Fresno State Athletics
Sherley Is Answering the Call
10/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 5, 2006
Fresno, Calif. - When you train a guy for a job, you stick with him. For Fresno State football associate head coach John Baxter, placing senior safety Josh Sherley in the role as the personal protector - the man who is responsible for punt protection and coverage -- was an obvious choice.
In ten years, only three other players have been Baxter's hand-picked personal protector: Jamie Kimbrough, Nate Ray and Vernon Fox. What they all have in common with Sherley is their tenacity on the field along with their performance in the classroom.
While Sherley plays safety and does so in different roles whether he's in the defensive back field or on special teams, he didn't get where he is today without realizing what academics can provide.
"My redshirt freshman year, I struggled in the classroom," says Sherley, who is one of eight returning defensive starters. "I took harder classes and felt the pressure and stress. Looking back, I benefited through it all. I would encourage anyone to push through it. There's going to be peaks and valleys and at the end of the day, keep working at it, keep plugging along, and you'll come out of the valley. You will persevere because that's how life is - enjoy the highs and get through the hard times."
While academic compliance has undergone major changes in the last 10 years, how to prepare for the student-athlete life can be glean from the business major out of Bakersfield, Calif.
"My advice to potential student-athletes is to know that academics is pretty much everything, from high school to college," says Sherley, who wants to be an entrepreneur once he graduates from Fresno State. "I would encourage anyone to study, put the time in for academics just as you would for your sport, if not more. Whether you go on to play professional ball or not, a good student-athlete knows that academics and athletics go hand-in-hand. I feel that if you work hard in every aspect of your life, it will follow you on the field."
According to Baxter, when Sherley opens his mouth to speak, his teammates listen because they know what he is talking about.
"I have a mission statement for the players," Baxter says. "They are to be thinkers, communicators and competitors and that's in all areas of their life. Josh does just that.
"When he plays on the punt team, he's the guy who gets the whole unit lined up, he calls all the fronts, all the defensives, sets all the blocking schemes and then he has to cover as well," Baxter continues. "From watching the team line up and they start moving around or dropping off, Josh determines what this is and which way everyone is going to block, who has who - he has a lot to unwind and to unwind very quickly.
"In our meeting room, I have a saying: `There's no such thing as tough, there's only trained and untrained," Baxter adds. "If you are untrained you can't demonstrate your toughness. Josh is trained and he has maximized himself over the years as a player and as a student. Those who are really strong players and good students build a high level of trust between themselves and coaches and themselves and teammates. Josh is that type of player and that's why he is a very good college student-athlete."
Sherley is Fresno State's second-leading tackler this season and ranks No. 63 in the NCAA statistics. He had a career-high 12 tackles against No. 11 Oregon.
While Sherley is in tune with the efforts needed in the classroom and on the field, getting ready for the next step in life will have this Bulldog primed for success.
Q&A with Josh Sherley
Below is an inside look at Josh Sherley and being a Bulldog.
Q: Favorite professor at Fresno State?
A: My communications teacher, Ms. Tannenbaum. She was awesome and helped me tremendously with my public speaking
Q: Favorite class?
A: Communications
Q: Funny incident since becoming a Bulldog?
A: Quite a few as I've had my share of tripping and falling and just making a plain fool of myself
Q: Favorite football saying?
A: Coach Hill's statement: "Your actions speak so loudly I can't hear what you're saying." That's what I modify my play around - play so hard that I don't have to speak because it speaks for itself. I love that saying.
Q: How did you prepare for college?
A: In high school I took a lot of math and economics and that really proved to help me out. I had a good handle of the concepts going in which was a great benefit.
Q: Did you always want to be a Bulldog?
A: I didn't always know about them except in the last few years. I've always been the underdog. I love to root for the underdog. How Fresno State has come along the last few years and my recruiting process really inspired me to want to help a program that is on the rise and be a part of a special tradition. So, yes, I wanted to be a Bulldog.
Join the State - Fresno State! The Bulldogs will host Hawai'i on Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium in the annual homecoming extravaganza. For ticket information, check the ticket section of gobulldogs.com or purchase at the Bulldog Ticket Office, located at the south entrance of Bulldog Stadium.
