BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
Herman Arvie acknowledges that the path he traveled to reach the National Football League and Grambling State Sports Hall of Fame wasn’t without a series of initial challenges and obstacles.
Arvie stressed his early need to acquire the necessary patience and perseverance as he addressed an overflow audience during his induction presentation at the sold out 16th annual GSU Sports Legends event held at the Frederick Hobdy Assembly Center Saturday night.
Many of the attendees at the event, Arvie said, were from the Opelousas area.
Arvie estimated that nearly 100 persons from the city were present as he delivered his acceptance speech.
“The support that I had was fantastic. Opelousas came up to Grambling and they were very much in the house. Opelousas occupied 11 tables and there were some people from Opelousas at some of the other tables,” said Arvie.
His success and recognition as a college and professional offensive lineman didn’t occur immediately, Arvie said on Sunday as he was making the trip home to Opelousas.
“When I was playing football (at Opelousas High School), I was in the 11th grade and I hadn’t earned a letter yet,” said Arvie, who played four years in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens.
Then after arriving at Grambling, Arvie remembered that he sat out his freshmen season due to academic issues. Arvie didn’t really make an impact at Grambling, he said, until the third game of his sophomore season .
Arvie emphasized that despite the early discouragement his determination enabled him to succeed.
“I recognized many of my family, friends and teammates who attended, but I also told the crowd about many of the low points which preceded the highlights of my career. I told them that if you want something badly enough, you have to be willing to push forward and push through your problems,” said Arvie.
The pivotal factor for him, Arvie said, was when he took his first recruiting visit to Grambling with Opelousas High teammates Craigory Sam and Shawn Dell.
“We went up there with Mike Haynes and Carlos Pennywell. Both of them were at OHS at the time and apparently they saw the talent in us,” added Arvie.
It was at Grambling, Arvie noted, that he was molded into an All-American lineman who helped the Tigers win the 1998 Southwest Athletic Conference championship and the 1992 Black College Championship.
Like so many players before and after him, Arvie recalled the indomitable influence of legendary GSU football coach Eddie Robinson.
“(Roblinson) was a stickler on several things. His players couldn’t have earrings. You couldn’t have facial hair and you had better go to class. He would wake us up at six am during the week.walk the halls in that dormitory, ringing a bell,saying it was time to start our day,”” remembered Arvie.
Grambling at that time was still a major stop for professional scouts and Arvie said on their frequent visits NFL personnel particularly noticed his agility and footwork.
What Robinson and the NFL representatives additionally noticed was his penchant for aggressive blocking, Arvie said.
During his professional career, Arvie said his played each side of the line at tackle as well as each guard position.
“Then on goal line situations, I was a tight end and one year I caught at touchdown pass,” said Arvie.
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