University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooner Club Profile: Sam Proctor
March 28, 2011 | Athletics
NORMAN, Okla. -- Sam Proctor is a communications major, which is readily apparent within seconds of speaking with him. His may not be the loudest voice in the room, nor is he always quick to speak, but when he does his words carry weight.
Whether it's with his teammates on the OU football squad, coaches, administrators, advisers or classmates, Proctor isn't afraid for his voice to be heard. As a senior, he feels a duty to show the underclassmen what it means to be an OU student-athlete.
"Young guys always want to know how it is," Proctor said. "If they come into a program like OU and hear a lot of foul language, see poor character, they're going to think that's the stereotype of how they're supposed to be. So what I try to be is that guy who they can look at and say `Sam's a little different. Sam doesn't act that way.' After a while you just see it builds a culture like that in the locker room. You have great athletes and great young men as well. Somebody has to be willing to be that guy."
In becoming "that guy," Proctor has learned to take advantage of the resources he's been given at OU and to truly appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the OU community. It's an opportunity Proctor doesn't take for granted.
Growing up in a single parent home - his father passed away when he was only six years old - Proctor watched as his mother struggled to raise him and his two older sisters and younger brother. As the oldest male he was called on at an early age to be the man of the house.
Although neither his mother nor late father completed their college degrees, education was always an emphasis in the Proctor household. College, however, wasn't always a foregone conclusion for him or his siblings.
"As you get older you recognize how much college really costs," Proctor said. "I watched my mother struggle to get my two sisters through college and I made up in my mind that I wanted to do something to change that situation, to possibly get the opportunity to get a scholarship at a place like OU or another top program.
"To take that stress off my mom, who probably couldn't pay for me to go to school out of state at a prime-time university like this, my scholarship has meant more to me than anything. Not just to play football but to get an education, to meet people here, to get out in the community, all of the different avenues that OU opens up when you're able to play at a university like this."
Proctor has certainly seen his share of success on the field as a part-time starter at safety and a stalwart on special teams. Yet the Pearland, Texas, native is quick to point out that his time at OU is about much more than what happens on fall Saturdays.
"Coach Stoops often tells us that the acronym NFL is `not for long,'" Proctor said. "Your degree will carry you much further than anything you can do career-wise in football. I believe it means a lot when you say you have a degree from the University of Oklahoma. It allows you to be in the rooms with the right people and it's just something that builds your resume.
"At the end of the day that education is key. I was always taught that you could blow your knee out tomorrow but what you put in your brain, what you're able to attain in the classroom will stick with you forever."
Randy Garibay, associate director for Athletics Academic Service and Student Life, said Proctor is someone to look up to, and not just for his teammates.
"He plays football but that is not who he is or how he wants to be defined or remembered after his playing time here is complete," Garibay said. "He definitely has the moral courage to not be afraid to question, and if there is a wrong that needs correcting he will be out front righting that wrong."
As one of the Athletics Department's senior academic advisers, Garibay is one of the first people new student-athletes meet when they arrive at OU. He's also one of the last ones they see every day before they go home. As a result, he knows many of OU's student-athletes better than most and has developed a strong bond with Proctor and encouraged him to be a leader on his team, in the classroom and in the community.
Proctor also points to his relationship with OU Sr. Associate A.D. Brandon Martin as playing an important role in his personal development and helping him understand what it means to be a student-athlete at OU.
"Those are just two people that I'll look back on my life and say they made their mark on me" Proctor said. "Col. Garibay's been with me since I was 18 and just continues to teach life lessons. Not so much football lessons or school lessons, but really teaching life lessons. And Dr. Martin's been a guy who's come in and shed his influence on me and helped me navigate some things about where I want to go next in life.
"It's just a blessing to have men like that who care enough to pour something back into a younger guy. Those guys are always seeking for leaders on the team and I'm grateful that they saw something special in me to put me in that arena."
Proctor said he understands the privilege of being at a place like Oklahoma.
"Everybody doesn't get this opportunity," Proctor said. "I grew up in a neighborhood where a lot of guys wanted to go to college or may have had the opportunity to play at a major university and there are so many broken dreams where one thing goes wrong or grades or a maybe setback here or there. So when you're able to really look at your life and say `Man, I'm actually at the University of Oklahoma," you just have to call it a blessing.
And according to Garibay, Proctor's attitude is more the rule than the exception. Proctor strives to be a leader on an off the football field, and his outlook is contagious.
"I cut right to the chase with what I expect of them as young men," Garibay said. "So every time I watch the news or hear someone say our youth, our OU student-athletes don't care, they're lazy or worst of all the student-athlete is just here to play football, I smile and say to myself obviously they don't know what OU is about and they definitely don't know Sam Proctor."
"Most of the time he's doing far more than most even realize," Garibay said. "And if asked, he'll tell you straight away `It's because it's the right thing to do. A man who is given much must give back more.'
"And you know what? There are a number of Sam Proctors on all of our teams. And they're doing the right thing every day, even when no one is watching."
Sooner Club members, through their generosity, are helping write stories like Proctor's every day. With over 600 student-athletes receiving some kind of financial aid, the private support of loyal OU fans is what pays for the scholarships that student-athletes like Sam Proctor are taking full advantage of.
For as little as $100 you can make an impact on the lives of OU's student-athletes. If you're already a member, consider participating in the Sooner Club's Give 110% and Next Level Sooner campaigns.
