Joe Lawrence, anybody post on this yet ? I may have missed it. If so just let me know, otherwise this guy has BALLS!:lsug: :shock:
he'll have the same chance to start as the rest. another baseball player wondering what might have been with an itch for FB. Who says he plays WR. Maybe we're looking at a Safety here
The week in LSU Football photos and videos. Home Page Main Sports LSU Sports Photo Galleries Scores Schedule Rankings Standings Statistics Roster Depth Chart Commitments Scores Schedules Rankings Statistics Standings Roster Baseball Women's BB Soccer Softball Track & Field Volleyball Scoreboard King: Two champions are great, but LSU still the best By SAM KING Special to The Advocate Judging from all the reams of copy written, the hours of trivial discussion on television and radio and the never-ending-bull over coffee tables and bars, you would think having two national champions in football is the worst thing that could happen to college football. What's the matter with everyone? Would you rather have two fishing reels -- or just one? How about two girlfriends -- or only one? Do you prefer two cars for your family, or only one? You lucky suckers, here you have two national champions and now you want to throw one away. College football has gotten so great it has two national champions, naturally THE best of the two is LSU. The other, Under Scheduled Champion (USC), is not a bad champion -- considering it is a team that played fewer games, won fewer games and had no playoff for its conference championship -- much less win it. Not bad -- for an Under Scheduled Champion, even though it lost to the Berkley Bugeaters ... ooops, sorry. That was the nickname for Nebraska in the really old days. But, for a team that lost to California, running the rest of the board is pretty good for an Under Scheduled Champion, although it is on a lower level than the real champion, LSU. Don't blame Under Scheduled Champion Trojans, however, for being misled about this No. 1 business. They are national champions -- legitimate national champions -- for teams that played only 13 games. They are No. 1 ONLY in the eyes of The Associated Press Poll voters, who, I might add, should never make another joke about the poor confused residents of Florida who obviously couldn't tell a chad mark from a chicken scratch in the last presidential election. Just because Under Scheduled Champion doesn't have as good a football team as LSU is no reason to belittle said Under Scheduled Champion's ranking by the AP writers, some of whom have been accused of not knowing a football from a foosball. In these wacky times we have people trying to make us believe that (1) writers know more about football than do football coaches and (2) coaches know more about writing than writers. Not so. But, go ahead and let Under Scheduled Champion believe it's No. 1. But, best in the land? Better than LSU? You're joking. You have a better chance of selling the University California gift certificates for a week of sun tan than getting the Bears to believe Under Scheduled Champion is better than LSU. Ask Auburn which team is best. Ask Arizona the same question. Please quit laughing at Under Scheduled Champ. It is a champ and, as a matter of fact, having two No. 1's is a pretty good idea. Think of the great financial impact it will have on the country with two national champions, meaning twice as much National Champion paraphernalia will be sold, another department which will be led by LSU despite Under Scheduled Champion having 10 times as many possible customers. If it would somehow impact the stock market solidly, I'd be ready to vote for four or five national champions. Heck, I bet you Nick Saban is happy there is an Under Scheduled Champion -- and he probably hopes the coach gets a raise to $3 million a year, plus coffee money, naturally. All the rambling and ranting about split champions is a little ridiculous. The championship is not split -- LSU is national champion and Under Scheduled Champion is No. 1 among the teams that have played fewer games. From the hours and hours of time wasted and endless tons of worthless copy (such as this) penned about it, you would think this is the first time there has been a split national championship in football. Not quite. In fact, since 1954, there have been 11 occasions in which The Associated Press sportswriters and college football coaches differed on their selection of the national champion. What's absolutely amazing is that for almost 40 years coaches and writers have agreed on something, on anything. After Michigan and Nebraska were voted champions in 1997 by the writers and coaches, respectively, the Bowl Championship Series was adopted. For the first time in six years, the team winning the BCS title game wasn't the team voted best in the land by writers. After