Chris Rainey - Seizing The Moment
Monday, October 19, 2009 | Football
By: Stephen Kerkhof, UF Communications
Chris Rainey is a winner. It started in Pop Warner and continued through his high school career at Lakeland, where he won three state championships and two national championships and played a major part in the Dreadnaughts' 53-game winning streak.
“All my life I have been winning,” Rainey said. “Every football team I have been on has won. I'm just used to winning. I can't take losses.”
That winning attitude has allowed Rainey to fit right in at UF. Some players find it difficult to deal with the high demands placed on the Gators from fans, boosters, coaches and the media, but Rainey has been dealing with high on-field expectations since he was a freshman in high school.
“The success I had in high school did help make my transition to college easier because in high school we had the same practice style,” Rainey said. “The main difference is that in Lakeland, I was just faster than everybody and I didn't have to try too hard, but here everybody is fast.”
A strong work ethic has helped Rainey elevate his game to the collegiate level and maintain his success.
The more Rainey wins, the more he wants to keep winning. Drive has never been an issue for the Florida speedster, so fans don't have to worry about him getting complacent.
“My motivation is being No. 1 in everything I do, and doing anything I can to win,” he said.
Another big factor in Rainey's smooth transition to the college game is the fact that he didn't have to do it alone. Six of his high school teammates committed to Florida and enrolled alongside him, the most notable being Mike and Maurkice Pouncey.
“It definitely helped to come here with the Pounceys because I know how the twins block, and it was nice to have some people to hang around with and talk to, so I didn't get homesick,” Rainey said when asked about his teammates and long-time friends.
Playing time is tough to come by for freshmen, especially with the Orange and Blue, but in his first year Rainey saw playing time as a return specialist, and found time at running back before a shoulder injury ended his year just four games into the season.
“I thought I was going to finish the season but I couldn't,” he said.
It was the first time in his career he had to deal with injury. Some players might allow a season-ending surgery to get the best of them, but not Rainey. He found ways to make himself a better football player, even without stepping on the field.
“Being redshirted helped me because I was able to get bigger, stronger and faster,” Rainey said.
Rainey hit the weight room and was able to pack some muscle onto his lean frame (he weighed just 165 pounds when he stepped onto campus) so that he could withstand a full year of punishment from stiff SEC defenses.
But even on the sideline, Rainey never lost sight of his goal – getting back on the field and helping the Gators win. He wasted no time doing that, rushing for 58 yards on six carries and a touchdown in his return to action against Hawaii in 2008.
“It just felt really good to be back on the field again,” Rainey said about the season opener against the Warriors.
Ever since his return, Rainey has hit the ground running, leaving his mark on both offense and special teams for the Gators. His speed and versatility are his two biggest weapons, and make it hard for the coaching staff to keep him off the field.
He is classified as an all-purpose back, but the distinction hardly describes his full impact on the team. Rainey's career average of 8.0 yards per carry is almost unheard of outside of Gainesville, and he has amassed six rushing touchdowns to go with 951 career rushing yards.
Still, Rainey has proven time and time again that he does not have to have the ball in his hands to be effective.
In this season's week four matchup on the road against Kentucky, Rainey's blocked punt and subsequent recovery for a touchdown sealed the game in the first quarter, putting the Gators up by a 17-0 margin.
“That pretty much deflated the stadium,” head coach Urban Meyer said of the block.
When asked if he would rather break off a long run or come up with a big special teams play Rainey replied with his famous grin, “I'll do both. They're both fun!”
Whether he is dancing around defenders, knifing through offensive lines or just flashing his beaming smile, it sure is fun to watch Chris Rainey, and Gators fans are lucky to have him on their side.
“I'm basically going to be everywhere next year, so everybody can get ready for that,” Rainey said.
-UF-