If you have questions about Sooner Club membership, please call (405) 325-8000 or (866) SOONER CLUB. Please note that in order to receive proper credit for priority seating and priority points, donations must be received by March 31.
Whether it's with his teammates on the OU football squad, coaches, administrators, advisers or classmates, Proctor isn't afraid for his voice to be heard. As a senior, he feels a duty to show the underclassmen what it means to be an OU student-athlete.
"Young guys always want to know how it is," Proctor said. "If they come into a program like OU and hear a lot of foul language, see poor character, they're going to think that's the stereotype of how they're supposed to be. So what I try to be is that guy who they can look at and say `Sam's a little different. Sam doesn't act that way.' After a while you just see it builds a culture like that in the locker room. You have great athletes and great young men as well. Somebody has to be willing to be that guy."
In becoming "that guy," Proctor has learned to take advantage of the resources he's been given at OU and to truly appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the OU community. It's an opportunity Proctor doesn't take for granted.
Growing up in a single parent home - his father passed away when he was only six years old - Proctor watched as his mother struggled to raise him and his two older sisters and younger brother. As the oldest male he was called on at an early age to be the man of the house.
Although neither his mother nor late father completed their college degrees, education was always an emphasis in the Proctor household. College, however, wasn't always a foregone conclusion for him or his siblings.
Your degree will carry  you much further than anything you can do career-wise in football. I believe it means a lot when you say you have a degree from the University of Oklahoma. - Senior DB Sam Proctor |
"To take that stress off my mom, who probably couldn't pay for me to go to school out of state at a prime-time university like this, my scholarship has meant more to me than anything. Not just to play football but to get an education, to meet people here, to get out in the community, all of the different avenues that OU opens up when you're able to play at a university like this."
Proctor has certainly seen his share of success on the field as a part-time starter at safety and a stalwart on special teams. Yet the Pearland, Texas, native is quick to point out that his time at OU is about much more than what happens on fall Saturdays.
"Coach Stoops often tells us that the acronym NFL is `not for long,'" Proctor said. "Your degree will carry you much further than anything you can do career-wise in football. I believe it means a lot when you say you have a degree from the University of Oklahoma. It allows you to be in the rooms with the right people and it's just something that builds your resume.
"At the end of the day that education is key. I was always taught that you could blow your knee out tomorrow but what you put in your brain, what you're able to attain in the classroom will stick with you forever."
Randy Garibay, associate director for Athletics Academic Service and Student Life, said Proctor is someone to look up to, and not just for his teammates.
"He plays football but that is not who he is or how he wants to be defined or remembered after his playing time here is complete," Garibay said. "He definitely has the moral courage to not be afraid to question, and if there is a wrong that needs correcting he will be out front righting that wrong."
As one of the Athletics Department's senior academic advisers, Garibay is one of the first people new student-athletes meet when they arrive at OU. He's also one of the last ones they see every day before they go home. As a result, he knows many of OU's student-athletes better than most and has developed a strong bond with Proctor and encouraged him to be a leader on his team, in the classroom and in the community.
Proctor also points to his relationship with OU Sr. Associate A.D. Brandon Martin as playing an important role in his personal development and helping him understand what it means to be a student-athlete at OU.
"Those are just two people that I'll look back on my life and say they made their mark on me" Proctor said. "Col. Garibay's been with me since I was 18 and just continues to teach life lessons. Not so much football lessons or school lessons, but really teaching life lessons. And Dr. Martin's been a guy who's come in and shed his influence on me and helped me navigate some things about where I want to go next in life.
"It's just a blessing to have men like that who care enough to pour something back into a younger guy. Those guys are always seeking for leaders on the team and I'm grateful that they saw something special in me to put me in that arena."
He plays football but that is not who he is or how he wants to be defined or remembered after his playing time here is complete. - Randy Garibay (Academic Services) |
"Everybody doesn't get this opportunity," Proctor said. "I grew up in a neighborhood where a lot of guys wanted to go to college or may have had the opportunity to play at a major university and there are so many broken dreams where one thing goes wrong or grades or a maybe setback here or there. So when you're able to really look at your life and say `Man, I'm actually at the University of Oklahoma," you just have to call it a blessing.
And according to Garibay, Proctor's attitude is more the rule than the exception. Proctor strives to be a leader on an off the football field, and his outlook is contagious.
"I cut right to the chase with what I expect of them as young men," Garibay said. "So every time I watch the news or hear someone say our youth, our OU student-athletes don't care, they're lazy or worst of all the student-athlete is just here to play football, I smile and say to myself obviously they don't know what OU is about and they definitely don't know Sam Proctor."
"Most of the time he's doing far more than most even realize," Garibay said. "And if asked, he'll tell you straight away `It's because it's the right thing to do. A man who is given much must give back more.'
"And you know what? There are a number of Sam Proctors on all of our teams. And they're doing the right thing every day, even when no one is watching."
Sooner Club members, through their generosity, are helping write stories like Proctor's every day. With over 600 student-athletes receiving some kind of financial aid, the private support of loyal OU fans is what pays for the scholarships that student-athletes like Sam Proctor are taking full advantage of.
For as little as $100 you can make an impact on the lives of OU's student-athletes. If you're already a member, consider participating in the Sooner Club's Give 110% and Next Level Sooner campaigns.
If you have questions about Sooner Club membership, please call (405) 325-8000 or (866) SOONER CLUB. Please note that in order to receive proper credit for priority seating and priority points, donations must be received by March 31.
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