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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Avery and Wayne Drafted into the NFL
6/21/1999 | Football
April 20, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. -- John Avery's first round selection by the Miami Dolphins in the 1998 National Football League draft has put the 5-9, 188 pounder from Asheville, N.C., in good company with other former Ole Miss players.
Avery's selection marked the 11th time for an Ole Miss Rebel to be chosen in the NFL's first round and was the first opening round pick from the school since Miami chose Tim Bowens in 1994.
Other first round picks include Parker Hall, Cleveland Rams, 1939; Merle Hapes, New York Giants, 1942; Ed Beatty, Los Angeles Rams, 1954, Bobby Crespino, Cleveland Browns, 1961; Jim Dunaway, Minnesota Vikings, 1963; Stan Hindman, San Francisco 49ers, 1966; Mike Dennis, Buffalo Bills (AFL), 1966; Archie Manning, New Orleans Saints, 1971; Freddie Joe Nunn, St. Louis Cardinals, 1985; Tony Bennett, Green Bay Packers, 1990; Kelvin Pritchett, Dallas Cowboys, 1990; and Bowens by Miami in 1994.
Linebacker Nate Wayne of Macon, Miss., was the only other Ole Miss player taken in the 1998 draft as he was selected by Denver in the seventh round. Kicker Steve Lindsey of Hattiesburg, Miss., signed a free-agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
"He's the quickest football player I've every been around," said Avery's coach at Ole Miss, Tommy Tuberville. "John's one of the most exciting players I've ever been around, and of course, I was at Miami for eight years and Texas A&M.
"This is my 21st year of coaching, and I've never been around anybody as fast and as quick as John. They (the Dolphins) got an excellent pick by taking him in the first round."
Tuberville also had a response to anybody who questioned Jimmy Johnson's pick of Avery in the first round.
"Jimmy wins with speed," Tuberville said. "And he just got one of the fastest guys Jimmy will ever coach."
After transferring to Ole Miss from Northwest (Miss.) Community College, Avery earned two letters with the Rebels and was selected as one of four permanent team captains for 1997.
Although he missed almost three games during his senior season, due to a dislocated elbow, Avery still led the team in rushing with 862 yards on 166 carries, including seven rushing touchdowns. His 95.8 yards rushing per game ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference and 28th in the nation, while his 862 yards ranked seventh best for single-season rushing in Ole Miss history.
Avery was also an outstanding kickoff returner for Ole Miss as he returned three kickoffs for scores, including runs of 100,100, and 97 yards. He is the only player in Ole Miss history to return two kickoffs for 100 yards.
An All-SEC selection, Avery said he was shocked that he went in the first round.
"I was going to take a nap and wait until the middle of the second round and wake up," Avery said. "The whole time I am telling them (his family), 'Coach Johnson is coming to get me.' I told my mom how much I liked Miami when I was in Ft. Lauderdale, and how much Coach Johnson reminded me of Coach Tuberville. Coach Tuberville was under Coach Johnson for a while at Miami, so I guess he kind of rubbed off on him. I was telling my Mom how much I liked it and I guess God just answered my prayers."
"Avery is the player we wanted, but we didn't want him at 19," Johnson said, explaining the deal with the Packers which moved the Dolphins to 29th.
"He may be more than a complimentary back," Johnson said. "I think the biggest thing is that he's got the frame to get better. He's 185 pounds now. He's got 4.3 speed and we think he can give us a change of pace and put the ball in the end zone and that's the number one thing."
Avery has an answer for those who question his size.
"I am a mixture of a lot of people in this little body," Avery said. "I can outrun people like Tony Dorsett, I make them miss like Barry Sanders and I am small like Warrick Dunn. Well, I'm a little bigger than Warrick Dunn. If you get the ball to me enough, I figure out defenses like a thief on a combination lock."
