[sandgk]

And on the 4th day the Seattle Times again broke wind ...
Day 4

Linebacker discovered joy of learning but had to buck football program that emphasized eligibility, not education

Looking around the room, Kelley spotted a picture of his assistant coach in Spain. Williams had first traveled to Europe years earlier, he told Kelley. As an undergraduate at Stanford, he'd studied abroad in Italy.
An amazing experience, Williams told the young player. You should try studying abroad yourself.
But that's unofficial, the assistant coach added. Don't tell anyone around here I told you that.
...
Kelley arrived in 1998 unqualified, by the numbers, for the demands of the upper campus. He had an SAT score of 770 and a grade-point average that hovered around 2. The averages for his incoming class were 1155 and 3.65.
....
The idea of studying abroad captured Kelley's imagination.
..
Together, Kelley and Winter discovered an opportunity for him to spend a quarter in South Africa. The academic program would begin after the football season and allow Kelley to examine changes since apartheid's fall.
While the team made its march to the 2001 Rose Bowl, Kelley wrote an application essay and prepared for his interview. He and Winter kept their efforts low key: "It was like a renegade operation," she says.
Obstacles surfaced. Kelley had never had a driver's license or a checking account, much less a passport. He had no experience overseas, no money and no family support.
Needing a plane ticket, he applied for a Mary Gates Scholarship, an award that helps undergraduates cover research expenses.
He became the first football player to win the honor and was awarded $3,000.

The remainder of the Seattle Times articles (web specials)
Where they are now: Some fall to tragedy, others rise to success


Web extra | Backup quarterback J.K. Scott: "For me, it was bittersweet"

About the man with 14 UW defendants - Atty. Mike Hunsinger