‘Tank’ shows his softer side with ministry
Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Millions of fans watching this year’s Super Bowl weren’t the only ones who thought the game was over when the New England Patriots scored with a little less than three minutes left to play.
The fourth-quarter touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Brady to receiver Randy Moss gave the Patriots a 14-10 lead over the New York Giants with 2: 42 to go.
“They make T-shirts and caps and everything for both teams, and after they scored that touchdown I saw the commissioner [Roger Goodell ] and all the people gathered on the Patriots’ sideline with bags full of hats and stuff,” said Torrence “Tank” Daniels, a former Harding Bison and Clarendon Lion who played special teams for the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
But it wasn’t over.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning slipped a tackler and tossed a 32-yard completion to Giants receiver David Tyree, who made a miraculous catch on third-and-5 from the Giants’ 42 with 59 seconds remaining.
Daniels, who had been sitting on the bench with teammate Domenik Hixon, immediately jumped up and ran to the sideline.
Past the sideline, actually.
“I’m so glad that [the Giants ] called a timeout because I actually ran onto the field,” Daniels said.
Once the Giants put themselves in scoring position, Daniels said the dignitaries with the ball caps and T-shirts started regrouping to get over to the Giants’ sideline. It proved to be a smart move as the Giants went on to win the title on a touchdown pass from Manning to Plaxico Burress with only 35 seconds remaining.
Daniels regaled listeners Tuesday with stories from the Super Bowl at River City Ministries in North Little Rock, taking some time to continue a ministry that he began while at Harding University in Searcy.
“My elder kept trying to get me down here when I was in college and I kept finding reasons not to come, but I finally did my senior year and it was great,” Daniels said.
River Cities Ministry provides food, clothing and medical care to the disadvantaged from its shelter on East Washington in North Little Rock.
“It’s funny because people want to hold up professional athletes and, really, there’s no reason to hold me up any higher than anyone here,” Daniels said. “I like to come down here because it feels good to talk to these people or just listen to them.
“ I was blessed to have a strong family and good friends who’ve supported and helped me. These people sometimes weren’t as blessed, so it’s just the right thing to do to spend time with them.”
Daniels doesn’t have a lot of time on his hands before he has to report to the Giants on July 25 for training camp in Albany, N. Y., where Daniels hopes to make the roster and see time at linebacker.
He was in a similar situation last year with the Philadelphia Eagles. Daniels made it through training camp, playing linebacker and special teams throughout the preseason before being released Sept. 1.
Eighteen days later, the Giants put Daniels on their practice squad. After spending nine weeks there, Daniels was promoted to the 53-man roster.
His on-again, off-again sophomore season taught Daniels, who was signed as a free agent out by the Eagles in 2006, two valuable lessons: Things aren’t as bad as they seem when you get cut, and he had the ability to play in the NFL.
“When I first got cut, it was like the first time you break up with a girl,” Daniels said. “I was heartbroken. It was like I was never going to find anyone else again. But, just like I found my wife — and I’m glad I’m married to her — I’m happy with the way things turned out.”
Daniels said that while he wants to stay in New York, his experiences have shown him that he has what it takes to be an NFL linebacker.
“Right now, I’m happy to be on an 80-man NFL roster,” he said. “But I know that I can go out there and compete to be a starting linebacker in the NFL.”
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