Having a thousand yard rusher is nothing new for the Fort Scott Community College Greyhound football program since 2nd year head coach Curtis Horton stepped on the campus of FSCC. Horton has seen his Greyhound running backs rush for over 1,000 yards in five of his six seasons at the Fort; the first four as an offensive coordinator and the last two as the head coach.
Having running backs like Jasmin Hopkins, Rodney Lovett, Martese Jackson, and now Stanley Hagan this year in the backfield make an offensive coach feel pretty good about running the ball over 35 times a game. That is the average of running plays per game since Horton has been at Fort Scott. But, it is the unsung heroes that make it possible for these great running backs to run free and stay healthy; they are the offensive linemen who are most commonly known at FSCC as the "Big Nasties".
When asked about how the nickname "Big Nasties" came about Coach Horton chuckles and says that, "while I was coaching football at Sublette High School I would take some of the bigger kids and put them through my weight program, and get them to buy into playing the less glamorous position of offensive line and wanted to give them a nickname and "Big Nasties" seemed to be fitting".
Since his arrival at Fort Scott, Horton has seen more Greyhound offensive linemen sign letters of intent to play football at four-year universities than any other Jayhawk Junior College Conference program.
One of the most notable offensive lineman that has gone through the "Big Nastie" program was Jermarcus "Yoshi" Hardrick; Hardrick played for Horton during the 2008 and 2009 seasons before transferring to the University of Nebraska. Hardrick was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2012 NFL draft as a undrafted free agent.
"Getting players to want to play the position is one of the hardest things, offensive lineman do the dirty work and usually don't get recognition for their work," Horton says about what it takes to be a good offensive lineman.
Ryan Kincaid, who played for Coach Horton during the last two seasons and came back to help coach the "Big Nasties" this year feels that being part of the O-line group was one of the things in college he will never forget.
"It was a real sense of family, we were a close knit group that did everything together and it showed by the way we communicated on the field" Kincaid commented about his experience as a "Big Nastie". Kincaid added, "my two years playing at the Fort taught me how to be part of a team and that it took a whole unit to win and not just one person".
Current "Big Nastie" sophomore tackle Chris Mayer said that being part of this unit teaches a player responsibility and leadership, "if you are part of this group you should be the first on the line and the last to leave the field, to always be on time, and to always know what your teammate's next move is going to be".
Mayer is one of five starters that make up what could be the biggest "Big Nastie" lines that Horton has had at FSCC. Tackles Mayer and Anthony Moore both stand 6-7 and weigh over 300 pounds while guards Kareem Are and Spencer Gatewood even the line at 300 and 285 respectively. Center Spencer Trumbly rounds out the O-line weighing in at 240 pounds.
Mayer and Trumbly will be the latest of the Big Nastie alumni that will leave Fort Scott and go on to play for a four year university as both players are being heavily recruited; Mayer by Florida A & M while Fort Hays State is looking at Trumbly.
Every running back will say that their success would never of happened without the help of the big fellas up front blocking and leading the way for them; this statement has also been true for the last six years here at "The FORT", where the Big Nasties call home.
Saturday will be the last game of the 2012 football campaign for the Greyhounds as they play host to the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes.
Game time is set for 1:00pm.