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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><font color="#3333FF">Senior Profile</FONT> </H1>

<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>Cencade Pennington</I></FONT></H3>
<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>By Ryan Powell</I></FONT></H3>

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<H3 ALIGN=CENTER>by Bob Grant</H3>
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<P>Sitting in Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time is an exciting feeling, especially if you have the talent to one day be running up and down the field for the Tigers.
<P>It was the 1994 Auburn-LSU game and among the crowd of more than 85,000 roaring fans was a junior from Charles Henderson High School in Troy, Ala., by the name of Cencade Pennington.
<P>The fans around the 5-foot-8, 200-pound tailback didn't know they were sitting by a future Auburn Tiger.
<P>"It was an awesome feeling," Pennington said of his first experience at Jordan-Hare. "The crowd was getting into it and seeing the players going at it, even though I was still in high school, I knew I wanted to one day play at their level."
<P>Earning all-state honors as a senior, starting on the varsity since he was a freshman and compiling more yards, 5,543, than anyone else in Charles Henderson High School history were a few accomplishments that made Pennington a highly recruited prep-athlete.
<P>Growing up an Auburn fan, Pennington knew from the beginning that he wanted to be a Tiger. But only one thing stood in the way of Pennington and a scholarship to Auburn Ð the ACT. In the summer of 1995, Pennington got the chance to participate in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star football game, but his thoughts weren't on the game.
<P>"I was concerned about my ACT score," Pennington said. "All the schools that were recruiting me had backed off because I hadn't met the requirements. Auburn was the only school that stuck with me."
<P>The exercise science major got the best news of his young life in the days leading up to the All-Star game.
<P>"My mom called and told me I had made the test score I needed to. It was the happiest day of my life," Pennington said.
With his high school days behind him, Pennington embarked on a college career that has seen its shares of highs and lows.
<P>One of the best things to happen for the fifth-year senior was meeting his girlfriend, Sabrina McBride. Though they didn't date during high school, the two Troy natives grew up together, and did not start dating until they both were at Auburn.
<P>"Sabrina has been the biggest influence on my life," Pennington said. "She has taught me to work hard both in the classroom and on the field."
<P>Pennington's hard work led him to a superb showing in the 1998 Spring Game, as he rushed for 143 yards and earned the game's offensive MVP award.
<P>The promise that the spring practice had offered for Pennington came to end during a kick return in the 1998 Florida game. A torn anterior-cruciate ligament sidelined Pennington for the season and put his football career in jeopardy.
<P>"I knew it was going to be tough to come back from my injury, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could get back on the football field," Pennington said.
<P>With the help of a persistent girlfriend, who wouldn't talk to him for days if he skipped his rehabs, and battling through the exercises to get his knee stronger, Pennington is back on the sidelines gearing towards his return as a ball-carrier for the Tigers.
<P>"There were days when I would get mad at him," McBride said. "He would get frustrated, but I told him to just keep going because I knew how bad he wanted to get back on the football field."
<P>Whether it's taking a nice walk along a nature trail with his girlfriend or running between offensive linemen towards the goal line, Pennington is thankful for his times on the Plains and the person that he has become.
<P>"Being in Auburn and being an Auburn Tiger has definitely made me a better person," Pennington added.

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<TD><IMG SRC="Penningt2.jpg" ALT="Cencade Pennington" BORDER=2 ALIGN=RIGHT>
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<P>&nbsp;
<h3><B>Up Close With Cencade Pennington</B></h3>
<P><P>
<P><B>What was your favorite super hero growing up?</B><BR> <I>"Superman."</I>

<P><B>What are your favorite things to do outside of football? </B><BR><I>"Bowling and going on a walk in the park with my girlfriend. I bowled a 300-game, only once though."</I>

<P><B>Who inspired you the most in your football career?</B><BR> <I>"My uncle. I wanted to beat all his records at my high school and I did."
</I>
<P><B>Are you a good cook?</B><BR> <I>"On yeah, I can cook some good breakfast, but I can't make biscuits like they do at home. I have to go home sometimes on the weekend just so I can eat some biscuits."</I>
<P>
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<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>&copy; 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>

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	<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><font color="#3333FF">Senior Profile</FONT> </H1>

	<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>Cencade Pennington</I></FONT></H3>
	<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>By Ryan Powell</I></FONT></H3>

