Leach living his childhood dream
By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Vonta Leach was certainly a fan favorite when he played for the East Carolina Pirates. It had as much to do with his personality as it did with his play.
The 6-0, 250-pounder can usually be found wearing a big grin. And he’s certainly never at a loss for words.
A regular-quote machine, Leach has quickly become a favorite among the Houston Texans’ fans. The starting fullback will begin the second of a four-year contract with the team next year.
While Leach obviously has the size and skills to play in the NFL, he said he never would have made it had it not been for a strong work ethic in the classroom.
“It starts off in middle school and having your grades right,” said Leach, who recently returned to Greenville to visit with friends. “When you get into high school, everybody wants to play sports and you just have to get involved.
“To get looked at, you have to have the grades; that’s the number one thing. There are a lot of people that I played with and that I played against that were way better than me, but they didn’t have the grades so they couldn’t display their talents on the college level.”
Leach was successful in the classroom and on the field at South Robeson High School, which led to his chance to play at ECU.
Getting there is only half the battle. Leach said an athlete has to separate himself from the others.
“When you get to college, everybody was an all-star at his (high) school,” Leach said. “At each level you go up, you have to step your game up. If you don’t step your game up, you’ll get left by the wayside.
“A lot of players will reach their peak when they’re in high school. Some don’t take that next step once they get to college. You have to work out hard and you have to do whatever you have to do to make yourself have an edge over the next guy because everybody is a star.”