all, even you know we writers aren't right all the time. It just seems like it. However, both champions have seemed to survive such a holocaust. In the early '90s, it was Colorado and Georgia Tech who were named champs by the AP and coaches respectively. Miami and Washington were voted champions a year later by the same people. Under Scheduled Champion should know about this co-champion, split champion or double champion stuff, since they were the coaches choice as champs in 1974 and 1978, when the writers tabbed Oklahoma and Alabama as the best in the land. Other years in which different No.1's were named, respectively, by the writers and the coaches are: 1954-Ohio State and UCLA, 1957-Auburn and Ohio State, 1965-Alabama and Michigan State, 1970-Nebraska and Texas and 1973-Notre Dame and Alabama. So, you see, having two champions has not a bad thing. There have been 11 years in which two champions were named and college football not only survived -- it flourished. It has become greater than ever. What college football really and truly needs is eight national champions. Let 'em sell the merchandise, let eight teams and fans proclaim their championship -- and then we'll put them together for the Bowl Championship Series' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. It would make a lot more folks happy. Can you imagine eight teams being national champions? Well, it would until one team, only one, was named WORLD CHAMPION. Until then, I suppose we'll just have to be happy to have one national champion and occasionally two, although we will always know which team, like LSU, is the best, and which team falls vastly short in the winning percentage department, but is still the best Under Scheduled Champion. Ahh, take a deep breath. Only a few weeks and spring practice starts. Then we want have to talk about who was the best last year, but if any team in America faces a tougher challenge than LSU when it must visit Auburn, Georgia and Florida in succession? Sam King is a former sports editor for The Advocate. He can be reached at [email protected]. Printer Friendly Version Send this story to a friend Copyright © 2003 2theAdvocate.com, The Advocate, WBRZ. All Rights Reserved. The week in LSU Football photos and videos. Home Page Main Sports LSU Sports Photo Galleries Scores Schedule Rankings Standings Statistics Roster Depth Chart Commitments Scores Schedules Rankings Statistics Standings Roster Baseball Women's BB Soccer Softball Track & Field Volleyball Scoreboard King: Two champions are great, but LSU still the best By SAM KING Special to The Advocate Judging from all the reams of copy written, the hours of trivial discussion on television and radio and the never-ending-bull over coffee tables and bars, you would think having two national champions in football is the worst thing that could happen to college football. What's the matter with everyone? Would you rather have two fishing reels -- or just one? How about two girlfriends -- or only one? Do you prefer two cars for your family, or only one? You lucky suckers, here you have two national champions and now you want to throw one away. College football has gotten so great it has two national champions, naturally THE best of the two is LSU. The other, Under Scheduled Champion (USC), is not a bad champion -- considering it is a team that played fewer games, won fewer games and had no playoff for its conference championship -- much less win it. Not bad -- for an Under Scheduled Champion, even though it lost to the Berkley Bugeaters ... ooops, sorry. That was the nickname for Nebraska in the really old days. But, for a team that lost to California, running the rest of the board is pretty good for an Under Scheduled Champion, although it is on a lower level than the real champion, LSU. Don't blame Under Scheduled Champion Trojans, however, for being misled about this No. 1 business. They are national champions -- legitimate national champions -- for teams that played only 13 games. They are No. 1 ONLY in the eyes of The Associated Press Poll voters, who, I might add, should never make another joke about the poor confused residents of Florida who obviously couldn't tell a chad mark from a chicken scratch in the last presidential election. Just because Under Scheduled Champion doesn't have as good a football team as LSU is no reason to belittle said Under Scheduled Champion's ranking by the AP writers, some of whom have been accused of not knowing a football from a foosball. In these wacky times we have people trying to make us believe that (1) writers know more about football than do football coaches and (2) coaches know more about writing than writers. Not so. But, go ahead and let Under Scheduled Champion believe it's No. 1. But, best in the land? Better than LSU? You're joking. You have a better