Article from Houston paper on Cam's Blinn days

[Tiger Wench]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/7294741.html

Calm before storm
Cam Newton found refuge at Blinn as a model student before being beset by a tidal wave of accusations at Auburn
By JOSEPH DUARTE
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
Nov. 15, 2010, 9:48AM

Fellow students would call Cam Newton by his jersey number even though he led Blinn College to No. 1.

BRENHAM — The Cam Newton that folks around here know was an unstoppable force on the football field and a quiet, low-key student in the classroom. Not the Cam Newton accused of academic misconduct. Not the Cam Newton denying accusations of a pay-for-play scandal that has launched an NCAA investigation.

And certainly not the Cam Newton at the epicenter of a college football drama that could have repercussions on the Bowl Championship Series outcome and Heisman Trophy balloting.

It's here at Blinn College that Newton sought sanctuary and a second chance in football after transferring from Florida.

Nearly a year since Newton left for Auburn and the Southeastern Conference, there's little evidence he ever set foot on this bucolic campus of 2,400 students located about an hour west of Houston.

The only reminder of Newton is a billboard-like sign that commemorates the school's four junior college national titles in football.

Across the street, in the basement coaches' offices of the Old Main Building, hang a few pictures of Newton. One is a framed poster he signed as a souvenir for a member of the school's staff.

Those who knew the Georgia native at Blinn - former coaches, classmates and even those who shared with him only a chance encounter - portray the athletically gifted Newton as a star-in-the-making who simply wanted to blend in. They staunchly defend his character and generally refuse to believe any of the accusations now directed against him.

Newton's supporters in Brenham describe him as low-key. Humble. Special. Always smiling. Competitive.

"The first time I met him, I knew there was something special about him," Blinn football coach Brad Franchione said. "The way he spoke, the way he looked you in the eye, the way he reached out and shook your hand. ... I knew there was something special."

Support from afar

By all accounts, the only trouble Newton caused in two semesters at Blinn was for opposing defensive coordinators. By the time he left, Newton had earned an associate's degree and led the Buccaneers to a national title in 2009.

Franchione, the son of former Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione, said it's "definitely difficult" to watch his former player wrestle with today's allegations while trying to keep Auburn undefeated and in title contention.

Blinn officials, including Franchione, who said he has no direct knowledge of the NCAA's ongoing investigation, are monitoring the situation and offering support while trying to keep their distance "and not cause more of a distraction," as athletic director David Rehr put it.

The Newton they knew "was a model student, did everything he was supposed to do," Rehr said.

And he always wore a smile.

"I knew there was something wrong with him if he didn't," Franchione said.

In November 2008 while at Florida, Newton was arrested on felony charges of burglary, larceny and obstruction of justice after allegedly purchasing a laptop that was reported stolen by a Florida student and traced to Newton. The charges were later dropped after Newton took part in a pretrial diversion program.

Newton was suspended from the Gators football team. He was later welcomed back, but he elected to transfer when Heisman winner Tim Tebow decided to return for his senior year.

Newton told reporters in Alabama that the decision to attend Blinn was mostly "up to my father - whatever way he felt I should go, that's the way I was going to go."

Cecil Newton told Sports Illustrated the Brenham school was "like a remote rehab process" for his son, and "that was his resurrection."

Cam Newton called the decision to attend Blinn, a JUCO football powerhouse, "one of the most influential decisions in my life."

"I think it was a good time for him to be off the radar, to be able to lay low and focus on the details of his life," Franchione said of Newton's time at Blinn.

Before Newton could enroll at Blinn, however, Franchione and school officials conducted their own inquiry into the situation at Florida.

"We have a (National Junior College Athletic Association) policy that you can't take a student-athlete that is not eligible to go back to the institution he was at," Rehr said. "So, upon him leaving Florida, he was still in good standing as a student, and he was still in good standing with the (football) program.

"We were assured by people in the admissions office and the coaching staff at Florida that he was in good standing."

A spokesman for the NJCAA said there is no current investigation into Newton's one year at Blinn. The NJCAA considers "the book closed" on Newton's time in Brenham, the spokesman said.

Toeing the line

In question today are events that allegedly occurred both before and after Newton's star turn in Brenham. According to ESPN.com, former Mississippi State football player Kenny Rogers was shopping Newton's services and said Newton's father contacted him in an attempt to solicit money in exchange for his son's signing with the Bulldogs. Franchione said he was unaware of any "bidding war" during Cam Newton's recruitment out of Blinn.

"That's a definitive no," Franchione said. "In his time when he was at Blinn, his recruitment was the same as any other player that's been recruited out of Blinn."

There also are allegations Newton was involved in three instances of academic cheating while at Florida, according to Foxsports.com.

At Blinn, despite his stature as the No. 1-rated quarterback prospect in the country, Newton kept a low profile.

He didn't have a car and didn't own a TV in his one-bedroom on-campus apartment. During his free time, Newton would read a book — Leadership Is an Art by Max DePree — lent to him by Franchione. The two would spend time during the week discussing each chapter.

Newton played intramural basketball, was known to crack an occasional joke while sitting in the back row in history class and mingled with the rest of the student population.

"It was really cool having a good person like Cam to cheer for," said Hailey Wade, a sophomore from Klein Collins and member of the school's dance team. "Everybody knew his name on campus even though he was really quiet."

Quiet off the field but a force of nature on it. In his only season at Blinn, Newton led the Buccaneers to an 11-1 record, passing for 2,833 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for 655 yards and 16 touchdowns. He helped Blinn begin the season with a 24-17 victory over then-No. 1 ranked Butler County (Kan.) Community College and end it with a 31-26 win over Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College for the JUCO national title.

Left mark sans bravado

Michael Kaye, a sophomore in the Blinn marching band, said Newton always acknowledged other students when his name was called.

"We'd hang out and yell, 'Hey, No. 2 (Newton's jersey number),' and he would always wave back," Kaye said. "If there was ever a guy that was straightforward ... he was really relaxed."

Nathan Winkleman, past president of the Blinn alumni association, said Newton learned from his earlier mistakes and was "on a mission" in Brenham.

"He was very, Yes sir, no sir,' " Winkleman said. "One of those kids everybody couldn't wait to be around. It's a shame all this is happening now. It's just unfortunate."

Newton was as good as advertised in Brenham. In fact, only one element of stardom was missing from his persona.

"He didn't have the bravado," Rehr said. "When it came to being a student, he was low-key. Cam wasn't a look-at-me guy. He never tried to stand out. He wasn't even the region most valuable player or national player of the year."

Nevertheless, Newton left his mark.

"(He's) probably the most competitive person I've ever met," Franchione said. "When he got into a competitive situation in practice, I could see the sparkle in his eye and the desire to be the best."

And if Newton weathers the allegations currently bearing down on him? If he wins the coveted Heisman Trophy?

"It's once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Cam, and I'd venture to say for me," Franchione said. "For me to have the opportunity to coach somebody who is nominated and potentially the Heisman Trophy winner would be very special for myself, for Cam and his family and the people of Blinn College."

Newton is part of Blinn's history now.

"He might have made a mistake in his past," Winkleman said. "Everybody has made a mistake, and he's made it right and played on and done well."