Members of the Vanderbilt football team are used to throwing, catching, hitting and sweating, just not on a softball field.
When offensive tackles Chris Williams and Brian Stamper and fullback Stephen Bright first came up with the idea to start a summer softball league consisting solely of football players, they were simply looking for a way to have a good time amidst the stress and demands of summer school.
While the players’ decision to spend Sunday evenings at the softball field may have begun as a way to have a good time, the change of scenery also allowed the players to bond in a way not always possible during football practice.
“Playing softball allowed us to come to know each other on a more personal level,” said senior wide receiver Marlon White. “I think it was different than what happens during practice because it was leisure time we spent together. At football practice we are at work.”
The Sunday afternoon softball games were hardly work for most of the 50 players that participated. Many of them had previous experience playing baseball, either on their high school’s varsity baseball team or for fun in their spare time. According to Williams, others had a bit more difficulty and struck out almost every time.
However, it was the time spent together, not the individual achievements, that made this activity such a worthwhile experience for members of the football team.
“Playing softball helped to increase team unity because you got to work with people you wouldn’t normally work with on the football field,” Williams said. “For example, I got to work with defensive people and even some offensive players I don’t normally play with.”
The Commodores’ camaraderie helped to gain them national press recognition. The football players turned softball stars were featured in a SportsIllustrated.com story entitled “Forming a Bond.”
White believes that the bonds created this summer will last well into the season and beyond.
“We bonded more like brothers,” White said. “We know we have each others’ backs on the field and off the field.”
