North Carolina State University Athletics
Seeing The Field
10/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 28, 2004
By Pat Norris - Poised and attentive, senior roverback Andre Maddox stands waiting, his eyes alert, waiting for the right time to make a move while checking out his surroundings. He doesn't speak, at least not at first, but as everything develops in front of him, he makes his play.
That could be an accurate description of Maddox on the field, but it applies off the field as well.
The difference, thankfully, is that he won't fly across the table and knock me to the ground, though Maddox won't hesitate to make that play on the field. He speaks, quietly at first, but more relaxed and unrestrained as time passes.
"To the general public I think I come off as a quiet guy," Maddox said. "When I'm around the guys on the team or my family, things are a little different. I'm a pretty quiet guy when I first meet you and I don't want to give a bad first impression."
Maddox isn't much of a talker on the field either.
"I don't really talk to opposing teams on the field," Maddox said. "If I tackle someone I might say something, but I'm not going to yell across the line before the ball is snapped. If you get beat, they'll let you hear about it."
After coming to NC State, Maddox waited almost three years before telling the media relations office that his last name was pronounced "madd OCKS." While humble, you can sense his passion for life, success, family and football.
He enjoys reading about black history and Malcolm X, recently finishing the civil rights leader's biography. As a kid, and to this day when he returns home, he likes to ride dirt bikes, for the thrill of speed. When not reading or seeking that next adrenaline rush on the bike, he can be found with his teammates, perhaps on "DB Night Out," as Maddox calls it.
"Every Thursday we try to get together and go out, a defensive back night," Maddox said. "We pick a restaurant and chill, just some guys on the team. It isn't just defensive backs though. Tank [DeMarcus Tyler] and Marcus Stone come, and sometimes other guys. It's just a time that we can get together and get away to talk about other things, maybe not just football, but anything."
The bond among the Wolfpack teammates is evident, and is something that Maddox will miss most when no longer donning the red and white after his final season. The fans are also a factor for Maddox, but that is too easy of an answer according to him. Playing in front of a packed stadium is thrilling, and he even likes road games because of the raucous environment.
"There are always butterflies, but I never really start to feel it until 10 minutes before the game," Maddox said. "I've never felt anything like how it feels to run out of that tunnel before the game to thousands of rowdy fans, even on the road. The crowd noise just gets you pumped up.
"The average player might say he'll miss the fans the most, but to me, it'll be my teammates. The team is always together and has something to do, whether it's winter workouts, practices, or just down time. We've all built strong bonds over the years, and that helps when you are in practice and in games for such a long stretch of the year. Everyone stays focused and stays together. It'll be hardest to leave those guys."
The Wolfpack is his family outside of Miami, but a tight-knit family and strong parenting kept Maddox out of trouble and focused on what is important. He knew going to college was a smart step, and getting his degree will be a proud moment. Maddox is one of seven children, four boys and three girls. Two of his sisters currently are honor students at the University of Florida, while he also has a brother at Florida International University. The reason that he and his siblings have all made the proper decisions is easily traced back to his mother.
"She raised all seven of us the right way," Maddox said. "She wasn't the most affectionate. I don't mean that she was anti-affection, but she was hard on us and made sure we behaved the right way when we were young. As we got older we got more from her, and she gave us more responsibility, too. It was almost like we had to earn our way and freedom.
"I had some friends that were given that same freedom and got into the wrong situations because of it. We were taught how to act and to do the right thing, and I think she did the right thing, no question. All of us have done the right thing so far and I think her doing what she did with us has paid off."
As a kid, Maddox was fond of New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor and his defensive prowess. The NFL is the next goal for Maddox after graduation, and it is something that his mother is perhaps the most proud of.
"I know she'll be happy that I got my degree, but to her I think my football goals are most important," Maddox said. "Ever since I started playing football in 1991, I've wanted to get to the NFL. She knows how much it means to me and she would love to see me achieve both of my dreams of getting my degree and making it to the NFL."
The draw of the NFL and Lawrence Taylor was always defense and big hits for a young Maddox.
"Taylor was always my favorite because of his hitting ability," Maddox said. "For some reason I always liked defensive players growing up, and the only offensive player I ever really liked or followed was Jerry Rice. LT was always on the edge and always did things all out at full speed."
Maddox would learn a first-hand lesson on hitting from his older brother, Terek. After Andre came home from his first day of practice, the younger Maddox was beaming with pride over being a part of a team and having his first set of pads.
"It was my first year playing," Maddox said. "I just got my pads and was excited because I thought I was doing something big. I was finally part of a team, and I didn't think I was good, but I was proud. I guess he wanted to show off and show me up.
"He was a wide receiver and a basketball player, but we went out there to hit on my first day back from practice. I was ready, but he knocked me back a couple of times and hit me good this one time. He knocked me back to this tree stump and it was pretty funny when it happened, but as I grew older, it never happened again."
Maddox has a shot at the NFL, with his nose for the football and hitting ability. Though slowed by a hamstring injury most of 2004, Maddox was an All-ACC performer in 2003, leading the team in tackles with 145. He was fourth in the country and tops in the ACC with 113 solo stops, and was the team's most valuable defensive back for the season.
Playing in the NFL would also hold a special meaning for Maddox, as it would have made his father proud. His father passed away in 1996, and each and every day Maddox wears a necklace his father gave him. The necklace was given to young Andre when he was 11. He describes it as just a regular necklace, but after a few minutes of conversation about his father, you can tell it is anything but regular.
"He was a big part of my life and it was tough when he passed," Maddox said. "My dad went to prison when I was really young, but when he got out things were going really good. He had a good job and was working and making money. I never wanted anything when he was alive, but when he died it was like a part of me was left empty. It was something that he gave me that no other person had, someone that would do anything for you and someone you could turn to. Keeping this necklace keeps him with me all the time.
"He would be very proud of me. I had a cousin that played at Kansas State and almost made it to the NFL. He was always saying that one day, one of us would make it, so getting there is something that I can do for him, for my mom and for me. I would love to be the first to make it."
A quiet kid with a big heart and strong commitment to his family, he has already made it in life, as a standout college player and son. If Andre Maddox can make it to the NFL, his dreams will be complete, as will the wishes of his parents. And that might just be the most important thing in life.
