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Back to the Books: Clegg, Raglin Readjust to Life on Elon Football Team After Grade Issues

Posted on: Thursday, 13 April 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Adam Smith, Times-News, Burlington, N.C.

Apr. 13--ELON -- T.J. Clegg and Irvin Raglin both own backgrounds that consist of starting appearances and big plays for the Elon University football team.

But as Elon works through its third week of spring practice, Clegg and Raglin are embarking on the early stages of what registers as a collective new beginning.

And they said this latest journey, this second opportunity, won't be derailed by academic pitfalls. Those have been planted in the past.

"I feel like it's a fresh start as far as in the classroom and on the field," said Clegg, a former multiple-sport standout at Southern Alamance High School. "Just a fresh start to doing things right, really." Clegg, a junior defensive back turned tailback, and Raglin, a junior cornerback, were among a rash of Elon football players placed on academic suspension at the conclusion of Elon's 2005 spring semester.

The terms of the suspension stipulated that they couldn't return to school until this year, thus meaning they were ineligible to play football last season.

"You can't put it all on the system or all on anything else, you've just got to put it on yourself," Raglin said. "It was kind of terrible. You don't want your family to be disappointed and you don't want to be disappointed yourself. It was a real heartbreaker." So distressing, in fact, that it hurt Raglin too much to watch Elon play last season. He went home to College Park, Ga., and -- heeding the constant "Don't blow this opportunity!" advice from his mother, Cecelia Raglin -- he worked a car-washing job at Enterprise Rent-A-Car while taking classes at Atlanta Metropolitan College.

Irvin Raglin kept up with the Phoenix, in the midst of a 3-8 season during 2005, by staying in contact with tailback Reggie Hall and linebacker Chad Nkang.

During his semester away from Elon, Clegg landed a full-time job in the shipping and receiving area at Burlington Coat Factory. He also got a membership to Gold's Gym, sandwiching workouts around his 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift hours.

Clegg credited his parents and former high school coaches, such as Southern Alamance's Tony Perrou, for shaping his motivation and focus to return to college and improve his academic standing.

Clegg said he made it to Rhodes Stadium to watch several Elon home games last season.

"It was probably one of the roughest experiences I've been through, being in the stands, seeing my teammates," he said. "It was rough, just sitting there, not being on the field. It was unlike anything I've been through." But now things have cycled back to normal, or really, a more solid version of normal than before.

Clegg and Raglin were allowed back to Elon in January for the school's winter term and both earned As in a personal finance class. They're living in the same apartment and sticking together when it comes to studying and going to the library. "We've really kept in close contact with their professors to see how they're progressing in their classes," new Elon coach Pete Lembo said. "Their attendance has been very good and they've been turning in assignments and been working hard. So I'm pleased that they're living up to their end of the bargain right now." As for their work on the field, Clegg is competing with Hall and Joe Baptiste for playing time at tailback. Raglin appears likely to be a definite contributor at cornerback, one of the Phoenix's thinner positions.

They've returned to Elon armed with new jersey numbers -- Clegg swapping No. 27 for No. 14 and Raglin switching from No. 36 to No. 2 -- and more perspective in general.

"All of this, it was a lesson learned," Clegg said. "I felt like a whole lot of things that led to me being kicked out were time management, not putting the right stuff forward, wanting to go out. It's just a lesson to do the right things and the right things will come out for you." Raglin said: "You think football is hard, but out there in the real world you see what you're really missing by being here and playing college football. You see this opportunity and you don't want to really miss out on it." Adam Smith can be reached at adam_smith@link.freedom.com

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Source: Times-News

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