(‘CU Q&A’ is a new feature of www.cumoutainlions.com, spotlighting Mountain Lion student-athletes and coaches.)
When Mike Kellar and his new coaching staff took over Concord’s Football program after the 2008 season, one of their immediate goals was to find the team’s leaders. One of the first players they targeted was defensive tackle Dan Stone, whose play provided some of the few highlights from the winless ’08 campaign.
Kellar and then-Defensive Coordinator Brian Hill asked Stone to become a leader, and he embraced the role.
Stone, a nose tackle, fended off a steady array of double- and triple-teams to record 33 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. He even intercepted a pass (more on that later).
Stone earned 1st Team All-WVIAC honors in 2009 and is hoping for a chance to play professional football.
With that in mind, he’ll take part in the All-American Bowl, an all-star game for NCAA Division II and III players, on March 27th at UC Stadium in Charleston. Recently, Stone talked with Concord Sports Information Director Kyle Cooper about his time at CU and his plans for the future.
Talk about the All-American Bowl. How’d you get involved in it? What do you hope to get out of it?
I’m not sure how I got nominated for it – I think the coaches brought my name up, and I got an e-mail from them telling me that I’d be part of the game.
I’m looking forward to being on the field with a bunch of great players and have some fun playing. We’ll have a couple practices the Thursday before the game, and there’s a combine a day before, which will give us a chance to show what we can do. There’ll be people from a reality TV show and a lot of scouts.
A reality TV show?
I don’t know all the details about that, but they said they’ll be a reality TV show there.
You played a big role in Concord’s surprising season last fall. Talk about your first encounters with the new coaching staff after Mike Kellar took over for the 2009 season.
I actually was making plans to leave Concord. I met with the coaches a couple times and talked about it. But the way the coaching staff approached the whole impressed me. They talked about winning, and winning championships.
Then I had a personal meeting with Coach Kellar and he was a real down-to-earth guy. He asked me to give them a chance in spring practice, and that if it didn’t work out he’d sign my transfer papers.
But I could tell after the first two practices that things were different. It worked out pretty well.
Brian Hill spoke more than once that he and the rest of the coaching staff needed you to be a senior leader last season. Did you embrace that role?
I liked the fact that the coaches were behind me. In our first team meeting, Coach Hill called me out in front of everyone – “You’ve got to get to class, Dan Stone. You don’t have a position on this team. Nobody has a position on this team.”
I knew they were testing me, to see how I would take it. They had to come down on some guys to set the tone for the whole team. That was fine with me.
The off-season (conditioning) program was really difficult. They mix in the mental side of it with the physical work and a lot of guys wound up quitting. But that first winter and spring, I knew I was getting stronger and faster every day.
Do you have a leadership “style?”
Naturally, I’m not a big talker. I’m not a yeller and a screamer. I like to lead by example.
What do you remember most from last season?
Probably when I picked off that screen pass against Seton Hill.
(On October 17th, Homecoming, Concord led 28-14 late in the 3rd quarter, but the Griffins had driven to the CU eight-yard line. Stone intercepted a D.J. Lenehan pass and returned it to the 15, and the Mountain Lions drove for a touchdown and a commanding 35-14 lead. Concord won the game 52-34.)
I got it one-handed, too. I was thinking touchdown, but one of their running backs hit me kind of low, and I tried to spin off, tried to throw a spin move at him, and I fell down.
What was the reaction on the sideline after you made that pick?
It was ecstatic. There was a lot of talk about how the big lineman got a pick. I was saying, “See? I got hands!” And I could tell our DBs (defensive backs), “how many picks do you have?”
Do you wish you still had some college eligibility, so you could come back and play for Concord again?
For sure. When I came in the program wasn’t that great. I just wish the coaches now had come in here a couple years ago. I still talk to them, especially with this all-star game coming up.
Tell us about your time in Concord, on and off the field. How much have you grown as a person through your time in Athens?
I have. It comes down to looking what at you have to do on any given day. You have to know what you can and can’t do, every day. You have to know how to manage your time. I had to learn some things like everyone else, and I’m glad I did it.
As a player I learned how to get through adversity. The season before last was tough, but now it’s a lot better.
What are your plans for after college? Would you like to play professionally?
Definitely. I don’t care if it’s arena or the CFL or wherever – I just want the opportunity.
But if that doesn’t work out, I’d definitely like to be a coach. I’d love to stay involved in the game of football, and I’d like to be a college coach.
What do you see in the future for Concord football?
There are no limits to what these guys can do. There are so many good players here. The coaches have done some really good recruiting. There’s a good base of guys to draw on from around here, in West Virginia and Virginia. Plus they’re bringing in guys from Florida, California ... they’re recruiting really well.
Any words of wisdom – or advice – for Concord’s 2010 football team?
For the younger guys coming in, I’d tell them to relax. It’s football, they’ve been playing it their whole lives and they need to remember that. But they, the new guys especially, need to listen to what the coaches are telling them. For the older guys, I’d tell them to keep it going – they can win a championship here at Concord if they keep working hard.
For more information on the March 27th All American Bowl, click here: