Thankfully, Casey didn't take off his shirt.
That parade was electric! Like the opening scenes of 28 Days Later when the guy awakens from his coma.
Still, a great honor. Galveston Ball has a long history of putting players into the NFL as well as bending over closetojumping's Pasadena high school teams, which featured a sophomore Casey Hampton shotputting childhood friends into the QB while ctj ran disinterested, moody routes, pausing only to file his nails with an emery board.
If I may excerpt from this story of absolute greatness:
My senior year in high school, we were taking our annual beating from Galveston Ball. The score ended up 69-14 that year, which was awesome. Anyway, I was a WR and never went to the huddle. One of the Guards was a lifelong friend of mine and he told me in the middle of the game to swing by the huddle. I said "no thanks" and he told me it would be worth my time. I walk over to the huddle after the next play and everyone in the huddle is telling our Center to pull himself together and at least attempt to make a block on the Nose Tackle.
The Center, a buddy of mine and an 18 year old high school senior, is bawling in the huddle and hyperventilating. Literally, he had tears streaming and his face was a bright purple. "I’m doing the best I can, guys. Oh Fuck!?! You don’t understand!". I walked away, chuckling and mortified. On literally the next play, the NT took the Center on the snap and threw him backwards into the QB who was dropping back to pass. The QB fell backwards for the sack, with the Center collapsing on top of him. The Center is mocked to this day about that game and his behavior, against a Sophomore NT, no less. Of course, that NT was named Casey Hampton
Casey is one of my favorite all-time Longhorns and he dominated the LOS like opposing RBs were made of Boston cream pie. Although he has grown into an elephantine block-eating All-Pro NG for the Super Bowl champion Steelers, don't forget that the svelte collegiate Casey Hampton used to make tackles from sideline to sideline. In fact, Casey had a big-time motor.
Check out the statline for his junior season in '99: 101 tackles, 21 TFL. That's right - a double-teamed-on-every-play 1 technique led his team in tackles and TFL. By a large margin.
I'll never forget his performance against KSU in '99 when an overmatched Texas offense led by Major Applewhite and a receiving corps composed of hot dog parts had six turnovers and repeatedly gave up defensive touchdowns and terrible field position. Hampton never quit and singlehandedly kept us in the game for three quarters. He finished with 12 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 sacks. And was bawling after the game in frustration.
Congrats, Casey. You're one of the all-time greats.
Why the Buffalo Bill Silence of the Lambs tuck, Casey?