Sports: Nunnally is quietly prolific

Nunnally is quietly prolific

Florida A&M's Jacquay Nunnally breaks Jerry Rice's receiving record, but recognition has been slow.

By JAMAL THALJI

He has 4,114 receiving yards -- that's 1,551 more than Florida's Carlos Alvarez.

He has caught 37 touchdowns -- that's six more than Florida State's Peter Warrick.

He has 306 career receptions -- that's 162 more than Miami's Lamar Thomas.

More importantly, that's five more receptions than Jerry Rice has; more than any other receiver in the history of Division I football.

So why isn't the name of Florida A&M wide receiver Jacquay Nunnally -- the most prolific receiver in the history of Florida college football -- rolling off the tongues of football aficionados across the state? The nation even?

FAMU coach Billy Joe knows why.

"When you are playing in Division I-AA," he said, "anonymity is your biggest problem."

And as a 5-11, 200-pound wide receiver, Nunnally knows those are the numbers that have always counted against him.

"I've always been basically overlooked," he said. "I didn't fit the stature of the prototypical receiver. The only way I could prove I was a decent receiver was to break someone else's record."

No, he broke the record. Rice's Division I record of 301 career receptions was set at I-AA Mississippi Valley State 16 years ago. Nunnally shattered that with a school-record 16 catches in a 50-49 win over Southern on Nov. 4.

Nunnally's next goal is to put the record out of reach at Saturday's 21st annual Florida Classic between and Bethune-Cookman and FAMU. His last game will be his last chance to keep the record from Louisville's Arnold Jackson (299 receptions) and Brown's Stephen Campbell (291).

Yet when people meet the 22-year-old computer information systems major and record-breaker, Nunnally is not quite what they expect.

"Oh, you look like a running back or a DB or something," he said, recalling some comments he's heard. "There's been so many times I go home and people say "You're Jacquay Nunnally?' "

Strange, Nunnally thinks now, that he started out as a quarterback at Miami's Edison High School, until coach Earnest Perkins moved the junior to wideout.

"It was many moons ago," said Perkins, who now coaches at Miami's Coral Reef High. "Jacquay was always a talented kid, he was Superman to me. He played a little quarterback, he played a little wide receiver, defensive back and running back.

"Jacquay was a real talented kid, and I thought his best interests lay at wide receiver."

Indeed they did. Nunnally had more than 180 receiving yards in his first game at wideout. Then the top prospect began thinking about college.

"Truthfully, my first choice was Florida State," Nunnally said. "But they wanted to hold my scholarship, to see if another athlete would commit first.

"I didn't want to be held out."

So Nunnally opted for FAMU and the Gulf Coast Offense. "Coach Billy Joe put an offense in place for me to thrive in," he said.

But isn't Nunnally's success owed to more than just a passing scheme? After all, FAMU regularly uses four-receiver sets, so how is Nunnally the one setting all those records?

Joe compares Nunnally favorably to New York Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet and Tampa Bay Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp.

"You have individuals who do not fit the mold," Joe said. "But have that special ability to get the job done."

No, Nunnally doesn't possess the body coaches look for in his position, but he brings everything else, and something more, to the table.

"He's a real thick kid, he has great balance, great vision," B-CC coach Alvin Wyatt said. "You bounce right off him and he keeps on going."

"The biggest thing is, the kid is blessed with hands," Perkins said. "He has very deceptive speed. The key is he knows how to run those routes."

Said Joe: "You have receivers who can give you a 4.3 in shorts, but then you put 30 pounds of pads on him, and what is he going to run?

"But Jacquay is built strong."

Nunnally said his best gift is elusiveness.

"I guess I'm excellent after the catch," he said. "I'm real good at making people miss and taking it the distance."

Like the 6-2, 202-pound Rice, his childhood hero who plays for the San Francisco 49ers, Nunnally hopes to make it to the NFL. But he knows his size, and not his numbers, will throw pro scouts off.

"I'm not the typical-size receiver," Nunnally said. "But hopefully I can do the things that a typical-size receiver can do."