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





	<P>
	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 WIDTH=152>
	<TR>
	<TD><IMG SRC="Penningt1.jpg" ALT="Cencade Pennington" BORDER=2 ALIGN=RIGHT>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	<TR>
	<TD><B><FONT SIZE=2></FONT></B>
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	<P>Sitting in Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time is an exciting feeling, especially if you have the talent to one day be running up and down the field for the Tigers.
	<P>It was the 1994 Auburn-LSU game and among the crowd of more than 85,000 roaring fans was a junior from Charles Henderson High School in Troy, Ala., by the name of Cencade Pennington.
	<P>The fans around the 5-foot-8, 200-pound tailback didn't know they were sitting by a future Auburn Tiger.
	<P>"It was an awesome feeling," Pennington said of his first experience at Jordan-Hare. "The crowd was getting into it and seeing the players going at it, even though I was still in high school, I knew I wanted to one day play at their level."
	<P>Earning all-state honors as a senior, starting on the varsity since he was a freshman and compiling more yards, 5,543, than anyone else in Charles Henderson High School history were a few accomplishments that made Pennington a highly recruited prep-athlete.
	<P>Growing up an Auburn fan, Pennington knew from the beginning that he wanted to be a Tiger. But only one thing stood in the way of Pennington and a scholarship to Auburn Ð the ACT. In the summer of 1995, Pennington got the chance to participate in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star football game, but his thoughts weren't on the game.
	<P>"I was concerned about my ACT score," Pennington said. "All the schools that were recruiting me had backed off because I hadn't met the requirements. Auburn was the only school that stuck with me."
	<P>The exercise science major got the best news of his young life in the days leading up to the All-Star game.
	<P>"My mom called and told me I had made the test score I needed to. It was the happiest day of my life," Pennington said.
	With his high school days behind him, Pennington embarked on a college career that has seen its shares of highs and lows.
	<P>One of the best things to happen for the fifth-year senior was meeting his girlfriend, Sabrina McBride. Though they didn't date during high school, the two Troy natives grew up together, and did not start dating until they both were at Auburn.
	<P>"Sabrina has been the biggest influence on my life," Pennington said. "She has taught me to work hard both in the classroom and on the field."
	<P>Pennington's hard work led him to a superb showing in the 1998 Spring Game, as he rushed for 143 yards and earned the game's offensive MVP award.
	<P>The promise that the spring practice had offered for Pennington came to end during a kick return in the 1998 Florida game. A torn anterior-cruciate ligament sidelined Pennington for the season and put his football career in jeopardy.
	<P>"I knew it was going to be tough to come back from my injury, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could get back on the football field," Pennington said.
	<P>With the help of a persistent girlfriend, who wouldn't talk to him for days if he skipped his rehabs, and battling through the exercises to get his knee stronger, Pennington is back on the sidelines gearing towards his return as a ball-carrier for the Tigers.
	<P>"There were days when I would get mad at him," McBride said. "He would get frustrated, but I told him to just keep going because I knew how bad he wanted to get back on the football field."
	<P>Whether it's taking a nice walk along a nature trail with his girlfriend or running between offensive linemen towards the goal line, Pennington is thankful for his times on the Plains and the person that he has become.
	<P>"Being in Auburn and being an Auburn Tiger has definitely made me a better person," Pennington added.

	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 WIDTH=152>
	<TR>
	<TD><IMG SRC="Penningt2.jpg" ALT="Cencade Pennington" BORDER=2 ALIGN=RIGHT>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	<TR>
	<TD><B><FONT SIZE=2></FONT></B>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>



	<P>
	<h3><B>Up Close With Cencade Pennington</B></h3>
	<P><P>
	<P><B>What was your favorite super hero growing up?</B><BR> <I>"Superman."</I>

	<P><B>What are your favorite things to do outside of football? </B><BR><I>"Bowling and going on a walk in the park with my girlfriend. I bowled a 300-game, only once though."</I>

	<P><B>Who inspired you the most in your football career?</B><BR> <I>"My uncle. I wanted to beat all his records at my high school and I did."
	</I>
	<P><B>Are you a good cook?</B><BR> <I>"On yeah, I can cook some good breakfast, but I can't make biscuits like they do at home. I have to go home sometimes on the weekend just so I can eat some biscuits."</I>
	<P>
	<P>
	<CENTER><P><A HREF="main.html" target="_top">TABLE OF CONTENTS</A> \| <A HREF="../main_afi.html" target="_top">PROGRAM
	INDEX</A> \| <A HREF="http://www.aunetwork.com" target="_top">HOME</A></P></CENTER>

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

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