chance of selling the University California gift certificates for a week of sun tan than getting the Bears to believe Under Scheduled Champion is better than LSU. Ask Auburn which team is best. Ask Arizona the same question. Please quit laughing at Under Scheduled Champ. It is a champ and, as a matter of fact, having two No. 1's is a pretty good idea. Think of the great financial impact it will have on the country with two national champions, meaning twice as much National Champion paraphernalia will be sold, another department which will be led by LSU despite Under Scheduled Champion having 10 times as many possible customers. If it would somehow impact the stock market solidly, I'd be ready to vote for four or five national champions. Heck, I bet you Nick Saban is happy there is an Under Scheduled Champion -- and he probably hopes the coach gets a raise to $3 million a year, plus coffee money, naturally. All the rambling and ranting about split champions is a little ridiculous. The championship is not split -- LSU is national champion and Under Scheduled Champion is No. 1 among the teams that have played fewer games. From the hours and hours of time wasted and endless tons of worthless copy (such as this) penned about it, you would think this is the first time there has been a split national championship in football. Not quite. In fact, since 1954, there have been 11 occasions in which The Associated Press sportswriters and college football coaches differed on their selection of the national champion. What's absolutely amazing is that for almost 40 years coaches and writers have agreed on something, on anything. After Michigan and Nebraska were voted champions in 1997 by the writers and coaches, respectively, the Bowl Championship Series was adopted. For the first time in six years, the team winning the BCS title game wasn't the team voted best in the land by writers. After all, even you know we writers aren't right all the time. It just seems like it. However, both champions have seemed to survive such a holocaust. In the early '90s, it was Colorado and Georgia Tech who were named champs by the AP and coaches respectively. Miami and Washington were voted champions a year later by the same people. Under Scheduled Champion should know about this co-champion, split champion or double champion stuff, since they were the coaches choice as champs in 1974 and 1978, when the writers tabbed Oklahoma and Alabama as the best in the land. Other years in which different No.1's were named, respectively, by the writers and the coaches are: 1954-Ohio State and UCLA, 1957-Auburn and Ohio State, 1965-Alabama and Michigan State, 1970-Nebraska and Texas and 1973-Notre Dame and Alabama. So, you see, having two champions has not a bad thing. There have been 11 years in which two champions were named and college football not only survived -- it flourished. It has become greater than ever. What college football really and truly needs is eight national champions. Let 'em sell the merchandise, let eight teams and fans proclaim their championship -- and then we'll put them together for the Bowl Championship Series' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. It would make a lot more folks happy. Can you imagine eight teams being national champions? Well, it would until one team, only one, was named WORLD CHAMPION. Until then, I suppose we'll just have to be happy to have one national champion and occasionally two, although we will always know which team, like LSU, is the best, and which team falls vastly short in the winning percentage department, but is still the best Under Scheduled Champion. Ahh, take a deep breath. Only a few weeks and spring practice starts. Then we want have to talk about who was the best last year, but if any team in America faces a tougher challenge than LSU when it must visit Auburn, Georgia and Florida in succession? Sam King is a former sports editor for The Advocate. He can be reached at [email protected]. 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Mostly Cloudy 59° 2theadvocate > Sports > Dubois: Future LSU freshman Lawrence no average Joe 01/15/04 Dubois: Future LSU freshman Lawrence no average Joe By CARL DUBOIS [email protected] Advocate sportswriter When the LSU football team reports for August practice, the freshman class figures to include two players from Barbe High School in Lake Charles. One, offensive tackle Ryan Miller, will be 18 years old. The other, wide receiver Joe Lawrence, will be 27. That's no typo. He'll be 27, older than some LSU graduate assistant coaches. Miller, a Barbe senior, orally committed to sign next month with the Tigers. Lawrence signed with LSU in November 1995 -- to play baseball. The next summer, after the Toronto Blue Jays selected him, an infielder, in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, he chose to turn pro and never enrolled at LSU. You might remember that 1996 draft. