Boulder – How does a young man from the tough Fifth Ward in Houston wind up surrounded by rocks and mountains?
“Football,” Buffaloes V-back Lawrence Vickers said.
Simple and clear from a 22-year-old who likes things that way.
Succinct from the sixth of nine children, the first this close to gaining a college degree. Terse from an emotional leader who speaks to teammates in what he calls his most natural manner – real, rugged, rough.
“I wanted to do something different, vibe in a different scene,” Vickers said. “I wanted a total turnaround.”
This senior running back – a key player in Colorado State vs. Colorado on Saturday – initially found it.
Then lost it.
The fresh new scene, the new start quickly crumbled. As soon as he put on his old No. 34 jersey, trouble followed and lasted his first two CU seasons.
His son was injured in a car accident. His closest friend was murdered in Houston. A teammate, linebacker Brian Iwuh, suffered the death of his stepfather and brother in Houston and Vickers traveled home with a football signed by their Buffaloes teammates – and wound up in jail for seven days because of old traffic tickets. His father became ill from walking pneumonia. An aunt died of HIV. His program was caught in a recruiting and sex scandal. He was not playing his best football. His grades slumped.
So, before last season, Vickers sought another new vibe, another turnaround.
He changed his uniform from No. 34 to No. 17.
“I had been through a lot and one way to change it was to strip the worst from my life and skim things down, cut things in half,” Vickers said. “Some things I could not control but some I could. I could let my talent shine. I could be a better student. I could be a better leader for the team. I cut my number in half. And that’s why.”
His final season at CU gives him a chance to finish full, satisfied. It starts with Colorado State. Expect a physical, brutal game, Vickers said.
“It’s the first game of the year and we’re playing them?” Vickers said. “This game is going to have a lot of impact on a lot of people. What is your building point going to be?”
That is a fine question to ask CU’s offense. We know where it has been. Where is it going?
CU scored 319 points in 12 games two seasons ago and finished with a 5-7 record. It scored 304 points this past season even though it played one more game than in the season before. Though CU finished with an 8-5 record and bowl victory, the lack of scoring punch limited its rise.
Fans know CU employs a multiple offense, but where is the consistency, the production?
Vickers thinks it will be there this season. It is an experienced offense now, full of veterans.
As long as Vickers is part of the nucleus of this offense, I will buy it.
He can play fullback, tailback, receiver and even line up in the slot – V-back stands for versatility. He is 6-feet-2, 230 pounds, likes to pound, “but if it comes to that, I can outrun a couple of people.”
What I like about this player is his willingness to pitch his toughness, strength, will and passion into his play.
“I only fear God; I fear no player, no man,” Vickers said. “I’m into that Ray Lewis, Bill Romanowski stuff; I can get nasty, raw on the field. I get into that zone where I want to destroy something. I can block, run or catch it. I am a person who truly loves football. When we’re playing a team, I will take on the best player. I feel like a successful player has to be half animal out there; it’s required to succeed, to dominate.
“All eyes were on this team last year. People wanted to see how we were going to handle the situation with all of the criticism of the program. Everyone was looking to see what was going to happen to us. Last year we turned it around. It was a total turnaround.”
Vickers specializes in that.
Every football team needs a player like this, one who keeps things real, rugged and rough.
“Up until the minute I die, I will still be seeking to be great,” Vickers said. “We’re ready. We’re about to keep turning this thing around.”
Staff writer Thomas Georgecan be reached at 303-820-1994 or tgeorge@denverpost.com.
