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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Taking Hold Of An Opportunity
11/9/2004 | Football
Nov. 9, 2004
By Chris Purser
Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant
There is an old saying in life, "Follow your dreams." Kids dream of becoming a professional athlete, rock star, or actor. Some even dream of becoming President of the United States. With those dreams come hard work, sacrifice, and the ability to give up something you really love for another opportunity.
Very rarely do you find a person who dreams of playing two sports at the collegiate level because it's extremely difficult to excel at both.
Ole Miss senior fullback Lorenzo Townsend had that dream. And, for a while, he lived it. A transfer from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Townsend played both sports before making the difficult choice to only play football at Ole Miss.
"At Copiah-Lincoln, I averaged 14-15 points a game and seven or eight rebounds," said the 6-foot-2 Townsend. "Basketball will always be my first love."
Townsend started playing two sports in junior high school. Growing up in a house with one parent (his mother) and three sisters, Townsend found playing sports a way to excel in life, and get out of the house.
"My mom and sisters never let me fail," Townsend said. "If I had a bad game, they were always there to support me. My mom always said, `never give up and keep pushing.'"
Soon after high school, Townsend received a scholarship to play basketball at Copiah-Lincoln. In two seasons, the Monticello, Miss., native averaged 16 points and seven rebounds per contest. Townsend then made the difficult choice of giving up basketball when he transferred to Ole Miss.
"Basketball begins as soon as football ends," Townsend said. "I felt like two sports would be too much. I knew that my body would need time to heal (after football). Football gives me the best opportunity to use my physical abilities so that's why I stuck with it."
While the desire to play both sports at Ole Miss was there, Townsend said the level of competition made him realize that football was a little more important in the long run.
"In basketball, your teammates are there to back you up if you make a mistake," Townsend said. "In football, all your concentration is on making that one play. Your teammates can help you, but that one play can make or break a game."
While the two games are extremely difficult for the average person to play at the collegiate level -- let alone the SEC -- Townsend said the physical differences, "are like night and day."
"Football is more physical," he said. "Basketball is more of an endurance game. You have to be able run non-stop. You have to approach the game with the attitude, `even if the other guy is bigger than me, he's still going to have fight to be better than me.'
"Football, on the other hand, is more of a game of opportunity. It's mental. You don't have to necessarily be in the best shape to play the game. It always helps, but the game of football is more about making plays."
Townsend drew 10 starts at fullback in his first season at Ole Miss (2003). Against Auburn, he caught a 48-yard pass -- from then-quarterback Eli Manning -- which turned the game's momentum around.
Townsend ended the season as the team's leading receiver from the backfield, catching 14 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2004, the senior has registered three touchdown receptions while playing in every game. His focus and ability to take advantage of every situation helped Ole Miss to a 31-28 upset win over then 24th-ranked South Carolina.
"Every opportunity you have on the football field is precious," Townsend said. "You should cherish it and do your best to take full advantage of it. If you don't, you might not ever get another opportunity."
And with basketball behind him, Townsend hopes to help the Rebels to another postseason bowl game in 2004.
