David Driskill and His Eternal Smile

By John Rohde // SoonerSports.com

Go ahead and try to knock the smile off David Driskill's face. Can't be done.

Driskill is in his fourth season as a football walk-on. Thus far, he has received $0 for tuition, fees, room, board and books. No scholarship is expected anytime soon, yet Driskill smiles.

Though he enters his senior season with zero minutes, zero seconds and exactly zero game snaps in career playing time, a smile shines.

On June 8, Driskill's father, Kevin, died of cancer at age 56. Amid all the pain and heartache, the son somehow smiled on the saddest day of his life.

Flashing his pearly whites, Driskill will profess how much he appreciates getting to practice with a team for which he will never start or likely will never appear on the depth chart.

Receiving a football scholarship was not even his primary objective. “My goal when I got here was I just wanted to play,” Driskill explained. “I wanted to be part of something so much greater, so much bigger than myself, so much bigger than any one person. All that other stuff would just kind of fall into place. My goal was to find a role. It wasn't to get a scholarship.”

(Given this lack of exposure, let it be known that Driskill plays defensive end and wears No. 49.)

Driskill hasn't played in a game since starting both ways his senior season at Casady School in 2010. Despite his dry spell in Norman, Driskill said he never seriously considered transferring to another program.

The University of Oklahoma is the greatest place in the whole world. This is the most beautiful place on earth. I was never going to leave here.
David Driskill

“This past year was pretty tough,” Driskill said of losing his father, “but I've always wanted to be inside this program. I want to be here. I want to stay here. The University of Oklahoma is the greatest place in the whole world. This is the most beautiful place on earth. I was never going to leave here.”

Driskill said no notable scholarships came his way out of high school. “The only offers I had were from fraternities. Rush (week) was the extent of my recruitment,” Driskill said with a laugh.

When he wasn't even invited to join a “preferred walk-on” recruiting visit with the Sooners after his senior season, Driskill innocently tagged along with Casady quarterback Cale Shivers, who ended his football career and is now a senior majoring in business at OU.

Driskill was a “lifer” at Casady, attending kindergarten through 12^th grade. Kobe Scoville coached Driskill at the middle-school level and became varsity head coach prior to Driskill's senior season. Though not highly sought-after as a lineman, Driskill still left his mark at the private independent school located in north Oklahoma City.

“He is a fantastic young man,” Scoville said of Driskill. “I can't brag about him enough. We just couldn't be prouder of him. I talk about him all the time to our young kids. He's what you can do with pure guts, determination and being a good kid. We just love him to death. Very proud of him.”

Driskill

Other than the annual trek to OU-Texas and postseason bowl games, Driskill has made just one true road trip to date. It came last season when the Sooners traveled to Notre Dame and posted a 35-21 victory over the Fighting Irish.

For Driskill, who is Catholic, accompanying the Sooners to Notre Dame answered a life-long prayer. The night before OU departed, Driskill mentioned to a couple of graduate assistants how much he would have loved to visit what he calls the “Catholic Mecca.”

One grad assistant promptly texted assistant athletic director of football operations Matt McMillen and shared Driskill's story. McMillen relayed the message to coach Bob Stoops and his staff.

Because it was a non-conference game, there was no limit to how many visiting players could dress for the contest. “I don't even think it was a tough sell. Everybody on staff was like, 'Hey, let's take this guy (Driskill) with us,” McMillen recalled. “I think the staff just wanted to reward him. He's a great practice player. Everybody loves the guy.”

Driskill learned he had been added to the travel party just hours before the team departed. “I called my dad and told him I was going,” Driskill said. “He said, 'All right, we'll leave (drive to South Bend, Ind.) right now.' They took pictures of people tailgating there. There's nothing quite like seeing the Mother Mary on top of an SUV, plus Touchdown Jesus. Getting a win was big, too.”

(Though you no doubt are tempted to do so at this point, please refrain from comparing Driskill's story to that of heralded Notre Dame walk-on Daniel Ruettiger, the inspiration for the 1993 film “Rudy.”)

