Ed Marlowe
Staff writer
Sophomore Tim Adkisson has some pretty sweet moves; they just aren’t seen on the field.
Adkisson, a safety from Milan, Tenn., can be seen performing dances on the sidelines whenever the Racers make a play on the field.
“(On) game day we’ve got a nice little crowd,” Adkisson said. “Coach always wants us to come out and have fun so I carry it out onto the field and have fun. My job is to get everyone on the sidelines pumped and that’s how I go about it.”
Adkisson is close to his teammates and likes keeping spirits high and energetic on the sidelines.
“We’re just like brothers and we all like to have fun,” he said. “Since I don’t play that much, they all looked at me to be the one on the sideline and get everybody going. We’re close; we’re more like a team now.”
Instead of bemoaning his lack of playing time, “The Dancing Racer” said he will remain a positive force on the sidelines and will be ready when the coach needs him.
“I’m always going to be the same person from here on out,” Adkisson said. “I’ll always be on the sidelines dancing because that’s part of me having fun. When I’m out on the field, I’ll sell out for the team and do what I can whenever my number is called.”
After spending last season as a redshirt freshman, Adkisson maintained a strenuous workout regimen in the offseason in order to prepare for this season’s rigors. The payoff of hard work and determination has put Adkisson on kickoff and punt coverage teams.
“I’m glad that I’ve had the opportunity to walk-on and make the team,” he said. “When I played high school football, it gave me a lot of mental toughness and hard work ethic I needed and I just carried that over to here.”
Walking on to the team, however, was no easy task for Adkisson.
“As a walk-on, they expect more out of me and it’s harder to try and make it,” he said. “I’m just going to work my tail off and make myself better.”
Adkisson said high school football sharpened the mentality needed to succeed in a college football program and has pushed him to be a better player overall.
On game days, Adkisson follows a tradition by watching game film on some of his favorite defensive standouts from the University of Miami.
“I watch YouTube videos of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis before games to get my mind going,” he said. “They get me ready for the game.”
Adkisson follows the Carolina Panthers, who in 2003 made a miraculous run to the Super Bowl behind excellent team chemistry and hard work ethic, qualities the Racers have this year as a team, he said.
“I remember watching Stephen Davis run, and just something about that football team really inspired me,” he said. “I’ve been following them ever since.”
For now, however, the Racers inspire him to dance on the sidelines.
Contact Marlowe.