback and having all those threats around him?” former Arizona defensive back Robert Golden said of Foles’ situation. “That’s a great fit for Nick. For him to go in there and sit behind Vick will be great.” Former UA cornerback and seventh round selection to the Browns Trevin Wade agreed with Golden, saying, “It’s a really good fit,” while adding that Foles should get some reps due to Vick’s injury history. Regardless of how many looks he gets in his rookie season, Foles, who met Vick briefly before the draft, understands the benefits of sitting behind No. 7. “He seems like a really good dude,” Foles said of Vick. “He’s really laid back. He’s one of the greatest quarterbacks out there. It’s going to be an honor to learn from him.”