Larry Beavers' receiving numbers were down his senior year. An NFL scout asked his coach why. “Every time he got a kickoff or punt he returned it for a touchdown,” said the coach, Mike Drass. “So we didn't have the ball to give him.” Beavers' return numbers at Wesley College, a 1,750-student school in Dover, Del., are staggering. They are so staggering that before committing them to print I ran them past the Carolina Panthers, past Wesley and past Drass, who is the school's longtime, and very successful, football coach and athletics director. Beavers averaged 39.5 yards every time he returned a kickoff. He averaged 29.2 yards every time he returned a punt. Coach Drass, how was your field position? Beavers returned five kicks and three punts for touchdowns last season. He set an NCAA career record with 13 returns (10 kicks and three punts) for scores. He averaged 19.9 yards per reception as a senior. And in his spare time he turned in dazzling times for the track team in the 100 and 200 meters and the 110-meter hurdles.
But Beavers assembled these numbers in the Atlantic Central Football Conference against such rivals as Apprentice, Mary-Hardin Baylor and Webber International (the Grills?). Will what worked against Mary and the fellows also work against Atlanta, New Orleans and Tampa Bay? If you're a Panthers fan, you ought to hope so. Since Michael Bates left after the 2000 season, Carolina has rarely returned kicks, and almost never punts, like a genuine adult football team. Here's what you notice about Beavers at Carolina's summer camp Thursday. He is lean at 5-foot-10 and 167 pounds. He looks fast when he stands still. And when he takes off, he already is gone. “My coach said he clocked me at 4.28 and 4.25 (in the 40-yard dash) but he never let that out,” Beavers says after practice. “I ran a 4.3 on Pro Day.” Run a 4.2 or a 4.3 and you know you will never be caught from behind. “Nobody could touch him last season,” says Panthers general manager Marty Hurney. “It's funny. One of our scouts said, ‘You have to be careful because of the level of competition. You really have to dominate.' He averaged like 40 yards a kick return and 30 on punts. What more do you have to do?” Homework. To scout Beavers, the Panthers went to Pro Day, which was held 40 minutes north of campus at Delaware, as well as to Wesley. “He's got a lot of ability,” says Hurney. “So we'll see.
As fast as Beavers is, not every step he took at Wesley was certain. He came to campus a drop-back quarterback from Annapolis (Md.) High. After three days of practice, Drass moved him to wide receiver. When a player becomes an ex-quarterback it is never his idea, and Beavers was not thrilled. After his sophomore year, he was booted from school for academic reasons. But he stayed in Dover, took classes at another institution and was reinstated. “He was a knucklehead,” says Drass. “But he's a great kid. He stayed and did everything right. He really earned the respect of his teammates and coaches with his work ethic. You're going to have to run him out of Charlotte because he is going to want to stay and practice every day.”
Fans will love Beavers' style. There is little hesitation. He sees an opening and it's gentlemen start your engines. Anything at mini-camp or summer school surprise you? “A lot,” Beavers says eagerly. “When I came here I thought it would be like college where upperclassmen treat you in a different way. But everybody here treats you like family. It feels good.” After establishing a relationship with him before the draft, the Panthers quickly signed him afterward. “Oh, man,” says Beavers. “I grabbed my mom (Carylon) and gave her a big hug, and we both cried.” Standing on the field after practice, he smiles. “It's a dream come true,” Beavers says. “It's a big dream come true.” Panthers fans hope they finally have found the answer to theirs.
