With the country's attention focused on the Final Four and the ACC's own Maryland Terrapins, many college sports stories tend to slip through the cracks. One such tale is the upcoming NFL Draft. While Mel Kiper Jr. and his ilk offer up just about the best coverage possible of the pre-draft jockeying - which begs the question, what does Mel do for the rest of the year? - the story of the draft is not just that of Ashley Lelie's speed and the David Carr-Joey Harrington dilemma. One of the best - and most star-crossed - stories in the draft is right here in Charlottesville in Virginia's own Antwoine Womack.
You read Antwoine Womack's biography and wonder if he threw away a chain letter. He has gone from Virginia's top high school player, the subject of an intense recruiting battle between Virginia and Penn State, to a player who may not even be drafted. His senior year, when he was supposed to make up for lost time, turned into a year spent on the sidelines, watching and biding his time. Now Womack waits. He waits for April 20, the day of the NFL draft, to see if a team will take a flyer on a talented but injury-prone running back with a checkered past.
Womack's fame began in his high school days at Phoebus High in Hampton, where he was the first football player in school history to have his number retired. He finished his career as the Virginia Group AAA all-time leading rusher with 5,570 yards and was named the state's top football prospect his senior season.
But besides finding stardom, the drama also began for Antwoine Womack as a high school student. Penn State's Joe Paterno, now the winningest coach in college football history, wanted him. So did former Virginia coach George Welsh. Womack chose Penn State - at first. Then he decided he wanted to play for Virginia. His de-committment sparked rumors of a rift between friends Welsh and Paterno that persisted until the Cavaliers scheduled Penn State for the 2001 and 2002 football seasons. The recruiting battle started Womack's Virginia career on a bad note and foreshadowed the trouble that would follow him throughout his time as a Cavalier.
Womack was a success on the field almost immediately, backing up all-time leading rusher Thomas Jones and leading the team in rushing in one game. His sophomore season saw him finish sixth in the conference in rushing and make second-team all-ACC without even starting a game.
However, his personal life began to cause problems, as he was convicted of assault during his freshman year for feeling a woman's rear end at a party. Less than a year later, Womack was convicted of misdemeanor assault for his role in a fight. The second charge caused him to miss the 1999 football season. Rumors spread throughout the Charlottesville community that neither charge was legitimate.
Despite the success of his sophomore season in 1998, Womack's junior season was truly his coming-out party. Even after a year's layoff, in his first season as the Cavaliers' starter he exploded for an ACC-best 1,028 yards and nine touchdowns. He earned first-team All-ACC honors for his efforts and received Virginia's Outstanding Offensive Player Award. He became a fan favorite and even offered up some interesting sound bites when he claimed that he switched numbers, from 8 to 1, because 1 "looked faster."
The 2001 season was shaping up to be Womack's best as a Cavalier. A new coach, Al Groh, had re-energized the program, and Womack was ready to lead the new-look Cavaliers. All of that changed in the first quarter of the season opener against Wiscon-
sin when Womack slipped on the wet artificial turf, sprained his ankle and was lost for several games.
Despite the severity of his high-ankle injury, Womack returned for the Georgia Tech game and helped spark the Virginia comeback that culminated with Bryson Spinner's hook-and-ladder pass to Billy McMullen and Alvin Pearman. Womack also led the Cavalier comeback against Penn State in his final game in a Virginia uniform, rushing for 153 yards on 31 carries - both season highs for Virginia players - and answering those who doubted the health of his ankle.
The future now looked bright again for Womack. He had shown his talent at the end of the season and put himself in position to be picked in the NFL Draft, possibly on the first day.
Womack was set to improve his draft position even further in the Rotary Gridiron Classic in Orlando, Fla. The senior all-star game was his last chance to showcase his skills for the NFL.
And it backfired. Womack carried only one time in the game, for minus-one yard, and tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the process. In one play, Womack had fallen from a probable third-round pick in the draft to possibly not being drafted at all.
So Antwoine Womack waits. He waits to see if his injuries and his past will keep him from achieving his football dreams. He waits to see if an NFL team will take a chance on him. His talent is undeniable. All he needs is one more chance to show it off.
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