BOLIVAR, MO. ... A third NFL player has joined the football coaching staff at Southwest Baptist University in E.J. Junior. Junior will coach the linebackers during spring practice at SBU. Now, SBU has a combined 21 NFL seasons between three coaches.
"I remember E.J. because my first game in the NFL was against him. He was a great player with great tradition and a winning background," says head coach Jack Peavey. "Being an ordained minister helps him fit into our program and understand the expectations both on and off the field. It is with great luck and destiny that somebody of his caliber can come in here and coach our linebackers. Our kids will really benefit from that."
Bringing a variety of football experiences to SBU, Junior played 13 years in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, and Seattle Seahawks. He was taken in the 1st round of the NFL draft in 1981 by the St. Louis Cardinals and was the second overall linebacker taken behind Lawrence Taylor. His draft class also included such greats as Ronnie Lott and Mike Singletary. In his 13 years in the NFL, he was an all-Pro twice and named to the first-ever All-Madden team. In 1990, he played in the NFL playoffs for the Miami Dolphins where they won in the first round but then lost to the Buffalo Bills who went onto the Super Bowl.
Junior had a stellar college career as he was a two-time all-American for Bear Bryant at Alabama. He won two national championships at Alabama (1978,1979), was the SEC Player of the Year, and was a three-time all-SEC selection. He was also a Lombardi Award finalist, too.
Since leaving the NFL, Junior has impacted a lot of lives in different areas. He became an ordained minister and has spoken on TBN several times about his testimony. He has also been the executive director of youth programs in Miami under Alonzo Mourning.
He has also spent time back in the NFL as a coach and in the front office. He was the Seattle Seahawks linebacker coach in 1994 and then was the director of Player Development Programs for the Miami Dolphins from 1996-98. He has been a minority intern coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2005) and Minnesota Vikings (2003) and coached in the NFL Europe for the Rhein Fire. On the college setting, he coached the linebackers at the 2005 and 2006 East-West Shrine Bowl.
Next week, Junior will receive a huge honor when he is inducted into the Nashville (TN) Public Schools Hall of Fame for his high school play at Maplewood H.S. Then, in January 2007, he will be inducted into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame.
SBU is currently in their second week of spring practices with the spring scrimmage on Saturday, April 22. The Bearcats are in their second year under Jack Peavey and will open up the 2006 season on Thursday, August 31, when they host Harding University at 6:00 p.m.
