Northwestern University Athletics
Syracuse Game Program Features: Darnell Autry
9/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 24, 2008
Darnell Autry could talk to you for hours on end about it if you let him.
He'll tell you anything you want to know. He has a passion for the long hours of preparation required. He recalls with ease the spirited interaction between performers and spectators. The star running back from Northwestern's 1995 run to the Rose Bowl would especially love for you to ask him about the psychological aspect of it and the feeling of complete satisfaction that comes after a good performance.
Then, if there is any time left, you could also ask him about football.
For as long as he can remember, Autry has been equally as passionate about his involvement in theater and acting as about his vaunted athletic endeavors at Northwestern.
| Other Syracuse Program Features |
|
• Feature: Adam Hahn and Kevin Mims |
"I still love going to the movies or watching TV just as much as or more than when I was a kid," Autry said. "I enjoy the impact that a good movie or play can have on me, how it makes you think and reexamine the world around you."
Autry's dual passion for acting and football is indicative of a life characterized by curiosity, exploration and unpredictability. Regardless of the arena, he has managed to approach each new phase of his life with enthusiasm and an unrelenting desire to be the best.
Autry grew up in Tempe, Ariz., but when it came time to choose a college, he felt compelled to get away from home to try and see the world. He knew about Northwestern and its exceptional academic reputation from other Tempe-area players, such as free safety William Bennett, who had come to Evanston and reported back to Autry all that the school had to offer.
"I figured that if I was going to get a football scholarship I might as well get the best education to go with it," Autry said. "School was very demanding and Chicago was a complete culture shock to me, but the fact that it was unpredictable is what I liked about it."
Unpredictable is also about the only way to describe the Wildcats' back-to-back Big Ten championships that came thanks in no small part to Autry's 3,237 rushing yards in that two-year span. Autry remains second on the school's list of all-time leading rushers.
"Darnell was an unassuming guy who just came to work everyday to be the best player possible," said Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern head coach and Autry's teammate for three seasons. "When I think about the way he played, he was a workhorse carrying the ball 35 to 40 times a game. There were times on Tuesdays or Thursdays when he couldn't lift his arms above his head and then he'd go out and perform that weekend.
"Darnell was just a true Wildcat warrior," Fitzgerald said.
Autry left Northwestern after his junior season to pursue a career in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears before hanging up his pads for good in 2000. He decided to follow his theatrical passion, moving to Los Angeles and landing a few stints as a Hollywood actor, before moving to Las Vegas to take a job in hotel security.
Still, Autry realized there is no substitute for a college degree, and he returned to Northwestern in 2004 to complete his degree in communication and theater. He also reconnected with Wildcats sports, taking a job in academic services within the athletic department.
His arrival back on campus allowed him to participate in a number of student-run plays for the first time, with lead roles in "The Boys Next Door" and "Crime on Goat Island," to name a few. Think an offensive coordinator gets excited explaining the intricacies of the spread offense? Try hearing Darnell Autry discuss the dynamics of the plays he's been involved in. For Autry, acting on campus was an experience that he called "stressful, emotional, and unbelievable all at the same time."
"Coach (Gary) Barnett encouraged me to come back and explore this passion of mine, and it was one of the best decisions of my life other than coming to Northwestern in the first place," Autry said.
This time around, Autry had even more opportunities to branch out and take advantage of all the university has to offer, something he adamantly recommends to any NU student-athlete.
"It's so rewarding to get involved with other students, not just athletes, but all kinds of organizations and clubs. You never know what is going to spark an interest," Autry said. "Student-athletes should also be majoring in something they are passionate about because when your athletic career ends - and it does end sometime - your Plan B usually becomes your Plan A."
Right now, Autry's Plan A has led him to Jones Lang LaSalle, a commercial real estate firm in Chicago. As a member of the firm's Land team, Autry helps clients buy and sell industrial land space, a position in which he has been absorbing information like a freshman running back studying the playbook.
"I'm just doing the best I can to learn and grow in this business as fast as I can," he said. "Down the line maybe I can think about reconnecting with acting and starting a family, but right now I'm enjoying learning as much as I can about real estate."
"As a teammate and a friend, I'm proud of him," Fitzgerald said. "He's gone through some adversity, as we all have, and had a shorter NFL career than we all would have wanted for him, but that's why you go to Northwestern. It prepares you for life and everything that comes with it."
In the meantime, Autry's unpredictable path still leads him to Ryan Field to don the purple-and-white a few fall Saturdays every year to watch the Wildcats, proud of the expectation of success that is now attached to the program. If you happen to strike up a conversation, feel free to ask about his unforgettable performances at Northwestern.
Just be sure to specify whether you mean on the gridiron or on the stage.
