cover.html

<HTML>
<HEAD>
   <TITLE></TITLE>
   </HEAD>
<BODY <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">>

<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#000040">A Closer Look at Charles Dorsey</FONT> </H1>

<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>Nose Tackle</I></FONT></H3>

<H3 ALIGN=CENTER>by Bob Grant</H3>

What is your favorite food?
<BR>
<I>"Everything. Anything."</I>
<BR>

<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 WIDTH=152>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC="pic/dorsey1_bw.jpg" ALT="Charles Dorsey" BORDER=2 ALIGN=RIGHT>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><B><FONT SIZE=2></FONT></B>
<HR>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>

If a movie was made about your life, which actor would you want to play you?
<BR>
<I> "Samuel L. Jackson." </I>
<BR>
What was your favorite television show as a kid?
<BR>
<I> "The Superfriends, with Batman and Superman." </I>
<BR>
What meal do you cook best?
<BR>
<I> "Lasagna." </I>
<BR>
If you had not played football, what sport would you have liked to play?
<BR>
<I> "I would have been a forward in basketball." </I>
<BR>
How did you get the nickname "Ooh La"?
<BR>
<I> "When I was in high school and I would put a vicious hit on somebody, all the fans would say "Oooh, Lord." One day in the film room, one of my teammates said it sounded like they were saying "Ooh La." And it just stuck with me." </I>
<P>
It is difficult to believe Charles Dorsey would be good at playing a game of hide-and-seek. Standing 6-feet-2, 291 pounds and casting a shadow that could shade a small village, there are not many closets big enough to conceal Dorsey's massive frame.
<P>
But just ask the senior nose guard what one of his favorite pastimes is and the answer might surprise you.
<P>
"My kids, Kabria and Kiana (ages 5 and 2) have been a very positive influence on me and I try to spend as much time as I can with them. They like to play hide-and-seek a lot and it's one of my favorite games to play with them," Dorsey said.
<P>
Imagine how many opposing quarterbacks wish they could have hid from Dorsey on the football field.
<p>
<TABLE ALIGN=LEFT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 WIDTH=198>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC="pic/dorsey2_bw.jpg" ALT="Charles Dorsey" BORDER=2 ALIGN=RIGHT>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><B><FONT SIZE=2></FONT></B>
<HR>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>

After recording 58 tackles in 1997, causing one fumble and breaking up three passes, Dorsey has established himself as a team leader on and off the field.
"I've stepped up my game. I have become a more mature and a more responsible player," Dorsey said. "I've learned that all the hard work we go through really does pay off."
<P>
But Dorsey's hard work has not been limited to the gridiron. In 1997, Dorsey was named to the Southeastern Conference's Football Good Works Team for his community service.
<P>
"I work with the Boys and Girls Club as a counselor for the kids and I also work with Wrights Road Elementary School to help children stay in school," Dorsey said.
<P>
 "I try to teach them to stay positive, be honest and work hard. If you can do that then good things can happen for you."
<P>
And if anyone has reaped the rewards of hard work, it's Dorsey.
As a redshirt freshman in 1995, Dorsey spent most of the season on the scout team. But injuries and players leaving the team forced Auburn coaches to put Dorsey in the playing rotation for the last three games of the season.
It was against Alabama that Dorsey gave Tiger fans a glimpse of the dominating ability that helped earn him Reebok All-American honors in high school.
Against the Crimson Tide, Dorsey recorded eight tackles, six of which were solo, two tackles for loss, a sack and broke up two passes.
<P>
"That game against Alabama is the most memorable of all my games at Auburn," Dorsey said. "It was the first time I had played in front of that many people. There were so many fans hollering and cheering, it was just incredible."
But Dorsey's cloud lost its silver lining entering the 1996 season as he struggled with his weight and, what defensive line coach Pete Jenkins described as, an inability to do anything right.
<P>
"Charlie was in bad, bad condition. And he was finding it hard to do anything right in other people's eyes," Jenkins said. "He was just having a really tough time, and I was on him constantly about everything."
<P>
But as with most college students, maturity began to develop and Dorsey began to understand the importance of discipline and hard work.
<P>
"Charlie grew up and he started taking control of his life," Jenkins said. "He has taken pride in his academics and he works to keep his weight down without me having to constantly ride him about it."
<P>

