| Samuel Gage, Jr. |
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|
 | Class:
Senior
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| Hometown:
Tacoma, Wash.
|
| High School:
Curtis High School
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|
|
| Height / Weight:
5-10 / 190
|
| Position:
Cornerback
|
| Birthdate:
07/17/1977
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| Experience:
2V
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|
PERSONAL--Born 7/17/77 in Tacoma, WA...son of Derrick and Sun
Mitchell...has a sister, Sonja, 25, and a brother, Erick, 18...he is in
the
College of Liberal Arts and is a sociology major...enjoys lifting weights
and
outdoor activities...Barry Sanders is his favorite athlete...selected OSU
because, "great coaching staff, great environment and close to home."
OSU--(2000-Senior)--Sam enters his senior year at OSU having played in
23 games in his Beaver career as a backup defensive back and special teams
player...he has not started a game...he has 33 career defensive points
with 15
tackles, including 9 solo tackles...Sam reported to spring drills listed
as the
No. 3 left cornerback, the same spot on the depth chart he will be when
fall
camp opens...Sam is a solid contributor on special teams for OSU and will
be
again in 2000...he is playing behind Dennis Weathersby and Shamon Jamerson
at
left corner...in winter conditioning, Sam posted weightlifting outstanding
bests
of 405 in the back squat, 350 in the bench press and 280 in he power
clean...he
has the best marks among defensive backs in the bench press and power
clean...his bench press mark is the ninth best on the OSU squad.
(1999-Junior)--Sam had to watch the entire 1998 season from the
sidelines after suffering a season-ending dislocated elbow in fall camp in
1998...Sam played in all 12 games in 1999, mostly on special teams...he
did get
into the Washington and UCLA games as a backup safety...he produced a
total of
27 defensive points on the season with 7 solo tackles and 6 assisted
tackles...Sam reported to spring drills at full strength following his
year
layoff and performed at both strong safety and cornerback... Sam finished
the
spring in outstanding fashion by recording 6 solo tackles in the final
Spring
game at Hillsboro...in the weight room, Sam has posted personal bests of
265
pounds in the hang clean, 375 in the bench press, 400 in the back squat
and 330
in the incline...has a remarkable 35.50 inch best in the vertical jump and
tested for only 3.4 percent body fat.
(1998-Sophomore)--After spending his redshirt freshman season on
defense, Sam went into spring drills seeking to improve his status on the
depth
chart...performed well during the spring and definitely put himself into a
position to see more action during his sophomore season...in addition, he
continued to be a special teams player where he spent most of his playing
time
as a freshman...has the speed and athletic ability to be
cornerback...completed
spring drills listed No. 3 at left corner behind senior Andrae Holland and
junior Karriem Adams, giving him time to develop his skills and move up
the
ladder...he reported to fall camp as the No. 2 left corner as Adams
transferred...Sam was having an outstanding fall camp and was
participating on
all five OSU special team units and fell victim to a season-ending injury
when
he suffered a dislocated elbow in the Beavers' final preseason scrimmage.
(1997-Redshirt Freshman)--After redshirting during the 1996 season,
Samuel was listed No. 5 on the depth chart at the start of spring drills
at
tailback...he completed the spring listed No. 6 at tailback and it wasn't
really
a matter of not performing well as Cobbe Davis stepping up and moved ahead
of
him...the tailback position is probably OSU's deepest position on the
football
team...when Sam reported to fall camp he was in a new position,
cornerback...the
OSU coaching staff felt he could help the Beavers more in the secondary
and also
get on the field faster...he wound up playing in all 11 games, mainly on
special
teams...also got into some games as a backup cornerback...accounted for 2
tackles during the season, both against UCLA.
(1996-Freshman)--Samuel spent the 1996 season as a redshirt freshman
tailback and he performed very well on the scout team.
CURTIS HIGH SCHOOL, Tacoma, WA (1993-95)--Sam rushed for 1,607 yards on
192 carries (8.5 yards per carry) and scored 19 touchdowns as a senior at
Curtis
High School under Coach Bob Lucey, which won the state Class 3A
championship
with a 14-1 record...earned three letters in football and was a three-year
starter...he was a first-team all-league (South Puget Sound) pick as a
senior,
plus was named first-team all-county (Pierce), first-team all-area by the
Seattle Times and second-team all-state by UPI...had two games where he
rushed
for over 200 yards, with 224 yards and 3 touchdowns vs. Sumner High School
and
206 yards and 3 touchdowns vs. Lakes High School...also was an outstanding
sprinter in track and earned three letters...ran on the Curtis 4X100
(41.5) and
4X400 relay teams as a junior, and the 4X400 unit won the state
title...had
times of 10.7 in the 100 meters and 21.7 in the 200 meters as a
junior...placed
fifth in the Washington 3A state meet in the 200 meters as a senior with a
time
of 22.33..."I thought Sam was a track athlete playing football until his
senior
year and then he became a football player," said Coach Lucey..."He is very
explosive and has now learned how to use his speed. He has great
leadership and
he made things happen for us. He is a good student, a great citizen and
has
excellent work habits," said Lucey...his 1,607 yards rushing as a senior
was a
school record...also visited Boise State and Idaho before selecting
OSU..."He
limited his visits because he wanted to stay close to home," said Lucey.
