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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER>Tyke Tolbert</H1>
<H2 ALIGN=CENTER>Tight Ends Coach</H2>
<CENTER><FONT SIZE=2>By Melissa Britts</FONT></CENTER>

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<P><FONT SIZE=7>a</FONT>s Auburn's newest coach, Tyke Tolbert is still trying to figure things out around Auburn. Although he may not yet understand all of Auburn's traditions, there is one thing he has come to completely understand and that is the Auburn spirit.

<P>The most memorable moment in coaching so far for Tolbert was March 16, 1998, when he was hired to coach the tight ends at Auburn. After playing at LSU, Tolbert coached at Northeast Louisiana and Ohio so he jumped at the chance to coach at a major university such as Auburn.

<P>"I got into coaching by the advice of another coach," Tolbert explained. "I thought I wanted to go into the FBI but as a player at LSU, I picked up on things easily from a football standpoint."

<P>"The thing I enjoy most about coaching is being around people. I enjoy helping with the development of young kids as they grow up to be young men. As they develop they learn not only to be good football players but good people," Tolbert said.

<P>Tolbert played at LSU at the same time current Auburn defensive line coach Pete Jenkins was coaching there. Although he didn't directly interact with Jenkins at LSU, he says their relationship is different now because he was a player under Jenkins.

<P>"It's different because other coaches call him Pete but he's still Coach Jenkins to me and he'll always be Coach Jenkins to me. My respect for him came as I was growing from a kid into a young man and its hard to break old habits when you've been raised right," Tolbert said.

<P>Jenkins was delighted when he found out that Tyke Tolbert had been hired at Auburn. "I remember recruiting him at LSU and everyone saying they really wanted him on our team," Jenkins said. "He was always upbeat and smiling. He worked very hard in recruiting. Overall he was a very pleasant person. I always thought he'd be successful because of his work habits. He is definitely an asset to our staff. Yet he still hasn't called me Pete; it's always Coach Jenkins."

<P>Throughout his life,Tolbert's parents have served as his role models. "Growing up my family had all we needed and most of what we wanted because my parents worked hard and worked extra jobs to ensure we had everything. And to this day they continue to be my role models," Tolbert said.

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<P>As a child Tolbert would try his mother's patience, which is how he got his name "Tyke" since his real name is Leon Tolbert, III. "When I was little, my mom called me a bad tyke, which means small child, and somehow the name just stuck," Tolbert explained.

<P>Patience is something that Tolbert has learned. He came to value patience as a player and now uses it in his coaching. He knows that everyone doesn't learn at the same speed and that every player has a different button so you must treat all players fairly and equally.

<P>"The best piece of advice I could give young players is for them to give everything they've got, both in the classroom and on the field. Never take anything for granted. If you do this you never know how far you will make it," Tolbert said.

<P>So as Tolbert adjusts to life on the Plains and begins to get accustomed to Auburn's traditions he also brings along some of his own traditions to his work ethic. These qualities of patience and hard work have been instilled in him for years and have helped him make it to where he is today.

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<FONT SIZE=4 COLOR="#FFFF00"><B>Q &amp; A With Ryan Taylor:</FONT></B>

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<P>If you could be one comic book character, which one would you be? "Spiderman."

<P>If you were stranded on a deserted island, which five people would you take with you? "All of my immediate family, Karsten Bailey (AU, WR), Jayson Bray (AU, CB), Takeo Spikes (Cincinnati Bengals, LB), and Elmer Mason (high school buddy)."

<P>If you could play for one NFL team, which one would you choose? "Atlanta Falcons."

<P>What is the favorite meal that your mom cooks, dad cooks? "Mom - Turkey and dressing; Dad - Chili."

<P>Which Wizard of Oz character would you be: the tinman, the scarecrow or the lion? "The scarecrow because he is goofy and crazy."

<P>What would be your ultimate SportsCenter highlight involving you? "Making a hard hit that caused a fumble, picking up the ball and running it back for a touchdown against Alabama."

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


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	<H1 ALIGN=CENTER>Tyke Tolbert</H1>
	<H2 ALIGN=CENTER>Tight Ends Coach</H2>
	<CENTER><FONT SIZE=2>By Melissa Britts</FONT></CENTER>

	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT BORDER=0 WIDTH=10>
	<TR>
	<TD>
	<IMG ALT="Tyke Tolbert" BORDER=2 SRC="pic/tolbert01_bw.jpg" WIDTH=175 HEIGHT=226>
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	<FONT SIZE=2><B>
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	<P><FONT SIZE=7>a</FONT>s Auburn's newest coach, Tyke Tolbert is still trying to figure things out around Auburn. Although he may not yet understand all of Auburn's traditions, there is one thing he has come to completely understand and that is the Auburn spirit.

