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The story of Michael Jordan, the football player, started when the fifth-grader filled in for his older brother Reggie’s team.
A player missed practice. So Jordan — you can call him Mike — went from tagalong to Kirby Middle School’s MVP.
Patricia Jordan still has that trophy, the first of many football awards bestowed upon the single mother’s youngest son.
She named him after a basketball star, but he fell head over heels for another sport.
“Football curtains. Football sheets. His toy box was a football,” she said.
An honor Mike Jordan could add Thursday would be his most impressive yet. The Hazelwood Central grad and former Missouri Western defensive back is a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, a trophy presented annually to the nation’s top small-college defensive player. Winning would mean Jordan, in the eyes of a selection committee that includes Roger Staubach, was the best defender not found on a Division I field.
“Coming from a smaller school, it’s showing they watched you,” Jordan said. “They paid attention to your film, your stats over the years, whatever it may be, because you don’t get the publicity all the big-name guys get. It takes time and work for them to see you. I really do want to win.”
Back in his hometown for the holiday, Jordan answered the door of his cousin’s home wearing a Cardinals sweatshirt. He filled it out, thanks to 20-plus pounds he’s added since he first left for St. Joseph.
Then, he was a 6-foot, 185-pound receiver on a Hazelwood Central powerhouse team — a good player, but one with academic red flags. He had little interest in playing defensive back. He had zero interest from high major recruiters.
Now, Mike Jordan looks like an NFL draft pick.
His mother and brother have relocated from St. Louis to the Houston area, but they are a big part of this. He thanks them, plus good coaching and hard work, for a college career that made possible something pretty special — jumping from Division II to the NFL.
“It’s going to be very hard to keep that kid off an NFL team,” Missouri Western defensive coordinator Wes Bell said. “That kid doesn’t know how to fail.”
It was Mom who said no to quick-fix junior colleges. And Reggie Jordan, a tight end, was already playing for the Griffons. If you haven’t noticed, trying to one-up big brother is a trend here.
“It’s how we were raised,” Mike Jordan said. “We were both competitors. I’ve always tried to get on his level as far as being on top. I’ve always tried to do things like he’s done but better than him. Take the next step. He’s encouraged that.”
Mike Jordan evolved quickly — after he bought in on his future as a defensive back.
“From the minute I saw his high school tape, there was no question,” Missouri Western secondary coach Regi Trotter said. “I knew he could play wide receiver. But you don’t get 6-foot-plus corners that can run and catch the ball as well as he does.”
That 30 NFL teams sent representatives to watch Jordan practice and play this season confirmed the switch was smart.
After he redshirted in 2011, he beat out a senior and a junior to start, then won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s freshman of the year award. He made first team all-conference every season after that. He recently became the first Missouri Western player to earn back-to-back All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association.
Unmute
His athletic ability and ball-hawking skills have always been there. The finer points, like his footwork, have improved. His physicality increased with his strength. His coaches shifted defenses, from a 4-3 to a 3-4, and toggled between zone and man coverage. Jordan, usually a cornerback, sometimes a safety, just kept making plays.
“At times, I couldn’t be beat,” he said.
His 16 career interceptions are tied for second-most in school history. His five interceptions and 22 passes defended as a senior ranked second nationally after the regular season.
“I’m addicted to getting interceptions,” he said. “It’s crazy.”
One game in his sophomore season stands out, not because of a pick, or even a win. Missouri Western lost to Pittsburg State 34-14 on Oct. 26, 2013. But Jordan held a 5-foot-11 speedster named John Brown to four catches for 48 yards. Brown, Pitt State’s all-time leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, became a third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2014.
Jordan said his mouth dropped when he learned of the selection. It was more evidence he could make it.
There are others.
Former Missouri Western defensive lineman David Bass (University City) went from Griffon to seventh-round Raiders pick in 2013. He now plays outside linebacker for the Titans.
Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein, another former Griffon, was a sixth-round selection in 2012.
Jordan recently spoke on the phone with Pierre Desir (Francis Howell Central), the former Lindenwood cornerback the Browns selected in the fourth round in 2014. An agent isn’t the only thing the two hope to have in common. Desir won the inaugural Cliff Harris Award in 2013.
Jordan also knows how fickle his dream can be. Again, he can thank his brother.
Reggie Jordan was no slouch at Missouri Western. He scored 17 touchdowns during his career. The 2014 draft passed him by, but he showed enough to sign as a free agent with the Jaguars. A torn hamstring cost him his job.
“It woke me up a lot — to work so hard and have it ripped away from me,” Reggie Jordan said. “You have to realize, that’s life.”
His best advice? Enjoy every minute of the process. Because everything can change in an instant.
Mike Jordan’s journey will take him to Florida for pre-draft training. On Jan. 23, he will be one of just two Division II players to appear in the East-West Shrine Game. He’s banking on an NFL combine invitation, another chance to prove he belongs.
“I think our league is well-respected from a talent standpoint, but you do fight against, ‘OK, what is he going to do when the lights are on and there are 60,000 people as opposed to five (thousand)?’” Trotter said. “What’s he going to do against the kid that played at Florida State as opposed to Pittsburg State? Those unknown things are always out there, but if a kid is a competitor, it’s not going to bother him.”
Jordan was in the ninth grade when he told his mom he would use his NFL money to buy her a mansion. He might have been the only one who believed it. He’s not going to start doubting himself now.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_acb69af7-0547-5260-bf6e-7fd3226a1e18.html
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I wouldn’t feel like I’m just a Division II kid getting a shot. I would feel like I belong.”
