Player from all walks of life
hope their future lies with the NFL.
By GARY CURRERI
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
“There are a lot of college players who are
even better than me that don’t get that chance,” said Herbert, a 5-foot-10,
220-pound running back who has rushed for 611 yards and four touchdowns this
season. “Every moment that I am close to
getting my foot in the door, I am going to try and make the best of it.”
The Bears team (5-0) is composed of roofers,
construction workers, lawn maintenance workers, schoolteachers, track coaches,
plumbers and an architect.
Ely High graduate Tommie Holloway, a manager
with Waste Management, also is one of the team captains, along with a Herbert,
Matthew Bass and Julio Martinez.
Herbert attended Bethune-Cookman for two
years after graduating from Deerfield Beach High in 2002. He then transferred to
“Then I transferred to FAU about 1½ years ago,”
Herbert said. “I thought I had
eligibility left because I only played two years, but they said because I was
enrolled in the community college that counted, too.
“I want to go to the next
level,” said Herbert, who had seven carries for 231 yards in a 50-0 victory
over the Fort Lauderdale Sharks on March 24.
“I want to be a professional player whether it be Canadian football, the
NFL., Arena, whatever.
“You’ve got to motivate
yourself, work out on your own. You’ve
got to be dedicated.”
James Adderley, 30, who was with the New York
Jets in 1999, still hopes to make it back to the NFL. Right now, he is coaching the Fort Lauderdale
Lions entry in the league.
“There are a lot of guys who would like to be
where I have been, with nice facilities and a good organization,” said
Adderley, who stated the team this year with players ranging in age from
19-31. “I am still chasing that dream as
well.
Gideon Salter, 27, is a player and co-owner
of the Broward Bears with his brother, Chris Salter also is a church deacon and
schoolteacher.
“I wanted to provide an avenue for these kids
to play,” said Salter, whose team is made up of nearly a dozen Deerfield Beach
High grads, along with players from Ely and other programs throughout
Donnell Bennett, 34, who played at Cardinal
Gibbons, the
“I love the game and when I first got into it
I saw it could be a platform to help get some kids off the street,” Bennett
said. “It could be an opportunity to get
some into college, the arena league or even a shot at the NFL. Some of these kids have jobs and other things
going on in their lives.”
Tony Hall coached and owned his own team
before he founded the Delaware-based Diamond Football League nine years ago.
“I found out how undisciplined it was in
minor league semipro football and set out to straighten it out so the level of
respect is there,” Hall said.
There are more than 500 semipro teams and 20
leagues nationwide and the Diamond Football League is the second largest spring
semipro league in the country.
Hall said there are 36 teams in his league,
which inclues teams from
The league is divided into two conferences –
Mid-Atlantic and
There also is a Junior Division for players
ages 13-16 that includes three local teams – Broward
Gary Curreri can be reached
at SportsCom5@aol.com.