	<P>The most memorable moment in coaching so far for Tolbert was March 16, 1998, when he was hired to coach the tight ends at Auburn. After playing at LSU, Tolbert coached at Northeast Louisiana and Ohio so he jumped at the chance to coach at a major university such as Auburn.

	<P>"I got into coaching by the advice of another coach," Tolbert explained. "I thought I wanted to go into the FBI but as a player at LSU, I picked up on things easily from a football standpoint."

	<P>"The thing I enjoy most about coaching is being around people. I enjoy helping with the development of young kids as they grow up to be young men. As they develop they learn not only to be good football players but good people," Tolbert said.

	<P>Tolbert played at LSU at the same time current Auburn defensive line coach Pete Jenkins was coaching there. Although he didn't directly interact with Jenkins at LSU, he says their relationship is different now because he was a player under Jenkins.

	<P>"It's different because other coaches call him Pete but he's still Coach Jenkins to me and he'll always be Coach Jenkins to me. My respect for him came as I was growing from a kid into a young man and its hard to break old habits when you've been raised right," Tolbert said.

	<P>Jenkins was delighted when he found out that Tyke Tolbert had been hired at Auburn. "I remember recruiting him at LSU and everyone saying they really wanted him on our team," Jenkins said. "He was always upbeat and smiling. He worked very hard in recruiting. Overall he was a very pleasant person. I always thought he'd be successful because of his work habits. He is definitely an asset to our staff. Yet he still hasn't called me Pete; it's always Coach Jenkins."

	<P>Throughout his life,Tolbert's parents have served as his role models. "Growing up my family had all we needed and most of what we wanted because my parents worked hard and worked extra jobs to ensure we had everything. And to this day they continue to be my role models," Tolbert said.

	<TABLE ALIGN=LEFT BORDER=0 WIDTH=10>
	<TR>
	<TD>
	<IMG ALT="Tyke Tolbert" BORDER=2 SRC="pic/tolbert02_bw.jpg" WIDTH=244 HEIGHT=206>
	</TD>
	<TD COLSPAN=2>
	<FONT SIZE=2><B>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>

	<P>As a child Tolbert would try his mother's patience, which is how he got his name "Tyke" since his real name is Leon Tolbert, III. "When I was little, my mom called me a bad tyke, which means small child, and somehow the name just stuck," Tolbert explained.

	<P>Patience is something that Tolbert has learned. He came to value patience as a player and now uses it in his coaching. He knows that everyone doesn't learn at the same speed and that every player has a different button so you must treat all players fairly and equally.

	<P>"The best piece of advice I could give young players is for them to give everything they've got, both in the classroom and on the field. Never take anything for granted. If you do this you never know how far you will make it," Tolbert said.

	<P>So as Tolbert adjusts to life on the Plains and begins to get accustomed to Auburn's traditions he also brings along some of his own traditions to his work ethic. These qualities of patience and hard work have been instilled in him for years and have helped him make it to where he is today.

	<P><TABLE WIDTH=80% BORDER BGCOLOR="#000099" ALIGN=CENTER>
	<TR>
	<TD>
	<FONT SIZE=4 COLOR="#FFFF00"><B>Q & A With Ryan Taylor:</FONT></B>

	<FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF">

	<P>If you could be one comic book character, which one would you be? "Spiderman."

	<P>If you were stranded on a deserted island, which five people would you take with you? "All of my immediate family, Karsten Bailey (AU, WR), Jayson Bray (AU, CB), Takeo Spikes (Cincinnati Bengals, LB), and Elmer Mason (high school buddy)."

	<P>If you could play for one NFL team, which one would you choose? "Atlanta Falcons."

	<P>What is the favorite meal that your mom cooks, dad cooks? "Mom - Turkey and dressing; Dad - Chili."

	<P>Which Wizard of Oz character would you be: the tinman, the scarecrow or the lion? "The scarecrow because he is goofy and crazy."

	<P>What would be your ultimate SportsCenter highlight involving you? "Making a hard hit that caused a fumble, picking up the ball and running it back for a touchdown against Alabama."

	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>


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

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


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