Shannon Dorsey's shining example

(San G. grad Shannon Dorsey hasn't wasted his scholarship at Fresno State)

He was big (6-foot, 205 pounds) and had a sprinter's speed. He was also elusive enough one Friday night at Arroyo Valley in 2002, to gain 170 yards rushing and score three touchdowns in a 64-30 San G. win over the Hawks. He would have had five scores, but two were called back.

When Shannon earned a full ride to Fresno State, he seemed to be on his way athletically. But injuries dogged the former Spartan star. In three seasons in Fresno, he had played in only 12 games when a shoulder injury suffered in the Bulldogs' pre-season scrimmage, ended his career.

"It was really disappointing," Shannon said by telephone from Fresno. "My parents have lived for me and my sister, so I just wanted to give them this senior year, so they could watch their son start and feel proud."

Despite Shannon's injuries, his parents, Vernon and Shirley, drove the nine hours round-trip to every home game to support not only Shannon, but their daughter LeShay, who is a junior track and field athlete at Fresno State.

Shannon said he and his sister have always brightened the lives of Vernon, a painter at Cal State San Bernardino and Shirley, who works at a payroll manager at Cal State.

Chances are Vernon and Shirley are already proud of Shannon, despite his run of bad luck in football. The senior is majoring in industrial technology and looks forward to a career in computer networking.

Fresno State has paid for all five years of Shannon's education and he has made excellent use of those years, managing a 3.2 GPA.

Asked if there was a lesson in his plight for young athletes back in San Bernardino, dreaming about a career in pro sports, Shannon said: "Only the top one percent of college football players make the NFL. So I would say don't take college for granted.

"We're student-athletes, with the student part coming first. We are getting a free education and it's up to us to take advantage of it."