North Carolina State University Athletics
Teaching Fast Lessons
2/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track
Feb. 25, 2011
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Friday: 3-7:30 pm
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RALEIGH, N.C. - There's plenty of room to grow under Batman's wing.
That's what the NC State track and field coach Rollie Geiger thought when football wide receiver T.J. Graham, who picked up the nickname of the caped crusader during his days as a state high school sprint champion, joined his men's indoor team earlier this year and asked the speedy sprinter to help improve talented young runner Benjamin Major III.
This weekend, Geiger hopes to find out how much Graham's lessons have helped his young ward, as they both compete in the 60- and 200-meter dashes at the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships at Virginia Tech's Rector Field House in Blacksburg, Va.
The first day of the competition was Thursday, though the Wolfpack had no entries in the men's or women's multi-event competition. Friday, however, Graham and Major will both participate in preliminary heats for the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes as the competition gets into full swing. Live statistics for all events on both days will be available here.
For Graham, this indoor season is the first time he's run track since winning state championships in the 100- and 200-meter dashes as a senior at Raleigh's Wakefield High School three years ago. Since then, he's spent his time playing wide receiver and returning kicks for NC State's football team.
But this year, he and Wolfpack head coach Tom O'Brien worked out a plan for the world-class sprinter to join Geiger's track team. It's been a shot in the arm for Wolfpack track, not only because Graham has posted some of the nation's best times in his two events, but also because Graham is helping Major become an elite sprinter as well.
Acting in the role of teacher has helped Graham make a smoother return to the track, because it makes him think about all the things he needs to do as well. "To be able to give advice, I have to know what I am doing," Graham said. "It makes me think things through and make sure I do the right things too."
Graham has already posted the best times of his racing career with a 6.67 in the 60 and a 20.90 in the 200. And he's trying to bring Major, a sophomore from Fayetteville's E.E. Smith High School, along with him by teaching him a few tips and shortcuts that are second nature to Graham.
"I jokingly said to T.J. one day, `You need to take care of Ben,'" Geiger said. "He told me `I've already started.'
"To me, that shows a great amount of maturity. We all remember T.J. here from when he was a kid working out here. Now, he's an adult. He's matured on and off the track. I think that's why he's able to take some guys under his wing and help them out."
While Graham won state titles as a senior in high school, his heart has always been with football, going back to his days of working out on the track when the NC State football team practiced at the Derr Track Facility. He's used his speed to become an accomplished receiver and kick returner.
He's obviously good in the 60-, 100- and 200-meter sprints, but last fall at UNC's Kenan Stadium, he was particularly good in the 87-yard dash, scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a punt return in the Wolfpack's 29-25 victory over the Tar Heels.
But Graham was eager to return to the track this winter. He and Wolfpack head coach Tom O'Brien worked out a plan for the veteran receiver to join the track team. He's excused from winter workouts for now and once spring football practice begins, he will work with the football team on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the option of participating in Saturday scrimmages, depending on the track schedule.
"T.J. Graham is now part of a great tradition of NC State football players who also excel in track," O'Brien said. "We're glad that we were able to work with the track coaches and figure out a way that he's able to compete with them this spring and still prepare for a great senior season in football."
Among the many former football players who have helped the NC State track team are one of Graham's childhood idols and adolescent mentors, Danny Peebles. Through the years, many others have contributed to the success of the track program, including Michael Brooks, Ted Brown, Bubba Green, Joe Hannah, Izel Jenkins, Reggie Lawrence, Manny Lawson, Mike Quick, Sebastian Savage. Tremayne Stephens, Alvis Whitted, Nasrallah Worthen and Charley Young, just to name a few.
Graham won his first event on the track in January, at the Virginia Tech Invitational, with a career-best time of 6.70 seconds in the 60-meter dash. He has since lowered that time to 6.67 seconds. Against a strong field in Fayetteville, Ark., two weekends ago, Graham posted a career-best time of 20.90 seconds in the 200-meter dash, finishing fourth in the race and edging closer to the NCAA qualifying time of 20.70.
"That first race, I was actually kind of nervous, even though I probably seemed calm on the outside," Graham said. "I tried to think of it as a punt return or kickoff return. I think that has helped me win some races."
But the transition wasn't necessarily as easy as it might seem from the outside. "The environment was easy to adapt to," he said. "The training was actually pretty difficult. I've adapted my body to be a football player. I've put on some weight. It's not as easy to run fluidly as I have in the past.
"But I love being around the track. It's like being at home."
Major never told Graham this, but one of the reasons he came to NC State was the opportunity to run with Graham. The two had raced against each other once in high school (Graham won with relative ease) and Major hoped Graham would eventually join the track team.
"He's taught me a lot from Day 1," Major said. "He's always giving me pointers, little things that help me out as far as mechanics that are second nature to him. Just having T.J. around has uplifted me personally, with more competition at practice, at track meets. It's not just me. He's had a great impact on other people on the team."
Major has helped himself by getting stronger in the offseason and continuing to mature on the track. He's also gotten good instruction from sprint coach Terry Reese. But there's nothing quite like having someone of Graham's experience and ability lined up in the next lane, both in practice and in competition.
"He's helped me break down everything into components, especially in the blocks, which is my biggest weakness. That helps because I am a visual learner. "Coach Reese can tell me; T.J. can show me."
This weekend, Graham and Major hope to show the ACC just how far Batman and Robin have come along since they began working out with each other.
• By Tim Peeler, tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships
Schedule of Events
Friday, Feb. 25
11 a.m.: Men's Heptathlon: 60mH, PV, 1000m
Noon: Field Events: HJ (M), LJ (W), Weight Throw (W), Weight Throw (M), LJ (M), PV (W), HJ (W)
2 p.m.: Running Events (Qualifying): Mile, 60mH, 400m, 60m, 800m, 200m
6:10 p.m.: Running Events (Final): 5000m, Distance Medley Relay
Saturday, Feb. 26
11 a.m.: Field Events: SP (W), TJ (W), PV (M), SP (M), TJ (M)
Noon: Running Events (Final): Mile, 60mH, 400m, 60m, 800m, 200m, 3000m, 4x400m Relay
