Casey plots two-sport future at Baylor

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Casey plots two-sport future at Baylor

By Dave Rogers

Published January 15, 2009

Robert Griffin went from Copperas Cove High School in the fall of 2007 to a third-place finish in the intermediate hurdles at the NCAA championship meet six months later.

Then he was named Big 12 Conference freshman of the year quarterbacking Baylor’s football team this past season.

Chance Casey noticed.

And the running back-hurdler from Crosby has decided to join Griffin with the Baylor Bears, continuing his standout two-sport career in football and track and field.

He plans to sign with the Bears on national signing day Feb. 4.

“It did influence my decision,†Casey said of following the success at Baylor of Griffin, an old track rival.

“Hurdle-wise, I know I’ll have somebody to compete with at practice every day. That’s only going to make me better. And he’s a really good football player. I heard he’s a really hard worker, too.â€

Casey, a first-team All-District 19-4A running back, finished third in the league with 717 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, despite a serious groin injury that cost him several games late in the year.

He averaged 15 yards per catch receiving and 204.7 all-purpose yards per game, numbers that included a 32.2-yard average on kickoff returns.

On the track last spring, the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Casey won Class 4A state championships in both the 110-meter high hurdles and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. He went on to finish second in the highs, third in the intermediates in the USA Track & Field Junior Championships last summer.

Among the many colleges seeking to recruit Casey for football and track, Stanford and TCU were in his final three along with Baylor.

“Baylor was just the best situation for me,†he said. “They have an up and coming football program that did really well this year,†finishing a more competitive than it sounds 4-8 under coach Art Briles. “And they’re known for having an excellent quarter-miler sprint program.

“And it’s close enough for my family to come see me play.â€

Casey says track and football are “50-50†propositions for him, both equally his favorite sports.

Baylor, which turned out world champion sprinters in Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner, to name a few, has long made good on its promises to let its better athletes perform in both football and track and in Griffin, has a new standard-bearer.

Casey said he was well-warned going into the recruiting process that all football coaches don’t deliver when it comes to allowing their players to compete in two sports.

“I wanted to commit to Baylor a long time ago, but I wanted to be sure about my decision,†said Casey. “After I took my visit in December, that pretty much sealed the deal over there.â€

Casey returned home and canceled pre-arranged recruiting visits to Stanford and TCU.

While on the Baylor campus, he had the opportunity to visit with Griffin. But that wasn’t the first time, he’d talked about going to Baylor with the fellow who beat him in the 4A intermediate hurdles in the 2007 state meet.

“I’ve competed against him maybe twice,†Casey said. “Once when we were about 11 or 12 years old, and in the state meet my sophomore year. I’ve talked to him a few times.â€

At Baylor, the Bear football coaches are intending to try Casey at either receiver or defensive back, both positions he played at Crosby on occasion.

Currently, Casey is still in the recovery mode after last fall’s injury. He’s looking forward to a return to the track and a new District 19-4A rivalry against Cameron LaCour, a standout hurdler who transferred to Dayton last summer after finishing second in the Class 5A high hurdles and fifth in the 5A intermediates at state last year.

“Actually we’re pretty good friends,†Casey said.

“I’m not sure when I’ll start running, but there’s a pretty good chance we’ll run against each other at the Nike Indoor meet up in Boston (March 13-15).â€

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I invited Crosby to our meet this year just so I could see him run again.  He's impressive