Welcome back to another edition of WVU's Where Are They Now? The weekly column that is your one-spot-stop to catch up on news that your former Mountaineers have made during the past week. I scour the internet for news, blurbs, and other tidbits about what former Mountaineers are up to in life outside of Morgantown.
Last week was a bit of a slow week in terms of news on former 'Eers. To a degree, this week was much the same. Except for one thing: Darryl Talley was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame! That is big news for Talley. a player deserving of enshrinement in the CFHOF. We'll break it down later in the column.
There were other things that cropped up too. Ryan Mundy spent time speaking to some sixth-graders. Pat White and Jedd Gyorko updates, and, of course, the weekly Marc Bulger It May or Not Be News item of the week.
Ryan Mundy- The former Mountaineer safety, and current member of the World Champion, Pittsburgh Steelers, spent some time speaking to fifth-graders at the Dickson Elementary School in Pittsburgh. He was part of a career day on May 5th where people of many different professions came to talk to kids during the day long event. Mundy spoke to kids about his NFL career and spent much of the time discussing his education. He related personal experiences about the teachers and parents that pushed him to be successful.
Pat White- After White played in the Legends game before the Blue/ Gold game last month, he took some time to comment on what his next move might be. After White was cut by the Dolphins he signed a minor-league contract with the KC Royals. He played in the Developmental League in the winter and retired from baseball just before the start of Spring Training. Since then, the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL and the Virginia Destroyers of the UFL have shown interest in White. White may be better suited to the CFL style of football, but the Argonauts already have an established QB in Cleo Lemon. White may have a better opportunity to play QB should he choose to play for head coach Marty Schottenheimer in the UFL.
"Who knows where I will end up or where I will be?" White told the American Chronicle. "I am just going to continue to take it step by step and do what’s right and we’ll see what happens for me."
"I haven’t been training too often as far as weight lifting goes," White said. "I am in shape. I don’t sit around the house. I get out and run, but as far as weight lifting goes, I haven’t been bulking up."
The article I got those quotes from mentioned that one way White could see the field in those leagues would be to switch to WR. Odds are, if White announced that he wanted to switch to receiver, then he might have some NFL teams calling. After he graduated, that is the position that many scouts thought White would fit best in the NFL.
Jedd Gyorko- The former Mountaineer infielder now plays third base for the Lake Elsinore Storm of the High Class A California League in the San Diego Padres farm system. If you follow this column, then you know that Gyorko has been one of the best hitters in that league and in the entire Padres minor-league system. This week, he is the #1 player on Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet. Gyorko is currently riding a 16-game hitting streak and batting 29-for-68 (.426) with five homers, nine doubles, and 29 RBIs. The article points out that he is in contention to win the minor league batting title along with getting promoted to AA ball.
The Marc Bulger: It May or Not Be News of the Week- A former St. Louis Rams executive, Tony Softli, now writes for an ESPN website called 101Sports.com. He and Bulger were a part of the Rams organization at the same time. He had a column earlier this week discussing the NFC West's need for good starting QB's. Outside of the Rams' Sam Bradford, the other three teams in the division are in a state of flux at the QB postion. We've told you for weeks that Bulger, a free agent of the Ravens, is looking for one last starting gig. A team that he may or may not have had discussion with are the Arizona Cardinals. (See what I did there?) In the column, Softli opined that Bulger would be smart to remain as Joe Flacco's backup and took a shot at Bulger in the process:
"A backup to Joe Flacco with the Baltimore Ravens
, he is in the right spot as a No. 2," Softli wrote. "Shell-shocked quarterbacks really struggle with happy feet and give up on a play rather than stand in there and throw under pressure."
Darryl Talley- Talley was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame this week. Talley is the first player named to the Hall since Major Harris was elected in 2009. Talley played in Morgantown from 1979-82. He left the school as it's all-time leading tackler finishing with 489, 19 sacks, and 27 tackles for loss. Talley's tackle record stood for over twenty years until Grant Wiley came along and broke it in 2003.
Talley's combination of size, speed, and quickness was a part of a shift in the way the linebacker position was played. Lawrence Taylor was the one who changed the outside linebacker position. Talley was two years behind Taylor. He went on to play 14 seasons in the NFL, playing mostly with the Buffalo Bills. He was a two-time Pro-Bowler and played in four Super Bowls. He will be enshrined on Dec. 6, 2011 in New York City.
"It's a big deal for me," Talley told the Charleston Daily Mail. "You think about how many millions of kids play and hope to get in college athletics. What percentage is it of kids to go there and to do this? It's truly a great honor. It's a great, great opportunity and I'm grateful for it. I understand everyone is going to say, 'You won't get the magnitude of it until you actually get on the stage.' As I sit back and think about the numbers, it's pretty remarkable."