Troy University Athletics
Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer
Trojan Challenge Teams Drafted
1/26/2012 5:32:00 PM | Football
TROY, Ala. – The 2012 Trojan Challenge kicked off Thursday afternoon with a live draft of the 10 teams in the Tine Davis Fieldhouse on Troy's campus.
The Trojan Challenge is a semester long competition designed to raise accountability within the Troy football team. Players will be awarded points for a variety of different tasks including – community service, perfect class attendance, earning positive feedback from professors and for work in the weight room. Players and teams can also lose points for demonstrating poor accountability.
“Every year we try and do something to hold the players accountable for what they do in the classroom and around the community,” assistant coach and Trojan Challenge coordinator Jeff Beckles said. “We started this last year with the players heading up each team, but decided to have a coach lead the teams this year to add even more accountability. The scores will be posted weekly so the players will know who is doing well, but also who is bringing the teams down which should add some peer pressure to the table as well.”
The competition will also involve a little fun for the players with a Night of Champions skills competition. The Night of Champions will include a bench press challenge, 3-point shooting contest, slam dunk contest, touchdown celebration contest and 4x100m relay.
Freshman offensive lineman Zach Johnson was taken by Beckles with the first pick of the draft. The remainder of the first round consisted of wide receiver Jaquon Robinson, defensive end Kyle Lucas, offensive lineman Terrence Jones, running back D.J. Taylor, offensive lineman Andrew Phillips, defensive lineman Tony Davis, tight end Jim Teknipp, wide receiver Eric Dunn and offensive lineman Evan McKissack.
“Last year the team leaders drafted in a small room and we posted a list of all the teams, but we wanted to make a bigger deal out of the event this year,” Beckles said. “We wanted the players who were picked near the end to realize where they stand as far as leadership and accountability in their teammates' minds.”
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