<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 WIDTH=200>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC="pic/dorsey3_bw.jpg" ALT="Charles Dorsey" BORDER=2>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><B><FONT SIZE=2></FONT></B>
<HR>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>

And Dorsey did not have to wait long for his new found maturity to pay off on the football field. In 1996, he played in all 12 games, starting seven, and recorded a career-high nine tackles against Northeast Louisiana.
<P>
"A lot of people have had a very positive influence on me, and helped me turn things around," Dorsey said. "Coach Jenkins gave me a second chance, something<BR> a lot of other people wouldn't have done."
<P>
"My wife (Nicole) has supported me through the good and bad times. And, God has blessed me with the talent to play the game."
<P>
<BR>
And whether his talent leads him to a successful career in the NFL, Dorsey's greatest success may be as a teacher after his playing days are finished.
"My immediate goals after graduating are to play in the Senior Bowl and to hopefully get a shot at the NFL combines," Dorsey said.
<P>
"But if that doesn't happen, I am going to teach and coach. Eventually, I am going to get my master's degree in administration because I want to be an athletic director at a university."
<P>
And if Dorsey's success at Auburn is any indication, it is only a matter of time until he reaches the lofty goals he has set for himself.
<P>
"I finally realized that it wasn't just me I had to take care of. I have to put my wife's needs and my children's needs before anything else," Dorsey said. "They have been a big part of my maturing and they have helped me realize that with a positive attitude and hard work, that anything is possible."


<CENTER><P><A HREF="./" target="_top">TABLE OF CONTENTS</A> | <A HREF="../" target="_top">PROGRAM
INDEX</A> | <A HREF="../../index.html" target="_top">HOME</A></P></CENTER>

<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>&copy; 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>


</BODY>
</HTML>
	<HTML>
	<HEAD>
	<TITLE></TITLE>
	</HEAD>
	<BODY <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">>

	<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#000040">A Closer Look at Charles Dorsey</FONT> </H1>

	<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>Nose Tackle</I></FONT></H3>

	<H3 ALIGN=CENTER>by Bob Grant</H3>

	What is your favorite food?
	<BR>
	<I>"Everything. Anything."</I>
	<BR>

	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 WIDTH=152>
	<TR>
	<TD><IMG SRC="pic/dorsey1_bw.jpg" ALT="Charles Dorsey" BORDER=2 ALIGN=RIGHT>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	<TR>
	<TD><B><FONT SIZE=2></FONT></B>
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>

	If a movie was made about your life, which actor would you want to play you?
	<BR>
	<I> "Samuel L. Jackson." </I>
	<BR>
	What was your favorite television show as a kid?
	<BR>
	<I> "The Superfriends, with Batman and Superman." </I>
	<BR>
	What meal do you cook best?
	<BR>
	<I> "Lasagna." </I>
	<BR>
	If you had not played football, what sport would you have liked to play?
	<BR>
	<I> "I would have been a forward in basketball." </I>
	<BR>
	How did you get the nickname "Ooh La"?
	<BR>
	<I> "When I was in high school and I would put a vicious hit on somebody, all the fans would say "Oooh, Lord." One day in the film room, one of my teammates said it sounded like they were saying "Ooh La." And it just stuck with me." </I>
	<P>
	It is difficult to believe Charles Dorsey would be good at playing a game of hide-and-seek. Standing 6-feet-2, 291 pounds and casting a shadow that could shade a small village, there are not many closets big enough to conceal Dorsey's massive frame.
	<P>
	But just ask the senior nose guard what one of his favorite pastimes is and the answer might surprise you.
	<P>
	"My kids, Kabria and Kiana (ages 5 and 2) have been a very positive influence on me and I try to spend as much time as I can with them. They like to play hide-and-seek a lot and it's one of my favorite games to play with them," Dorsey said.
	<P>
	Imagine how many opposing quarterbacks wish they could have hid from Dorsey on the football field.
	<p>
	<TABLE ALIGN=LEFT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 WIDTH=198>
	<TR>
	<TD><IMG SRC="pic/dorsey2_bw.jpg" ALT="Charles Dorsey" BORDER=2 ALIGN=RIGHT>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	<TR>
	<TD><B><FONT SIZE=2></FONT></B>
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>

