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 Gwinnett Daily Post: Article on Dacula's Kenny and David Irons
Winding road sets up dream scenario for Auburn seniors
Dacula grads Kenny and David Irons will play a big part in the success of Auburn this year.
08/20/2006 -
By Will Hammock
Sports Editor
will.hammock@gwinnettdailypost.com
No distance is too far for David Irons Sr. if one of his sons is playing football. Whether it’s the game of the year or a blowout, he’ll be there.
He drove to nowhere, Kansas to catch David Jr.’s games with Butler County Community College. He headed out Interstate 20 to watch his younger son Kenny at South Carolina.
It was a bit of a hassle to catch games so far apart, but he didn’t mind the journeys. Not if it meant seeing his boys make plays on the football field.
But somehow the stars aligned properly for the elder Irons and his two sons, even when adversity sent the Irons brothers on a winding college path. The road finally ended in Auburn, Ala., and it couldn’t have set up better for Kenny and David Jr., both seniors for an Auburn team that many expect to contend for SEC and national titles.
Now their father’s drive is just to one game, and he always has a son on the field with Kenny on offense at running back and David on defense at cornerback.
“I get to hear Irons all game long (from the stadium announcer),” David Irons Sr. said. “It’s been so much more of a blessing to have them (at Auburn) playing at the same time. For them both to graduate at the same time, it’s such a blessing.”
The way to Auburn for both Kenny and David, former stars at Dacula, was anything but a straight shot. Academic issues forced David to Butler and knee injuries also derailed his career. Kenny and former South Carolina head coach Lou Holtz didn’t see eye to eye, leaving him unhappy and an Auburn transfer.
But the trials were all forgotten last year, when both started for Auburn and earned All-SEC honors.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Kenny said of playing again with David. “It’s crazy. I never thought it would happen again. It’s very neat, just like in high school.”
The brothers thought it might just be a one year thing, but David appealed for a sixth year of eligibility because of a botched knee surgery. Although he also looked at entering the NFL Draft, the cornerback decided to come back to Auburn.
The lure of one more college season, one more year with Kenny was too much to pass up. He also wanted to finish his sociology degree, which he did and graduated this summer. Kenny is scheduled to graduate with an economics degree in December.
“I wanted to compete for a national championship, get my degree and play in that college atmosphere in front of 90,000 fans one more time,” David said. “And playing with my little brother again is
awesome.”
David and Kenny are highly competitive in everything, so being on the same team works out well. Their father said high school video games of football lasted all night because neither one wanted to go to bed after losing the last game.
David Sr. said his two sons have different personalities — David is sometimes a homebody and Kenny is more outgoing. But together they’re a mess, much like Kenny says David leaves their Auburn townhome.
“I keep the downstairs,” Kenny said. “(David) stays junky, that’s why he stays upstairs.”
Counters David: “It’s not really a mess. When Kenny walks in the house he scares everything in the house and it falls on the floor. He’s not the prettiest guy so everything tries to run away. Even the refrigerator tries to leave.”
Such barbs are commonplace when the brothers get together. Their bond is tight, but they show their love many times through jokes and teasing, which can be non stop.
“I’m more outgoing,” Kenny said. “David is more selfish. And ugly.”
“I like going fishing,” David said. “Kenny doesn’t fish. He’s so ugly he scares the worms off the hook.”
But the jabs are all good-natured, even if they occasionally end in wrestling matches. Although they both love cracking jokes off the field, their talk turns serious when football is the topic.
David is Auburn’s top returning cornerback, and is one of the nation’s best. A preseason All-SEC pick, he made 48 tackles (36 solos) last season and is considered one of the top hitters from a defensive back spot in the SEC.
Kenny, a consensus first-team All-SEC selection last year, is being touted as a Heisman Trophy candidate after leading the SEC in rushing as a junior.
Together they have a good chance at being the first brothers taken in the first round of the NFL Draft in the same year, but first they hope to lead Auburn to the SEC title and beyond.
“We’re focused on this team, this season,” David said. “We want to get to the SEC championship and then to Tempe (for the BCS National Championship Game in the Fiesta Bowl). That’s what we want.”
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=37&url_article_id=18542&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2
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8/22/2006, 7:40 pm
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