Jeremiah Trotter: Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame

Jeremiah Trotter, a former linebacker and SFA lumberjack, was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame in November 2016. Trotter was also inducted into the Stephen F. Austin Hall of Fame in 2014. Trotter was a linebacker for SFA football from 1995 to 1997. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles for eight years out of his 11 total seasons with the NFL.

Trotter grew up in Hooks, Texas which is near the Texarkana area. He began his college football career with the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks in 1995. At this time, Trotter was a sophomore linebacker that earned 133 tackles during his first season. SFA football was 11-2 during 1995 and the team also went on to the I-AA division semi-finals. Trotter ended his SFA career with 300 tackles along with 31 starts out of 32 games played.

In the 1998 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles chose Trotter in the third round as the 72^nd overall pick. Trotter had a rough start with the Eagles. The young linebacker was deactivated from part of his first season due to the loss of his father. For his second season in 1999, Trotter was back and started making his name known in Philadelphia.

According to ESPN.com, Trotter had a career total of 720 tackles and 12.5 sacks with 147 games played. Trotter was with the Eagles for eight seasons, the Washington Redskins for two seasons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a single season. Trotter was invited to the Pro Bowl four times and all of his postseason appearances were with the Eagles. With Trotter’s help on defense, the Philadelphia Eagles even went to Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 against the New England Patriots.

Trotter was called the “Axe Man,” during his time in the NFL. He is most well-known for his time with the Eagles, even though his eight seasons were divided into three parts. On November 28, 2016, Trotter was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame.

In a 2015 interview with Jim Gehman, Trotter said about his time with the Eagles, "I thank God every day that I spent a majority of my career in Philadelphia."

By Roxanne Leila Morelos

Update: Gus "The Bus" Johnson

After the NFL preseason all teams have made final cuts and updated their 53-man rosters. Former SFA student and running back for the Dallas Cowboys, Gus Johnson has been released from the team, but his efforts did not go unnoticed. Johnson has been added to the Cowboys practice squad.

The Cowboys played four preseason games this year and Johnson started for two of those games. He also scored a touchdown during both games. Johnson played against the San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans. During the last preseason game against Houston, Johnson scored a 21-yard touchdown for the Cowboys.

Only two days later, Dallas waived on signing Johnson to the final team. He was not picked up for any final NFL team roster. Since Johnson remained unsigned by any team, the Cowboys selected him to be a member for the practice squad. As a member of the practice team this means if a serious injury affects any Dallas player, Johnson could be called up to the 53-man roster. He could be called up to the 53-man roster for another team as well.

The official NFL season has started and the Cowboys are 2-0 after playing against the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. Even though the Cowboys have won both their games this season, they have lost a few players due to injuries. Quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant were both injured.

Since the Cowboys will be making adjustments after these injuries, Gus "The Bus" Johnson may be closer to joining the 53-man roster. The next game for the Dallas Cowboys is September 27, 2015 against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are 2-0 as well.

By Roxanne Leila Morelos

Gus "The Bus" Johnson

Gus Johnson, a 5-foot-10 running back from Gilmer, Texas was the 2014 Southland Conference Player of the Year and as of July 2015, he was an undrafted rookie for the Dallas Cowboys. Johnson has played in two preseason games with the Cowboys and has a chance to be selected for the final 53-man roster.

Johnson graduated from Gilmer High School and started playing football for Stephen F. Austin State University in 2011. From 2011 to 2014, the SFA running back gained attention from the SLC and earned honors such as all-time leading rusher for SFA, three-time All-SLC selection and 2014 SLC Player of the Year. Johnson ended his SFA football career with 21 100-yard and four 200-yard rushing performances.

The 2015 NFL Draft originally lead Johnson to the Oakland Raiders team in May 2015. Johnson attended training camp in Oakland, but later that summer he would be released from the Raiders. From one NFL team to another, Johnson made it to the 90-man roster for the Dallas Cowboys.

The first 2015 preseason game for the Cowboys was in San Diego against the Chargers. Johnson was the starting running back for this August 13, 2015 game. The only touchdown Dallas scored that night was earned by Johnson, which helped him gain the nickname Gus "The Bus" Johnson. In the second Dallas preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, Johnson also played in the fourth quarter.

September 2015 is when all NFL teams must make their final cuts. Rosters will be cut to 75 men on September 1 and September 5 is the date all rosters will be finalized with 53 men.

The Dallas Cowboys face the Minnesota Vikings for their third preseason game on Aug. 29, 2015.

By Roxanne Leila Morelos

Hunter Dozier: Minor League With Major Potential

The 2013 MLB Draft was just like any other year, but this was a significant event for Hunter Dozier, a shortstop from Stephen F Austin State University. Dozier was selected by the Kansas City Royals as the eighth overall pick and signed on with a $2.2 million signing bonus.