Actor Sean Astin played the role of Ruettiger, who in real life stood 5-foot-6 and weighed 165 pounds. Driskill is playing his own role at 6-foot-1 and 257 pounds.

It took Ruettiger four attempts to gain admission into Notre Dame after spending two years across the street at Holy Cross College. Driskill earned a bachelor's degree in economics at OU last May, less than one month before his father passed away. “I was able to do pretty well, plus my dad got to see me graduate,” said Driskill, now seeking a master's degree in administrative leadership.

Ruettiger often was overlooked or ignored by teammates and coaches at Notre Dame, which bears absolutely no resemblance to Driskill's existence at OU.

“Watching that movie, you almost felt like Rudy didn't belong,” Driskill said. “I feel like I belong here. They respect you as a player and as a person here. No, I'm not Rudy.”

Driskill's stature with the Sooners has nothing to do with his stature on the depth chart. He has bridged whatever gap might exist between scholarship and non-scholarship players, as was evident by the number of OU staff and players who attended Kevin Driskill's funeral. “Too many people for me to count,” Scoville said when asked to put a number on how many Sooners attended the service.

Driskill is in his fourth season of helmet-to-helmet combat against players more athletically gifted. Driskill does all he can to knock these teammates off their feet in practice, but also is there to help them to their feet whenever necessary.

Everybody wants to make a contribution on Saturdays, but sometimes you have very selfless young men like David Driskill who help make us better by giving it their all on the scout team during the week.
Bob Stoops

When OU defensive tackle Chuka Ndulue was going through a difficult personal situation last year, Driskill offered moral support.

“He's what you want from any player,” Ndulue said of Driskill. “When I got in trouble, he was right there for me, telling me, 'Hey, man, you're still a leader. This is a little bump in the road. You'll be all right.' He's always been there for everybody. He's just awesome. I love that kid to death. I would do anything for him. If it's 5 o'clock in the morning and he calls me with a flat tire, I'd go get him. He's an awesome guy, always in a good mood.”

Senior linebacker Geneo Grissom marvels at Driskill's ability to remain upbeat, seemingly at all times. “He is the best guy I know, one of the hardest workers I've ever met in my life,” Grissom said. “He wants to play, but never gets upset or discouraged if he's not getting as many reps. And he's one of those guys who deserves reps. He takes coaching well, does his best to do exactly what he's told to do. If a coach says he wants it done this way, Driskill is going to go out and make sure he does it exactly that way. He's a perfectionist in that respect and I think it's gotten him pretty far.”

Driskill's effort and perseverance isn't lost on head coach Bob Stoops, either.

“The opportunity to have guys like David Driskill be a part of our football program is one of the many rewarding parts of coaching at Oklahoma,” he observed. “I know our staff and David's teammates respect how hard he works and the fact that he always brings a great attitude to the locker room, the practice field and our meeting room. Everybody wants to make a contribution on Saturdays, but sometimes you have very selfless young men like David Driskill who help make us better by giving it their all on the scout team during the week. I've always appreciated the contributions and sacrifices of guys like Dave who know their role and make the most of it.”

Indeed, this effort has not gone unnoticed. Driskill has been named Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year the last two seasons and also was presented last year's Derrick Shepard Most Inspirational Walk-On award.

Driskill has good reason to smile at these honors, but how does he smile all the time? And is the smile always that big?

“I think it gets bigger every year and every day,” Driskill said with a smile, of course. “It gets bigger when I start talking to anybody about this place.”

About John Rohde

John Rohde is a respected name on the Oklahoma sports scene and will provide regular features for SoonerSports.com. Voted Oklahoma Sportswriter of the Year five times, Rohde has covered OU football and basketball, the Oklahoma City Thunder, OKC/New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, the Final Four, Masters and PGA Tour. He spent over 26 years for The Oklahoman, serving as a columnist and beat writer. He can be heard on 107.7 The Franchise, the flagship station for OU Athletics weekdays from 5:30-9 a.m.