Pack players undrafted, sign NFL contracts
by Sean Horejs, Outpost Staff
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Former Wolf Pack football players Geoff Noisy and Don Morgan sat at home on Sunday watching TV and waiting for the phone call that would change their lives, the call from an NFL franchise telling them they'd been drafted. They both got a call, but it wasn't that one. Neither player was drafted.
Yeah, so! There are other routes leading into the NFL, and both players are happily skipping down the road called free agency.
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Both Noisy (left), and Morgan (right), are excited to be heading to the NFL. photos by Sean Horejs |
After the final picks of the 1999 NFL Draft were called, the phones started ringing. Noisy, the all-time Division One record holder for receptions, signed a multi-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. Morgan also signed multi-year deal, with the Minnesota Vikings. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.
The deals give them the chance to play with the teams in pre-season this summer. If they don't make the final 45-man roster on opening day, their contracts would be void.
Last year's draft collected three players from Nevada, linebacker Deshone Myles, quarterback John Dutton, and defensive tackle James Cannida. All are currently on NFL rosters.
Before the draft, Noisy worked out for three teams, the San Francisco 49ers, the Indianapolis Colts and the Bengals.
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Click photo for highlights of both players. |
"I'm just happy that I'm getting a chance," said Noisy at home Sunday. "You know I was probably disappointed that nobody picked me but now that Cincinnati has given me a chance I'm gonna go out and give 110 percent and try to make the team,"
Noisy owes his chance in part to his tremendous talent, but also partly to his connections.
According to Noisy, former Wolf Pack offensive coordinator Steve Mooshagian, now the wide receivers coach for the Bengals, hasn't forgotten the sophomore sensation that caught 98 passes during the 1996 season.
"He (Mooshagian) has always liked the way I play the game and my work ethic."
Morgan, an All Big West cornerback, can't wait for his opportunity to bump and backpedal with the best receivers in the NFL.
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Morgan celebrates with other Pack players at his home on draft day. Click photo for video. |
"Guys like Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Michael Irvin, it's like a dream come true,"
A dream that Morgan's had since he was a child.
"This has been since I was six or seven years old," Morgan said, "I just love playing football and I'd rather play football all my life than work nine to five."
Posted April 23, 1999
Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost
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