Athletes who make it big bring sense of pride to fans

Throughout this past summer, seeing if former University of South Dakota standout Tyler Starr would be drafted into the National Football League was one of the biggest hypes around Coyote sports.

Then it was if he would make a training camp cut. Then it was if he would make a 53-man roster.

Starr did all of those things. He also got his 15 minutes of fame with the HBO series “Hard Knocks.” His golden hair would flop around on cameos, and his family was featured in one episode.

It was some pretty cool moments for Starr, but also some pretty cool moments for Coyote supporters.

I remember the sense of pride that filled social media after the draft. This summer a few friends and I watched “Hard Knocks” together. And Sundays, friends still take pictures of their television if a glimpse of Starr can be caught.

Obviously having a professional athlete representing USD and representing our college town was a big deal. But the list of professional athletes doesn’t begin and end with Starr.

USD boasts a number of professional athletes around the world. In fact, Starr isn’t the only player from USD to make it into the NFL.

I’m sure there are a number of Coyote fans who do not know about Tom Compton. He’s a young player in the NFL. In his second season with the Washington D.C. football team, Compton has earned himself a starting offensive tackle position. He was drafted one round higher than Starr, and he’s putting on the pads on Sundays.

Unfortunately, he has not received the same sort of hype Starr has garnered.

Starr plays a position where big plays get your name remembered. His leading sack totals while in Coyote uniform made him a fan favorite, while Compton simply went about his business protecting the quarterback.

His position lacked the luster of Starr — maybe his shorter hair lacked the luster as well. So, it’s easy for Coyotes to forget about him or forget to praise his time on an NFL field.

Still, the list of athletes don’t stop there. Other Coyote football fan favorites are Stefan Logan and Will Powell.

Logan had his time in the NFL before transferring his talents to the Canadian Football League. He has since won player of the week honors.

Powell is enjoying his time in Germany playing semi-pro football. Powell even got a standing ovation earlier in the Coyote season after he appeared on the DakotaDome screen.

For Coyote basketball fans, there’s still the fresh memories of Trevor Gruis. Last year’s graduate is now in Sweden and leading his professional team in points and blocks.

The memories of Charlie Westbrook playing above the rim under coach Dave Boots’ Coyote basketball teams aren’t too long forgotten either. Westbrook competed on two National Basketball Association D-League teams before moving across the Atlantic to France.

All these guys are still representing USD, but in professional worlds different from our NFL and NBA obsessions. Coyote fans have reason to be proud of the teams they follow, and surely more Coyote athletes are in line waiting for their big break post-college.