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'Great' Dayne

Wisconsin running back is Heisman material

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Posted: Wednesday September 01, 1999 06:28 PM

Ron Dayne needs 1,717 yards to supplant Ricky Williams on top of the NCAA career rushing list. CNN/SI

By John Giannone, CNN/SI

MADISON, WI -- The statue itself weighs just 25 pounds. But the mystique and the specter of the Heisman Trophy can become a far heavier burden. As the preseason front-runner for the award, Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne plans to sidestep Heisman hype the same way he avoids tacklers - with strength, determination and modesty.

"Just be normal," he says. "My edge is not going to change. I don’t really think about the Heisman too much. If the team’s not doing good, then I probably won’t win the Heisman. You’ve got to have a great team first."

That's an attitude coaches and players alike have come to know. "That’s who Ron Dayne is," says offensive coordinator Brian White. "He’s very unselfish, he’s been unselfish since he’s been here. He’s always fit within the framework of our team philosophy. He’s never put himself above the team."

"I don’t think he’s the kind of guy that falls into the hype and pays much attention to it," said offensive lineman Chris McIntosh. "He’s got a great work ethic and he’s somebody who tries to get better everyday."

Head coach Barry Alvarez says of Dayne simply, "What you see with Ron is what you get."

Dayne is just 499 yards shy of breaking the Big Ten rushing record and 1,717 yards away of setting a new NCAA rushing record. And while the prospect of surpassing two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin or reigning Heisman holder Ricky Williams did factor into Dayne’s decision to stiff-arm the NFL, there was a more important, more personal reason why he returned to Madison for one final year.

To be a full-time father to his 21-month-old daughter, Jada.

"She means everything," Dayne said of his child. "When I’m down, I want to talk to her on the phone. When being in camp, or even when I see her and I’m down, it just brightens up my day."

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And don't think Dayne's decision to come back didn't brighten up the day of the coaches, players or fans.

"We gathered information from NFL GMs, we sat down and put down all the things he wanted to accomplish," Alvarez says. "And then we sat down and took a look at all the facts and the decision was very clear at that point, that coming back was in his best interest."

Dayne’s devotion to personal causes was evident this summer, when he fulfilled a parent’s wish and voluntarily befriended a Madison youngster who was seriously injured in a bicycle accident.

"My dad told me the day before that he asked him to come, but he probably wouldn’t come," said Benjamin Robbins. "Then all of a sudden my mom said, ‘Ron Dayne is here.’ And then he walked in and I was all quiet because I didn’t know what to say to him."

Dayne's act of kindness gave the youngster's parents a different insight on why this player's nickname is also known as Ron "Great" Dayne.

"I think he’s got a big heart," said Benjamin's father, Ken. "It was an incredibly kind thing to do to have some stranger stop him on the street and tell him their own little personal story and have him actually go out of his way to come over to our house."

"He really acted like he really cared," added Benjamin's mother, Louise. "And I think that’s the thing that was really striking to Benjamin. It would have been enough of a thrill just to come in contact with a celebrity."

As far as Dayne was concerned, it's a role he has come to embrace, without any ill side-effects.

"I know I’m a celebrity but I try not to be like that when I walk around. ‘Don’t touch me, you know, I’m a celebrity.’ When kids come up to me I don’t mind signing stuff for them, you know, just going out of my way for the kids."

Alvarez insists he will not bolster Dayne’s statistics during a weak non-conference schedule in September. To keep an injury-prone Dayne healthy this season, Alvarez has instituted a no-touch policy in practice that began in training camp and will continue throughout the season.

 

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