	After recording 58 tackles in 1997, causing one fumble and breaking up three passes, Dorsey has established himself as a team leader on and off the field.
	"I've stepped up my game. I have become a more mature and a more responsible player," Dorsey said. "I've learned that all the hard work we go through really does pay off."
	<P>
	But Dorsey's hard work has not been limited to the gridiron. In 1997, Dorsey was named to the Southeastern Conference's Football Good Works Team for his community service.
	<P>
	"I work with the Boys and Girls Club as a counselor for the kids and I also work with Wrights Road Elementary School to help children stay in school," Dorsey said.
	<P>
	"I try to teach them to stay positive, be honest and work hard. If you can do that then good things can happen for you."
	<P>
	And if anyone has reaped the rewards of hard work, it's Dorsey.
	As a redshirt freshman in 1995, Dorsey spent most of the season on the scout team. But injuries and players leaving the team forced Auburn coaches to put Dorsey in the playing rotation for the last three games of the season.
	It was against Alabama that Dorsey gave Tiger fans a glimpse of the dominating ability that helped earn him Reebok All-American honors in high school.
	Against the Crimson Tide, Dorsey recorded eight tackles, six of which were solo, two tackles for loss, a sack and broke up two passes.
	<P>
	"That game against Alabama is the most memorable of all my games at Auburn," Dorsey said. "It was the first time I had played in front of that many people. There were so many fans hollering and cheering, it was just incredible."
	But Dorsey's cloud lost its silver lining entering the 1996 season as he struggled with his weight and, what defensive line coach Pete Jenkins described as, an inability to do anything right.
	<P>
	"Charlie was in bad, bad condition. And he was finding it hard to do anything right in other people's eyes," Jenkins said. "He was just having a really tough time, and I was on him constantly about everything."
	<P>
	But as with most college students, maturity began to develop and Dorsey began to understand the importance of discipline and hard work.
	<P>
	"Charlie grew up and he started taking control of his life," Jenkins said. "He has taken pride in his academics and he works to keep his weight down without me having to constantly ride him about it."
	<P>

	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 WIDTH=200>
	<TR>
	<TD><IMG SRC="pic/dorsey3_bw.jpg" ALT="Charles Dorsey" BORDER=2>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	<TR>
	<TD><B><FONT SIZE=2></FONT></B>
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>

	And Dorsey did not have to wait long for his new found maturity to pay off on the football field. In 1996, he played in all 12 games, starting seven, and recorded a career-high nine tackles against Northeast Louisiana.
	<P>
	"A lot of people have had a very positive influence on me, and helped me turn things around," Dorsey said. "Coach Jenkins gave me a second chance, something<BR> a lot of other people wouldn't have done."
	<P>
	"My wife (Nicole) has supported me through the good and bad times. And, God has blessed me with the talent to play the game."
	<P>
	<BR>
	And whether his talent leads him to a successful career in the NFL, Dorsey's greatest success may be as a teacher after his playing days are finished.
	"My immediate goals after graduating are to play in the Senior Bowl and to hopefully get a shot at the NFL combines," Dorsey said.
	<P>
	"But if that doesn't happen, I am going to teach and coach. Eventually, I am going to get my master's degree in administration because I want to be an athletic director at a university."
	<P>
	And if Dorsey's success at Auburn is any indication, it is only a matter of time until he reaches the lofty goals he has set for himself.
	<P>
	"I finally realized that it wasn't just me I had to take care of. I have to put my wife's needs and my children's needs before anything else," Dorsey said. "They have been a big part of my maturing and they have helped me realize that with a positive attitude and hard work, that anything is possible."


	<CENTER><P><A HREF="./" target="_top">TABLE OF CONTENTS</A> \| <A HREF="../" target="_top">PROGRAM
	INDEX</A> \| <A HREF="../../index.html" target="_top">HOME</A></P></CENTER>

	<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>© 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>


	</BODY>
	</HTML>