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Kris Benson was the No. 1 pick. Oakland A's third baseman Eric Chavez was the 10th pick. The Seattle Mariners took Gil Meche, a pitcher from Acadiana High, with the 22nd pick. The Blue Jays chose Lawrence with the 16th overall pick. He played in Toronto's farm system until earning a spot on the big-league roster in 2002. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers' Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis last summer before he decided to retire from baseball. Now he plans to take a shot at college football as a walk-on wide receiver for BCS national champion LSU. The Tigers often teased quarterback Matt Mauck and defensive tackle Chad Lavalais, each of whom played last season at 24 years old. Lawrence will celebrate his 27th birthday Feb. 13. Jimmy Shaver, Lawrence's football coach at Barbe, said he understands anyone who's skeptical of a player's chances of contributing at that age, especially nine years after playing in his last football game. "I would say in most cases, they wouldn't have a chance," Shaver said. "In Joe Lawrence's case, it's a different deal. He's still very athletic." Shaver said Lawrence runs and works out at Barbe when in Lake Charles and is "just as athletic as he ever was." Shaver, who coached LSU running back Justin Vincent, the star of the Tigers' SEC and national championship games, said Lawrence is not a player who would undertake such a quest without a lot of thought and work. He said he expects him to make an impact. Lawrence, an all-state wide receiver in 1995 who also played defensive back at Barbe, was the Buccaneers' best athlete. He was the big-play man in a receiving corps that included Johnnie Thibodeaux, who would go on to play baseball at LSU. Lawrence was a quarterback early in his career but changed positions when his baseball seasons cut into spring practice and limited his ability to learn enough about being a quarterback. Shaver switched Barbe's offense from a run-oriented scheme to a pass-happy philosophy in the mid 1990s, taking advantage of Lawrence's speed, using him as a runner in run formations. How long ago did Lawrence wear a Barbe football uniform? Consider that he played in high school against Kevin Faulk, who is in his fifth NFL season after a four-year LSU career. He also competed against such former college players as Travis Minor, Major Applewhite, Tommy Banks, Kyle Kipps and Damien James. Lawrence is nine weeks younger than Herb Tyler, who played his last season as LSU's quarterback in 1998. Publicity stunt? Pie-in-the-sky dream? Shaver doesn't think so. "The thing about Joe," he said, "is when he decides he's going to do something, you can pretty much bank on it." Shaver compared Lawrence's work ethic and mindset to that of Vincent. "I know he'll work as hard as anybody, and he'll compete," Shaver said. "He's got that winning attitude, the same thing that Justin has. "I don't know that Justin's a better running back than any of the ones they have, but he's a winner. When his opportunity comes, he's in there doing all he can do. He's ready for it." LSU coach Nick Saban was at Barbe on Wednesday to visit Miller, a giant lineman who played in the All-American Bowl for high school stars in San Antonio, Texas. Shaver said Miller is another player who will represent Barbe well at LSU. "Ryan's very physical," Shaver said. "When you're 6-foot-7 and 320 and physical, that's pretty special." That's why Saban went to Lake Charles to make sure Miller's oral commitment is solid. Shaver said it is. Shaver said Saban hadn't heard of Lawrence's plan to walk on this year as a nonscholarship freshman receiver. He said it's only a matter of time before Saban notices him -- in a big way. "Joe's a gifted athlete," Shaver said. "I think he's going to surprise some people with the things he can do." 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Sorry guys, I'm just now learning how to paste and post. It's a fu'k computers thing until about a year ago. Thank you for your tolerence.
joe is a great athlete. he was a good reciever and good baseball player. if its true i think he has a good shot at gettin some playin time
Played at the same HS that Justin Vincent did (I think). His says that despite his age his is still in great shape and is a very good athlete> We'll see about that.
I remember Joe Lawrence playing baseball. He was a favorite on Sportscenter because he has the same name as the guy from Blossom. The anchors always imitated the way the actor speaks when they showed him making a play. This guy has been a pro athlete, so I have no doubt that he is in good physical shape. He actually made it to the show, so must be very athletic.
