AAA Player of the Year in high school basketball and football, two straight NCAA Tournament appearances with the University of Washington, 21st pick in the NBA Draft, three-time Sprite Slam Dunk Champion, and 10-year NBA veteran seems like a resumé one would be content with, but not Nate Robinson. No, Robinson is not even done filling up his resumé. Robinson announced last Thursday that he will be trying out to play in the NFL.
Now, we all know of the stories of Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan. Bo was the Heisman Trophy winner in 1985 and the first overall pick in the 1986 NFL Draft. He played for four seasons with a Pro Bowl spot in 1990. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the fourth round of the 1986 MLB Draft as well, playing for ten years in the MLB with an All-Star MVP Award in 1989. He is the most famous athlete to be successful in two major league sports. As for Michael Jordan, well, we all know the legacy of Michael Jordan. 14 All-Star appearances (13 All-Star games played), six time NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP, 10 time NBA First Team, and the list goes on. Though he never played for the Chicago White Sox, he did play for their AA team, the Birmingham Barons. Still, it's an accomplishment to play at both sports at any level. Will Nate Robinson be the next that we mention after talking about these two?
Most notable for picking off a pass in the final minutes of the 2002 Apple Cup against rival Washington State, Robinson is the real deal when it came to football in college. Its more of a “seeing is believing” sort of thing, though. Robinson accumulated 17.2 punt yards per punt return in his 2002 college football season and two interceptions as a cornerback. But the man is an athlete. He recorded a 4.4 second 40 yard dash in high school track and recorded a 2.96 second full-court sprint at NBA combine, which was the fastest. Besides his athleticism, he’s not a stranger to the game, though strictly playing basketball the past 10 years. "I haven't played in 11 years, 12 years," Robinson said. "But I know how to play. I know how to hit. I know how to catch—I can get picks, I can get deflections. I know all techniques—bump, seven yards off, five yards off. I know it all.”
Other athletes know Robinson is not just doing this as a publicity stunt. They know he is serious about these goals, and that they're very possible. “He was on the [scouting] report as a game wrecker. When a coach puts you on the list as being a game wrecker, you have the ability to take over a game,” said Mercedes Lewis, 10-year NFL veteran and previous UCLA football player. Even people who know the game at the coaching level know his potential. “He knows where to be, he feels the game. The guy has what it takes to play football at the highest level,” commented previous coach for Robinson at the University of Washington. “In my mind I have seen one athlete that could do this, and that is Nate Robinson.”
So, does Robinson have what it takes to secure himself a spot in the NFL? Only time and the workouts will tell. Former teammate Jamal Crawford seems to think it is a sure thing asserting, “I wouldn’t bet against him, 'Nate the Great.' He’s always been able to do things that people dream about or said wasn’t possible.”
