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Donley keeping dream alive
Published November 22, 2007
West Columbia’s Jarrett Donley does not understand the concept of “no”, especially when it comes to playing his favorite sport.
A 1997 graduate from Columbia High School, Donley starred in the backfield, on defense and special teams for the Roughnecks football team.
Since his days at Columbia, Donley has been to various places to play football.
“For me, I’ve always felt like I haven’t gotten enough of the sport,” Donley said. “For every team that I’ve played since high school, I’ve always felt like I was one of the best players on the that team. I just keep making it happen, hoping some day it will work out.”
After high school Donley played for Prairie View A&M University for a season then headed off to Blinn Community College. Though he never played at Blinn, Donley then headed to College Station.
From 1999 to 2001, Donley played in the backfield, special teams and scout teams for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Still not finished with getting on the football field, he headed to the National Indoor Football League where he dressed up with the Rapid City Red Dogs and the Tri-City Diesel for the 2003 season.
In 2004, Donley gave the Waco Marshals of the National Indoor Football League a try until the team folded during the season. In 2005, he played in the Impact Football League at Rice Stadium as a member of the Cypress Raptors.
“I went to the Katy Copperheads camp in 2006 but nothing happened with that,” Donley said. “I did get a contract offer from the Laredo Lobos that same year from the Intense Football League but I just decided it wasn’t the right fit at that time.”
Donley had an offer from the Katy Roughriders this past season but a car accident sidelined him for a while. Eventually he got back on the football field this past summer and played for the Bay Area Gamblers of the North American Football League.
“Haywood Jefferies was the head coach there and I played running back and fullback for them,” Donley said. “I like being on the field, putting on the pads because it is just something I love to do. I’ve paid to play and have played for free, and as you can tell, I am not playing for the money.”
Donley’s next venture on to the 100-yard field will be with the All American Football League, set to kickoff in the spring of 2008. His tryout is slated for Dec. 7 in Nashville, Tennessee.
“It’s a different kind of league because it is for former players who have college degrees,” Donley said. “The tryouts or combine will include a lot of running and various drills.”
There will be teams from Texas, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas and Alabama in the AAFL. For Donley, it really does not matter where he winds up, as long as he’s somewhere between the hash marks.
“For many players the ultimate goal is the NFL, which seems like a slim chance,” Donley said. “But I just want to play and I want to continue to until I have had enough of it. Either that or physically I can’t do it anymore.”
With an agriculture development psychology degree, Donley spent some time as a special education aide at Columbia High School. He also assisted as a coach but was not certified for a full-time position.
Currently, Donley is a mental case manager for the Gulf Coast Center.
“The thing about this is that at 28, I can still run and lift better than most,” Donley said. “I also have the edge with the experience I’ve gained along the way. Also, when I am playing I can tell you what is going to happen and that is the type of experience that will help me tremendously.”
Joel Luna is the sports editor for The Facts. Contact him at (979) 237-0160 or at joel.luna(at)thefacts.com.
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