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Brian Leonard on Coach Schiano: “I have more respect and appreciation for him than any coach I have ever been around.”

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GSGS

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Great piece by Kristian Dyer.

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“Coach Schiano became one of the biggest influences in my life. His ability to develop young men is second to none. He helped me develop a tireless work ethic, great leadership qualities, and mental toughness which I still carry with me to this day,” Leonard said. “I have more respect and appreciation for him than any coach I have ever been around.”​
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Brian toughed out 8 years in the NFL, lasting until age 30 despite some serious shoulder injuries. Today he is a principal in a successful real estate firm. He will always be a RU fan favorite.
 
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The moment in the picture where Leonard picked up the sword was special and what college athletics is all about.

His decisions to redshirt his frosh year (when he certainly could have played) and also return for his senior year were uncanny and would be hard to imagine in today’s game….but that’s what made him special.

Always seemed incredibly grounded.
 
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By far the finest (not best) athlete to graduate from Rutgers in my lifetime.
I will always remember when Peter King voted him as Sports Illustrated athlete of the year (he didn't win).
BTW if anyone has a link to Peter King's article about his vote for Brian and could provide a link it would be most appreciated. I've looked but can't find it
 
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198hamilton said:
By far the finest (not best) athlete to graduate from Rutgers in my lifetime.
I will always remember when Peter King voted him as Sports Illustrated athlete of the year (he didn't win).
BTW if anyone has a link to Peter King's article about his vote for Brian and could provide a link it would be most appreciated. I've looked but can't find it
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here you go

Brian Leonard Sportsman of Year
 
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You have to respect the opinion of a player/man like Brian.beaced does and wishes him a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
 
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GSGS said:
Great piece by Kristian Dyer.

MSN

www.msn.com

“Coach Schiano became one of the biggest influences in my life. His ability to develop young men is second to none. He helped me develop a tireless work ethic, great leadership qualities, and mental toughness which I still carry with me to this day,” Leonard said. “I have more respect and appreciation for him than any coach I have ever been around.”​
​
Brian toughed out 8 years in the NFL, lasting until age 30 despite some serious shoulder injuries. Today he is a principal in a successful real estate firm. He will always be a RU fan favorite.
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And some idiot poster said all seniors hated him.
 
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GSGS said:
Great piece by Kristian Dyer.

MSN

www.msn.com

“Coach Schiano became one of the biggest influences in my life. His ability to develop young men is second to none. He helped me develop a tireless work ethic, great leadership qualities, and mental toughness which I still carry with me to this day,” Leonard said. “I have more respect and appreciation for him than any coach I have ever been around.”​
​
Brian toughed out 8 years in the NFL, lasting until age 30 despite some serious shoulder injuries. Today he is a principal in a successful real estate firm. He will always be a RU fan favorite.
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Good enough for me. BL is a solid person.
 
I remember Terry Shea's motto was "Absolute Loyalty". The guy wasn't a great fit in NJ as a head coach, but he was a man of his word and a good man. Without him following that motto, history may have played out differently for us (though I still think Schiano would have found a way to be successful).
 
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colbert17 said:
Syracuse loves to say that they're New York's team. If you google distances State College is actually closer to NYC than Syracuse is
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In basketball they are. In lacrosse they are a force. In football they are practically a mirage. Army and SU football haven't even played since the mid 90s. Army football is bigger than SU in southern NY and the local media barely even covers them (Army that is). NY sucks for football .
 
ashokan said:
In basketball they are. In lacrosse they are a force. In football they are practically a mirage. Army and SU football haven't even played since the mid 90s. Army football is bigger than SU in southern NY and the local media barely even covers them (Army that is). NY sucks for football .
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Not sure about that. NYC's basketball team is and always will be St. John's.
 
I sometimes wondered if Ray Rice's development was accelerated because of BL. That is, as a lead blocker for RR, BL could find the hole (because he was a good experienced runner) and then block the first person in.

Merely following BL and seeing what he was doing could have helped RR pick up good habits in that regard that he carried over after BL left as well as on plays where BL was not the lead blocker.

I do recall watching a few practices where I saw BL giving tips to RR.. and then, years later, seeing RR giving tips to another RB... about how to position feet getting in a stance (hard to tell, but perhaps his foot position was a tip as to where he was gonna go.. something to correct).
 
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fg7321 said:
The reason Brian was at Rutgers is because Coach Schiano honored his brother's scholarship even after he was injured. At a young age Brain saw what type of man Greg Schiano was.
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That was actually Coach Shea who did that, and his brother’s name is Nate.
 
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GoodOl'Rutgers said:
I sometimes wondered if Ray Rice's development was accelerated because of BL. That is, as a lead blocker for RR, BL could find the hole (because he was a good experienced runner) and then block the first person in.

Merely following BL and seeing what he was doing could have helped RR pick up good habits in that regard that he carried over after BL left as well as on plays where BL was not the lead blocker.

I do recall watching a few practices where I saw BL giving tips to RR.. and then, years later, seeing RR giving tips to another RB... about how to position feet getting in a stance (hard to tell, but perhaps his foot position was a tip as to where he was gonna go.. something to correct).
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Absolutely. And that’s how it’s supposed to be. Veterans passing on their knowledge to the young bucks, so you end up with the best team possible.
 
drewbagel423 said:
Being unfamiliar with the story I'm not sure if that's a pun or a typo.
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@beaced doesn't make typos. He was there. He saw it happen. She reclined.

antony-cleopatra-opener_4x3.jpg
 
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drewbagel423 said:
Being unfamiliar with the story I'm not sure if that's a pun or a typo.
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I think beaced was channeling The Bowery Boys.

There was one scene where the leader, Muggs (or Slip?) was paid a compliment by a woman, and he responded, “the feeling is paramutual, I’m insured.”
 
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fg7321 said:
The reason Brian was at Rutgers is because Coach Schiano honored his brother's scholarship even after he was injured. At a young age Brain saw what type of man Greg Schiano was.
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It was Terry Shea who honored Nate Leonard's scholarship to come play at Rutgers after getting injured in HS that eventually led Brian to reciprocate the loyalty to RU under Schiano.

Nate got hurt again playing at RU and Schiano did not process him out or push him to transfer out when he arrived, if that's what you mean about Schiano honoring Nate's scholarship, after he was hurt while playing for Rutgers.
 
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