JAMEL BENTON

Joseph Sheffield 

A well rounded Scholar-Athlete

Grandson of Sis. hattie proctor

brother of Sister Melba Harvey

Dougherty Comprehensive High School Trojans

DEION BRANCH

Son of Sis. Mary L Branch

"One of our own"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Deion Branch grew up dreaming about playing for Steve Spurrier at the University of Florida. He had to settle for Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss.

And Branch, who has become the New England Patriots' big-game receiver, figures that come-down was one of the best things to happen to him.

"I think I got the big head," Branch said Monday, recalling his senior year at Monroe High School in Albany, Ga., when he committed to the Gators. "I was doing so good in high school and I got all these letters of intent and all this stuff, so I started hanging with my friends and stopped going to class. My grades fell."

His grades fell so far he couldn't get into Florida.

"I had to go to a junior college after so much hype about me going to Florida," he recalled. "Coach Spurrier said I had to go down to a junior college, and from there I signed with Louisville."

It taught Branch a painful lesson.

"It was something that I wanted so bad, and it was taken away from me because I did something that I shouldn't have done," he said. "I think that would pretty much change anybody."

Branch decided he had to commit himself academically to keep his football dream alive. It has worked out pretty well for him.

The 5-foot-9, 193-pound wide receiver will be playing in his second straight Super Bowl on Sunday. He caught 10 passes in Super Bowl XXXVIII, one short of a Super Bowl record, for 143 yards and a touchdown.

Branch, 25, missed seven games with a knee injury this season, his third in the NFL. He caught 35 passes, ranking third among the Patriots. But he broke loose in the AFC championship game in Pittsburgh, catching four passes for 116 yards and a touchdown and running the ball twice for 37 yards and another TD.

He can't wait for Sunday, although he doesn't have much choice.

"Coach (Bill Belichick) doesn't want us worrying about the game right now," Branch said. "We have three or four days (of practice) and you don't want to get emotionally burned out worrying about the game.

"Coach came up to me and told me not to get so emotional, even though I was so excited. That calmed me down."

He probably wouldn't be here if not for the shock of losing that Florida scholarship.

"I thought once I had committed that I was cool," he said. "It doesn't work that way. Once that happened, I fully committed to my schoolwork and made sure I wouldn't let another opportunity slip past me."

After two years of junior college, he played well enough at Louisville to get drafted by the Patriots in the second round.

"Once college got started, I was happy. I'd take the same path," he said. "I don't think I would trade it for anything, but I think I would have done something better in high school so I could have got into a stronger program than I did.

"I loved Louisville. I enjoyed my time, but I think I set myself back in high school. It's just something I learned and now I go around and talk to some of the younger guys (about) what not to do."

DEION BRANCH

SUPERBOWL'S MOST VALUABLE PLAYER 2005

The leader of New England's unheralded receiving corps, Branch tied a Super Bowl record with 11 catches, accounting for 133 yards Sunday night in a 24-21 victory over Philadelphia that gave the Patriots their
third championship in four years.
''He played unbelievable,'' fellow Patriots receiver David Givens said. ''He always had it in him and he's been doing big things for us all year.''
While Branch didn't make it to the end zone, he played a role in all four scoring drives. The biggest catch might have been the last one - a leaping 19-yarder over the middle that set up Adam Vinatieri's 22-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Branch leaped off the turf and defiantly signalled a first down, the sort of brazen move that Owens is known for. New England pushed its lead to 10 points, enough to hold off the Eagles.
And when it was done, Branch was named the MVP.
''They say big players step up in big games,'' Branch said.Philadelphia's all-pro receiver had a remarkable game, too, defying his doctor by playing just 6 1/2 weeks after surgery. With a metal plate and two screws in his right ankle, Owens somehow had nine catches for 122 yards.  But Branch was even better, tying the great Jerry Rice (and Cincinnati's Dan Ross) for catches in a Super Bowl.
While most of the attention was on Owens in the days leading up to the big game, Branch had a nice, quiet week in Jacksonville - not drawing nearly as much attention from the media horde. Everyone knows him now.
''All the hoopla was about T.O.,'' Branch said. ''He's a great player. He really sucked it up tonight. But I want to show I have the same type of talent as those guys.'' Branch came up huge on a tone-setting drive to start the second half,  making four catches for 71 yards. Linebacker Mike Vrabel finished it off with a two-yard touchdown catch, but Branch did most of the heavy lifting. In all, eight of his catches - for 106 yards - came on New England's scoring drives. Before each game, Branch phones all his former coaches - from Little League to high school and on through the college ranks, about a dozen calls in all.
''It's hard to get everything out,'' he said. ''I'm crying half the time when I talk to them. But I want them to know that they pushed me to be the player I am. I always want to thank them for giving me their
support.'' Branch was a second-round pick out of Louisville in 2002, catching 43 passes his rookie year. He improved to 57 receptions the following  year, but missed seven games this season with a knee injury. He finished with just 35 catches for 454 yards and four TDs.
Branch was so frustrated during the recovery process that he didn't travel to every road game. But all the hard work was worth it. ''My teammates kept pushing me to get better,'' he recalled. ''They were telling me, `We're going to need you soon.' I'm just thankful they
didn't put me on IR,'' knowing injured reserve would have ended his season. Not to worry. Offensive co-ordinator Charlie Weis said Branch was important enough to wait on, even though it left the Patriots a man short on their 53-player roster. Besides, they went 6-1 during his absence. Branch impressed his teammates by putting the nasty looking injury out  of his mind. During a game at Arizona, he was trying to make the tackle after a Cardinals interception, only to get clipped from behind by a teammate, offensive lineman Stephen Neal. The knee buckled, and Branch
was fortunate the damage wasn't worse.
''He should get a lot of respect for the way he came back,'' receiver-cornerback Troy Brown said. ''That was a pretty vicious injury. But when he came back, he showed no fear.'' Branch has developed into one of Tom Brady's favorite receivers, usually getting the first look when a blitz is coming or a big catch is
needed. No wonder. Branch has really come up big in the biggest game. In last year's Super Bowl, Branch had 10 catches and a touchdown in a 32-29 victory over Carolina. Now, he's helped the Patriots become a
team for the ages - just the second to win three Super Bowls in four years. ''He's a very dynamic player,'' Brady said. ''He can do it all - getting open, doing great things after he caught the ball.''
Brady was the MVP of New England's last two Super Bowl victories, and now his go-to receiver has an award, too. ''This is huge for him,'' Brown said. ''I'm sure he's going to be all over the place now.''

 

lesley Star Broadnex     

 Savannah  State University

Bachelor of Science. Biology  

 MagnaCum Laude

  Albany  State University   

 Political Science

Albany Technical College

LAWANDA WATSON

Albany Technical college

Early Childhood Education

 KEISHA HOOD

      Masters Ed. Auburn University