University of Oklahoma Athletics
Mossman Prophecies No. 008
July 02, 2007 | Athletics
July 2, 2007
Football season is rapidly approaching. Despite the abundance of media coverage afforded the
Sooners, there is still some information of which you
may not be aware. Here are some tidbits about
some of the younger players who figure even more prominently
for OU in 2006:
Why they wear the number:
• Ryan Reynolds wears No. 8 because he wore Nos.
4 and 2 in high school so he multiplied them to get
8 for college.
• Branndon Braxton wears No. 76 in honor of Orlando
Pace.
• Matt Clapp wanted No. 40, but wears No. 34 in
honor of Walter Payton.
• Manuel Johnson wears No. 6 because Rhett Bomar
already had his HS number of 7.
• Ben Barresi wears 65 because his dad wore 95
for the Sooners. Ninety-five wasn't available
when Ben arrived so he took the nine and flipped it
upside down.
Jobs they've held:
• "Duke" Robinson worked as a hawker at Atlanta
Braves baseball games selling peanuts and programs.
• Allen Patrick has worked as a brick mason with
his father.
• Malcolm Kelly worked one week as a telemarketer
then said, "Nope."
• Brian Simmons was a ninth grade mentor for students
who finished first in the nation in a robotics challenge.
Famous relatives:
• Brian Simmons' cousin, Cedric, was drafted by
the Hornets in the most recent NBA draft.
• DeMarcus Granger is the cousin of Indiana Pacers
player Danny Granger.
• Branndon Braxton is the cousin of the Indiana
Pacers' Samaki Walker.
• Brian Jackson's cousin Chris Draft plays for
the Atlanta Falcons.
• Mike Knall is a cousin of professional golfer
Fuzzy Zoeller.
• "Duke" Robinson's great uncle is Smokey Robinson.
• Lamont Robinson's uncle, Damian Johnson, played
at Kansas State, then went on to an NFL career with
the Giants and Patriots.
Pre-game routines:
• Manuel Johnson eats a bag of peanut M&M's
before each game.
• Matt Clapp has taken a pre-game ice bath before
every game dating back to high school.
• Malcolm Kelly does not eat before games ("it's
a little hard on night games.")
Parents' occupations:
• Cordero Moore's mother is a highway
patrol sergeant.
• Eric Huggins' parents are chefs and own their
own restaurant.
• Mike Knall's father and Ben Barresi's mother
are dentists.
• Juaquin Iglesias' father owns a barbershop.
• Both of Malcolm Kelly's parents are mechanical
engineers.
• Lamont Robinson's dad is a Pentecostal preacher.
• Brian Simmons' dad is a college computer engineer.
Where they've visited:
• Jon Cooper has visited Italy.
• Mike Knall has been to Alaska.
• Ian Pleasant has been to Alaska and Hawaii.
• Cordero Moore has been to France.
• "Duke" Robinson visited Australia.
Miscellany:
• Neither Jacob Gutierrez nor Juaquin Iglesias
speak Spanish although Gutierrez is trying to learn.
• Lamont Robinson was in a serious automobile
accident in May 2004. He broke two vertebrae and
incurred 60-70 stitches on his back, face, nose and
eye socket.
• Brian Simmons has a club leg.
• Nic Harris said his greatest challenge to date
was growing up without parents.
• Ian Pleasant's senior season of HS football
was cancelled due to the D.C. sniper shootings.
• Jon Cooper is a native Coloradoan and his favorite
place to ski is Copper Mountain.
Mossman Prophecies Archive
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Kenny Mossman, Associate Athletics Director for
Communications, provides his perspective on Oklahoma
Athletics in his regular column on SoonerSports.com.
