STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 7:00 pm
Wali Muhammad Sr., father of Nebraska’s senior defensive end of the same name, pulls no punches discussing life.
It’s what you might expect from a strong-minded former professional boxer. Indeed, boxing and Muslim religion kept him on the straight and narrow. Without the discipline required for both areas of his life, “I probably would’ve ended up in jail,” the New Jersey native said.
Muhammad Sr.’s own father? Oh, he was in the picture, “But he wasn’t a guy who would put his foot down,” he said.
Make no mistake, Muhammad Sr. is one to put his foot down.
And perhaps nobody appreciates it more than Wali Muhammad Jr.
“If you buy into my dad’s system, you’ll be really successful,” said the younger Muhammad, who recorded three tackles for loss, including a sack, during Nebraska’s 31-3 win against Wake Forest last weekend.
Muhammad Sr.’s system involves strict adherence to staying physically fit, achieving success in the classroom, and “leaving the girls alone,” he said.
Said Muhammad Jr.: “I guess for one of his fights, he didn’t train quite right, so he puts it into my head that girls will make you weak. I say, ‘Pops, man, I’m in college … ’ ”
When Muhammad Jr. was in high school, he said, his dad would wake him at 5:30 a.m. for a 5-mile run. The elder Muhammad also would supervise his son running stadium steps after his high school team’s football practices.
Even now, the 6-foot-1, 255-pound Muhammad Jr. approaches football with something of a boxer’s mentality. Perhaps you saw the ferocious uppercut he unleashed into the air in celebration after sacking Wake Forest’s Benjamin Mauk late in the fourth quarter Saturday. Perfect. Still firing punches in the late rounds. The fourth quarter — that’s when Muhammad’s conditioning pays off.
“He was still coming,” Muhammad Sr. said. “The second half, that’s when you blow through guys.”
Muhammad Sr. was talented and tough enough to fight for the USBA cruiserweight title in 1989 (he lost to Jeff Lampkin by technical knockout in the 12th round on national television). Muhammad retired in 1991 with a record of 14-2, with nine knockouts. As an amateur, he captured two New Jersey Golden Gloves championships. At 6-foot-3, he was tall for a cruiserweight. By all accounts, he had a wicked left jab.
The younger Muhammad said he probably gets his charm from his mom. But he idolized dad.
“My dad was my baby sitter,” he said. “When I got out of school, my mom was at work, so I went to the boxing gym with my dad. You should’ve seen him fight. He was the deal, man.”
However, Muhammad Sr. didn’t want his son involved in boxing. The sport was fraught with politics, he said. He didn’t trust promoters. He wanted no part of being a politician or being beholden to anyone. Muhammad Sr. does things his way and speaks his mind.
When it came to raising his children, Muhammad Sr. had a plan. The family was living in Orange, N.J., in the early 1990s when Muhammad Sr. decided to buy a house in Bloomfield, N.J., in an area that wasn’t as rough as Orange and had a much better school system, he said.
“Too many people were standing on the street corner (in Orange),” Muhammad Sr. said.
Muhammad Jr. put it this way: “The recruiters weren’t going to come to the ‘hood.’ In Bloomfield, they were going to come no matter what.”
Muhammad Jr. became a star at Bloomfield High School, a three-year starter at outside linebacker. He began his college career at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, where he was a first-team All-Jayhawk Conference player in 2002 after recording a school-record 22 sacks. Last season, his second at Nebraska, he played in all 11 games and recorded 18 tackles and three sacks.
His biggest game in 2004 occurred in a win at Pittsburgh. He intercepted a pass to set up a touchdown and was in the Panther backfield seemingly all day, recording five quarterback hurries.
Now, he gears for Saturday’s rematch in Lincoln. He’s brimming with confidence after recording three tackles for loss against Wake Forest.
“I’m to a point where I think I can dominate anybody,” he said. “I don’t know what it is. But I think I own Pittsburgh. People say I should play more, man. NFL scouts see that when I’m in the game, I’m doing my thing and making plays.”
“Wali’s playing very well right now,” Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “He needs to improve and become more consistent. But he’s making a lot of plays for us and playing with tremendous effort.”
Effort? Muhammad Jr. learned the value of hard work from watching his father — the fighter with a firm grip and a resolute will to raise his son right.
“All Wali needs is to know I’m there for him,” Muhammad Sr. said. “I’ll always be there.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.