By Tony Neely – UK Media Relations
Reprinted from the football game program – Sept. 24
The handsome, smiling face greets Andre? Woodson each day as he settles in at his locker at the Nutter Training Facility.
The face is that of a young man, one of five such young men who were bound by the bonds of friendship and high school football.
Mark Dowell, Russ Williams, Wilbur Daniels, Antonio Stateman, and Andre? Woodson were friends and teammates at North Hardin High School in Radcliff, Ky. Mark and Russ played tight end and in the defensive line. Wilbur was a safety. Andre?, of course, was the quarterback. Antonio protected him at offensive guard.
They went to school together, played sports together, and hung out together.
They graduated within two years of each other, but unlike many high school relationships that drift apart, this group stayed close-knit.
Fate and friendship eventually brought them to Lexington ? even living in the same apartment complex. Mark, Wilbur and Antonio shared an apartment while Russ and Andre? stayed in another. Mark enrolled at the University of Kentucky. Russ went to Kentucky State University in Frankfort. Wilbur and Antonio attended Lexington Community College. Andre? became a quarterback for the Wildcats.
The five friends stayed in close contact, seeing or speaking with each other almost every day. That is, until May 29 of this year, when Antonio Stateman was a passenger in a car wreck in South Carolina. He didn?t survive the accident.
The loss of his close friend has had a profound effect on Woodson.
?It makes you realize that ? it?s like Tommy Cook says ? you don?t know when your last play is going to happen or how long you have a chance to even be here,? Woodson said.
?It?s made me realize how much harder I need to work and seize the opportunities I?ve been given. It?s taught me to do the best you can in everything you do.?
With Stateman?s physical presence gone, Andre? wants to remember his friend. He taped a copy of the funeral program inside his locker at Nutter, featuring a portrait of Antonio, a daily reminder of their relationship and what Antonio meant to so many people.
?Everybody knew ?State,?? Woodson said, referring to Stateman?s nickname. ?He was a big Christian guy, a great guy. He was a team leader, everybody looked up to him. ?People respected him so much. He was a great friend to everybody, so friendly with people. It was easy to relate to him.?
In addition to his locker, Woodson also takes a reminder of his friend on the football field. On the left heel of his game and practice shoes, Andre? has written ?R. I. P.? (rest in peace) and ?51,? Antonio?s high school jersey number. The right heel is inscribed with 51 and the word ?STATE.?
?My shoes show my respect for ?State,?? Woodson said. ?When things get hard, (the shoes) remind me that I still have a chance to overcome anything that?s tough. They remind me not to take life for granted, seize the moment, and always work hard.
??State? was a competitor on the field and a role model who I could ask for advice. I loved talking to him.?
?State? would be proud of how Andre? is playing as Woodson makes his way through his first season as the starting quarterback. Through three games, Woodson has completed 64.6 percent of his passes, good for 578 yards, five touchdowns, with no interceptions. He?s also is among the national leaders in pass efficiency rating.
But when Andre? takes the field today, he has one less fan in the stands, and he misses ?State.? Regardless of the outcome of the game, however, Andre? will be greeted by a smiling face and a warm memory when he goes to his locker.