A player missed practice. So Jordan — you can call him Mike — went from tagalong to Kirby Middle School’s MVP.
Patricia Jordan still has that trophy, the first of many football awards bestowed upon the single mother’s youngest son.
She named him after a basketball star, but he fell head over heels for another sport.
“Football curtains. Football sheets. His toy box was a football,” she said.
An honor Mike Jordan could add Thursday would be his most impressive yet. The Hazelwood Central grad and former Missouri Western defensive back is a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, a trophy presented annually to the nation’s top small-college defensive player. Winning would mean Jordan, in the eyes of a selection committee that includes Roger Staubach, was the best defender not found on a Division I field.
“Coming from a smaller school, it’s showing they watched you,” Jordan said. “They paid attention to your film, your stats over the years, whatever it may be, because you don’t get the publicity all the big-name guys get. It takes time and work for them to see you. I really do want to win.”
Back in his hometown for the holiday, Jordan answered the door of his cousin’s home wearing a Cardinals sweatshirt. He filled it out, thanks to 20-plus pounds he’s added since he first left for St. Joseph.
Then, he was a 6-foot, 185-pound receiver on a Hazelwood Central powerhouse team — a good player, but one with academic red flags. He had little interest in playing defensive back. He had zero interest from high major recruiters.
Now, Mike Jordan looks like an NFL draft pick.
His mother and brother have relocated from St. Louis to the Houston area, but they are a big part of this. He thanks them, plus good coaching and hard work, for a college career that made possible something pretty special — jumping from Division II to the NFL.
“It’s going to be very hard to keep that kid off an NFL team,” Missouri Western defensive coordinator Wes Bell said. “That kid doesn’t know how to fail.”
It was Mom who said no to quick-fix junior colleges. And Reggie Jordan, a tight end, was already playing for the Griffons. If you haven’t noticed, trying to one-up big brother is a trend here.
“It’s how we were raised,” Mike Jordan said. “We were both competitors. I’ve always tried to get on his level as far as being on top. I’ve always tried to do things like he’s done but better than him. Take the next step. He’s encouraged that.”
Mike Jordan evolved quickly — after he bought in on his future as a defensive back.
“From the minute I saw his high school tape, there was no question,” Missouri Western secondary coach Regi Trotter said. “I knew he could play wide receiver. But you don’t get 6-foot-plus corners that can run and catch the ball as well as he does.”
That 30 NFL teams sent representatives to watch Jordan practice and play this season confirmed the switch was smart.
After he redshirted in 2011, he beat out a senior and a junior to start, then won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s freshman of the year award. He made first team all-conference every season after that. He recently became the first Missouri Western player to earn back-to-back All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association.
Unmute
His athletic ability and ball-hawking skills have always been there. The finer points, like his footwork, have improved. His physicality increased with his strength. His coaches shifted defenses, from a 4-3 to a 3-4, and toggled between zone and man coverage. Jordan, usually a cornerback, sometimes a safety, just kept making plays.
“At times, I couldn’t be beat,” he said.
His 16 career interceptions are tied for second-most in school history. His five interceptions and 22 passes defended as a senior ranked second nationally after the regular season.
“I’m addicted to getting interceptions,” he said. “It’s crazy.”
One game in his sophomore season stands out, not because of a pick, or even a win. Missouri Western lost to Pittsburg State 34-14 on Oct. 26, 2013. But Jordan held a 5-foot-11 speedster named John Brown to four catches for 48 yards. Brown, Pitt State’s all-time leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, became a third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2014.
Jordan said his mouth dropped when he learned of the selection. It was more evidence he could make it.
There are others.
Former Missouri Western defensive lineman David Bass (University City) went from Griffon to seventh-round Raiders pick in 2013. He now plays outside linebacker for the Titans.
Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein, another former Griffon, was a sixth-round selection in 2012.
Jordan recently spoke on the phone with Pierre Desir (Francis Howell Central), the former Lindenwood cornerback the Browns selected in the fourth round in 2014. An agent isn’t the only thing the two hope to have in common. Desir won the inaugural Cliff Harris Award in 2013.
Jordan also knows how fickle his dream can be. Again, he can thank his brother.
Reggie Jordan was no slouch at Missouri Western. He scored 17 touchdowns during his career. The 2014 draft passed him by, but he showed enough to sign as a free agent with the Jaguars. A torn hamstring cost him his job.
“It woke me up a lot — to work so hard and have it ripped away from me,” Reggie Jordan said. “You have to realize, that’s life.”
His best advice? Enjoy every minute of the process. Because everything can change in an instant.
Mike Jordan’s journey will take him to Florida for pre-draft training. On Jan. 23, he will be one of just two Division II players to appear in the East-West Shrine Game. He’s banking on an NFL combine invitation, another chance to prove he belongs.
“I think our league is well-respected from a talent standpoint, but you do fight against, ‘OK, what is he going to do when the lights are on and there are 60,000 people as opposed to five (thousand)?’” Trotter said. “What’s he going to do against the kid that played at Florida State as opposed to Pittsburg State? Those unknown things are always out there, but if a kid is a competitor, it’s not going to bother him.”
Jordan was in the ninth grade when he told his mom he would use his NFL money to buy her a mansion. He might have been the only one who believed it. He’s not going to start doubting himself now.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_acb69af7-0547-5260-bf6e-7fd3226a1e18.html
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I wouldn’t feel like I’m just a Division II kid getting a shot. I would feel like I belong.”
