Western Kentucky running back Bobby Rainey is in Central Florida preparing for the NFL Draft in April. (Photo by J.S. Robinson, courtesy of WKUathletics.com)
Bobby Rainey has heard it all before.
He’s too small.
He’s not big enough for the NFL.
However, the 5-foot-8, 205-pound running back from Western Kentucky is looking to prove all his naysayers wrong as he prepares to make the leap from the college game to the pros.
“Bobby Rainey is that kid who has a chip on his shoulder,” Tom Shaw said.
Shaw runs a camp at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports at Disney where college players like Rainey work to hone their skills as they prepare for the NFL Draft.
“He’s out to prove himself when he works out with an NFL team,” Shaw adds.
Rainey has proven a lot during his time with the Hilltoppers.
He left as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,542 yards and is just the eighth player since 2000 to rush for back-to-back 1,500-yard seasons. He helped lead Western Kentucky to a 7-5 season, it’s best since 2007.
Q: How did your 2011 season go?
“It went great up until the last point when we were waiting to see if we would get a bid for a bowl. Come to find out that we didn’t. It was disappointing because that was the goal to go to a bowl and win. But we didn’t. We got better from the season prior to that. It was good just disappointing in the end.”
Q: As a team, how did you deal with not getting that bowl bid?
“You live and you learn from it. Next time, the team will learn not to have it that close so it’s in the hands of the bowl representatives. Just go out and handle business during the season and you won’t have that problem.”
Q: What are some of your career goals?
“The first is to try and play in the NFL and if not, then I want to go into coaching. I want to start off at the college level. Basically just be a mentor to the younger guys because a lot of them just need guidance in their life to be on the right path. Just basically be a guidance in their life.”
Q: What prompted the interest in coaching?
“I love being around the game. I love being around football. The only way to be around it and have influence in football is to be around the kids that need it. That’s what I love about being a coach. I experience the same thing when I was a player too so some of the coaches have had a great influence on me. And that’s what I want to do.”
Q: Is there a coaching inspiration for you?
“Yeah, my high school coach. Steve Devoursney at Griffin [High]. Basically, it didn’t matter where a kids stayed at, if they needed to get to practice, he would drive and go get them. It didn’t matter about transportation or anything, basically if they stay at practice, they are not going to get into trouble on the streets. He would always go get them no matter where they are and that was taking time out of his day to go do that and he just wants to see the guys in the classroom and on the field. I admired that.”
Q: How has the process gone for you?
“It’s a grind. I feel great with all the time I have spent here. That’s just what I am going to continue to do is just grind.”
Q: Anything specific you are working on?
“Basically, I work on everything. To make sure there is no time spent off from this. Practice makes perfect so I try to do every aspect of my game. You always get better in whatever you do.”
Q: What will you miss most about your college football experience?
“Just the experience itself. I had a great experience in my college career. On the field and off the field, I ran through a lot of characters since I have been at Western. Coaches included. It’s been crazy but I had more fun than I did downs. I’ve never experienced nothing like that in my life.”
