University of North Carolina Athletics
Monday Night's Practice Notes
August 16, 2004 | Football
Aug. 16, 2004
By Adam Lucas In the history of mankind, many great conversations have begun with the statement, "Man, it would be so cool if you had ram horns." That's what Tom O'Leary said to Leon Scroggins Saturday night as the duo sat in their dorms during training camp, and the results are undeniable. O'Leary, a walk-on from Waxhaw, was previously best known as a free safety. After his work on Scroggins's hair, however, his new official title may be Team Barber. "We thought my hair would be perfect for it because of how thick it is," Scroggins said. As it turned out, "It" was a completely shaved head...except for a pair of ram horns that O'Leary expertly shaped out of his teammate's hair. At Sunday's practice, the horns were painted blue. By Monday's two-a-days, however, the horns had sadly turned back to Scroggins's natural hair color. Even without the bright color, though, the craftsmanship was still remarkable. "I'm excited about the season and have a lot of team spirit and thought that would be a good way to show it," Scroggins said. "I think O'Leary did a good job. He's not a professional barber but maybe he should be." He certainly would have the ram horn market cornered. Scroggins will be best known to the general public for his hair, but he's best known to his teammates for his tireless dedication to the program. When over 75 players were asked the hardest worker on the team, Scroggins easily claimed the title, amassing over four times as many votes (38) as the next closest finisher. He's bounced around during his career, moving from linebacker to fullback back to linebacker. At each stop, he's been a valuable member of the scout team. His kamikaze style is also perfectly suited for special teams, where he's free to careen down the field without restriction. "He works hard every day and he's a great scout team player," John Bunting said. "He's a guy who has helped us on special teams and will help us this year. If you're not first or second string, you need guys who have a lot of enthusiasm about the game and want to help the football team. They're not worried about playing team. Their concerns are the team. That's what `Scroggy' is." Monday Evening Practice Notes: The Tar Heels finally returned to their grass practice field Monday night, working out for two hours on an unseasonably pleasant August evening in Chapel Hill...With the return to grass came a long-awaited mini-scrimmage, as the first, second, and third string offenses all got approximately ten snaps against their respective opposing defenses. Each session of the scrimmage was preceded by the theme from "Monday Night Football" blaring over the practice field loudspeakers... Other than the music, the loudest sound during the scrimmage came from the pads of Mahlon Carey, who delivered a handful of popping blows and forced a fumble...Jon Hamlett made a diving snag in the end zone for a touchdown...Del Roberts showed the shiftiness that made him a highly recruited receiver out of Florida, leaving several tacklers grasping at air with a well-timed shimmy...With Skip Seagraves still out with an injury, Brian Chacos was able to get some snaps with the first team offensive line...Adarius Bowman did practice after sitting out Monday morning's session...Some of the best action of the evening was not during the scrimmage, but during some of the head-to-head drills between the offensive and defensive line. Those periods continue to be among the most spirited of training camp, as neither side has yet been willing to yield to the other...A full crew of officials worked the scrimmage as the Carolina coaches attempted to emphasize some of the details---lining up correctly, following this year's points of emphasis---that will be important in close games. Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.