The 6 foot 4 and 220 pound Dozier graduated from Denton High School where he played baseball and played as the quarterback for the Denton HS football team. He later attended SFA where he played college baseball.

Some of his awards while at SFA include Southland Conference Player and Hitter of the Year with a .357 batting average in 2012 and .396 average in 2013. This allowed for Dozier to leave SFA with two school records for the all-time leader in hits and doubles. The nation also recognized Dozier and his efforts when he was a finalist and semifinalist for three different national baseball awards like the Golden Spikes Award, Brooks Wallace Award and Dick Howser Award.

After the draft, Dozier set a few standards for SFA and the SLC as well. Dozier was the first player from SFA to be selected during the first round of the draft and he was the highest picked above any other SLC player.

Dozier was placed in minor league baseball and since 2013 he has played for five different teams such as the Idaho Fall Chukars, Lexington Legends and Wilmington Blue Rocks. He has also moved from shortstop to third base. He is now a top prospect for the Kansas City Royals and continues to learn more about his baseball skills. When speaking to the Kansas City Star, Dozier said,"I learned a lot about my swing, small fundamental stuff that will help me create more power."

Dozier also told the Kansas City Star how SFA prepared him for signing with the Kansas City Royals. "I grew a lot at SFA. The coaches really helped me out there and pretty much growing into my body from high school and playing games and getting a lot of ABs during the summer and also during the college year."

Dozier currently plays third base for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

By Roxanne Leila Morelos

Taylor Smith: From SFA to Greece

Before coach Brad Underwood and his success with the Stephen F Austin State University men's basketball team, coach Danny Kaspar enlisted a 6 foot 6 center/forward from Schertz, Texas. This player was Taylor Smith.

Smith attended Clemens High School and McLennan Community College before transferring to SFA in 2011. At the high school and community college level, Smith was earning awards and building his basketball experience. Some of his achievements from Clemens include being an all-state honoree and having a 19-point average per game. These credentials continued in community college after Smith was awarded the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and two time NTJCAC Defensive Player of the Year.

When Smith transferred to SFA in 2011, he appeared in all 32 games during his first season and led the team with a 70.1 field goal percentage. During the 2012-2013 season, Smith gained recognition from the Southland Conference and brought the Lumberjacks one game away from entering the NCAA tournament at the end of the season.

Smith was the 2012-2013 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year with a 68.8 field goal percentage and he set a SFA record with 87 blocks for the season. Smith has 129 blocks in total for his two seasons. After making all these accomplishments, Smith went on to graduate from SFA in 2013.

In 2013, Smith also began his professional basketball career. The small-town Texas resident traveled over seas to play for the Greek Basket League, also known as the Greek Basketball League. This league consists of 14 clubs, or teams and like the NBA in America, the GBL has a regular season then clubs go on to the playoffs.

Smith started with the GBL for the 2013-2014 season and he plays during the 2014-2015 season as well. Like his college basketball experience, Smith is a defensive specialist. He has 35 blocks and a 65.9 field goal percentage.

The GBL is now in the 2014-2015 season until June.


By Roxanne Leila Morelos

Willie Jefferson: The Rise And Fall

Willie Herbert Jefferson III is a football player from Stephen F Austin State University who signed with the Houston Texans in 2013 and now plays in the Canadian Football League. 

Jefferson is 6-foot 6-inches and transferred to SFA in 2011 from Baylor University of Waco, Texas. Once Jefferson transferred to SFA he switched positions. According to baylorbears.com, he played as a wide receiver and tight end. At SFA he was a defensive end and named the 2011 Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year. This achievement and Jefferson's other honors can be see at sfajacks.com.

Another achievement for Jefferson that brought him into professional sports was his May 2013 signing with the Houston Texans. Again, Jefferson's position changed. He was a linebacker and during his time with the Texans Jefferson had two tackles, according to houstontexans.com.

Jefferson's time with the Texans was short. In October 2013, five months after signing with Houston, Jefferson was released from the team. Espn.go.com reports that Jefferson along with two other Texans rookies were caught violating team rules.

The Texans kept details related to this incident private and chose not to discuss team rules. Prior to Jefferson's professional career he was also involved with another incident in Waco that led to his removal from the Baylor Bears football team. Jefferson and a fellow team mate were charged with a misdemeanor of marijuana possession. More information about this event can be found on espn.go.com.

After leaving the Texans, Jefferson entered the Canadian Football League. He played as a defensive end for the Edmonton Eskimos. Jefferson has 19 tackles and four sacks as his career total within the CFL.


By Roxanne Leila Morelos