Oct. 17, 2002

Charleston, SC - His knee twisted and causing him obvious pain, Citadel center Chad Boozer faced a long walk to the sideline at Johnson Hagood Stadium last Saturday.

Two members of the sports medicine staff ran out to help him, but the 6-1, 275-pound fifth-year senior refused all offers. He determinedly hobbled to the sidelines by himself, slowing limping about 40 yards while leaning on no one for support.

"I was frustrated that I had to come out, and I didn't want any help," said Boozer, who had his foot planted when teammate Dan Blary lost his feet and rolled up Boozer's leg. "But my knee re-sprained, and once the ref blows whistle, you have to go out.

"After the game, my dad told me that was the first time I've ever had to come out of a game for a play."

The end result - Boozer sat out one play of the Bulldogs' 26-7 win over East Tennessee State, and he'll be in the lineup when The Citadel plays Furman Saturday.

That's due, in part, to the knee brace Boozer wears after injuring the same knee in preseason practice. But it's also due to his toughness and determination to squeeze the most out of his final football season as a player.

"He's a tough guy, a tough player," Citadel coach Ellis Johnson said. "He's played very hard and very well this season and has overachieved. He came in here as a walk-on, and let me tell you, he's worked his buns off."

Like several of his fellow star-ters on the offensive line, Boozer was not a highly recruited player and came to The Citadel from Chapin High School as a walk-on. He took a redshirt year as a knob in 1998, and did not play at all in 1999. Two years ago, he started nine games at left tackle, and last year started five games during an injury plagued season.

This season, the Bulldogs needed a center to replace the departed Jon Gess. Boozer was the obvious choice for line coach Jeff Fela and Johnson.

"The center makes a lot of our line calls, and you have to have a guy there that is consistent," Johnson said. "That's what Chad is. He's not going to be a dominating player, because he doesn't have the God-given talent that some linemen do. But he will always be consistent, he'll always play at full speed and play as hard as he can play. And in the mental part of the game, he makes very few mistakes, if any."

Said Boozer, "I was excited when they moved me to center. I actually get to touch the ball. I fell on a fumble once, but that doesn't count."

Boozer has built himself into one of the strongest players on the team, bench-pressing 410 pounds. The game has taken a toll on a body, but not enough to keep him from returning for a fifth season.

"You take a beating on the line," he said. "The one game that stands out for me was our game against App State last year (an 8-6 loss). That was a battle. I woke up the next day with a black eye, a busted lip and a sprained back. People don't realize that in the Southern Conference, it's a very physical conference. The linemen are big, but you have to get it done.

"My mom always feels sorry for me, asking me why I do this to myself. It's that feeling after you win, knowing what you've been through. You can't replace that with anything else in the world. The smell of grass and sweat - I know it sounds nasty, but you can't beat it."

That's why Boozer will savor the final six games of his career - and why he plans to be a football coach when he's done playing.

"The first six games have gone by so fast," he said. "I'll just play every snap like it's my last, and hope the last six go by real slow."