Rashard Pompey is not only in a hurry; he’s in a rush. The senior is in a hurry to be the no. 1 all-time Florida A&M University running back and he only has to rush 1,398 more yards the rest to get there.
Rashard Pompey is a senior, star running back for the Rattlers’ football team. Currently, Pompey is seventh on the FAMU football 2,000-yard club list and is on pace to finish no lower than third among FAMU’s all-time rushers. He needs 562 yards to move into third place in the 2,000-yard club. He also has to rush for 950 yards the rest of the season to be in the 3,000-yard club list.
“I’m pretty confident he’ll do it,” said teammate junior receiver Aubrey Parrish. “He’s a very confident individual.”
Although being among the school’s all-time greats is a tremendous accomplishment, Pompey still is not satisfied.
“Third is good but I’d rather be first,” Pompey said.
The Tallahassee native said his love for the game began when he was about ten years old. He began playing Pop Warner football-his first endeavor in an organized league.
However, Pompey’s middle school football dreams did not last long. His mother, Benita Lamb, took him off the team his seventh and eighth grade seasons because she felt he needed to focus more on his schoolwork.
“During that time he had to go to summer school. When he wasn’t doing well in school, I would take away things that he liked doing,” Lamb said.
But Lamb permitted her son to pursue his dreams and play his freshman year at Godby High School.
Unfortunately, Lamb was unaware of her son’s amazing talent until a friend asked her if she had a son who played football.
“I didn’t realize he was so into football because I worked all the time. A friend of mine told me that Rashard had talent and I should watch him play,” Lamb said.
Once she did, she began to understand her son’s love and need to play football.
During his junior year at Godby, Pompey decided that he wanted to take football seriously and play in college. Many Universities recruited him. Among them were the University of Arkansas, Southern University and FAMU.
“I was supposed to go to Arkansas but my SAT scores were too low. Southern was only offering a partial scholarship and my mom couldn’t afford out-of-state housing so FAMU was my last option. But I’m glad I’m here,” Pompey said.
From the first time Pompey put on a Rattler jersey, he has shown why his name will not be forgotten. As a walk-on, he had to sit out the 2001 season because of academics. Pompey decided to tackle the books and emerged as the team’s leading rusher each of the past three years.
“He’s a big piece to the puzzle,” said Parrish.
“He’s a fun guy off the field, but all about business when we’re out there.”
Pompey attributes his success to God. He said that he prays a lot and his mother prays for him too.
“The Lord says that if you meet him half way then he will do the rest. So I practice hard and leave the rest in God’s hands,” the 23-year-old psychology major, political science minor said.
The future is looking bright for this football star. He already has a degree in criminal justice and is working on a second degree in political science. Pompey would like to pursue a professional football career after this season. “If I can’t make if pro then I’d like to go into law enforcement,” he added.
After this season, Rashard Pompey’s name will be placed upon the list of FAMU’s all-time great rushers. Pompey said that when people look at his name in the record books, he wants them to remember him not only as a football player but also as a good person.
“I want people to remember me as a trustworthy and honest person. I want people to know that I came here not just to play football but to get a good education, and I’ve done that,” Pompey said.
Contact Quidara Russell at thefamuansports@hotmail.com