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Saturday, October 14 Dayne's daughter has his number By Paul Newberry Associated Press | ||||||
MADISON, Wis. -- Ask Jada Dayne what her daddy does, and her
2-year-old arms reach for the sky. She's signaling a touchdown.
"I love coach Alvy," Dayne said. "Some guys are scared to go talk to Coach, but me and Coach have a great relationship. Jada knows who he is when she sees him on television or in books." Alvarez has taught Dayne lessons about being a father and a leader. He also has been part of Dayne's newfound lucidity and his ease in dealing with the demands of being a college football star. "Ron is a very sensitive person," Alvarez said. "I think he's a deep thinker. He doesn't talk a lot until he has something to say. I think he was taught that he should sit and listen until he thinks of something important to say. That's made all the attention and the awards that he's received easier to handle." Dayne also has learned from the example of his sister, who also happens to be his most vocal defender. "She's real quick, if someone says something," Dayne said. "'Ron, did you hear this? I can't believe that. I e-mailed somebody back because he said this.' I think the role has been reversed." To his sister, such things come naturally. "I'm not as soft-spoken as Ron, where he might bite his tongue for a lot of people," Onya said. "That's not me." Ditto for his longtime girlfriend, Alia. In his freshman year at Wisconsin, he began dating Lester, a bright, talented Madison native on scholarship in the university's broadcast journalism program. They have been together ever since, and two years ago, they had a child they named after Dayne's favorite actress, Jada Pinkett Smith. "My daughter is the most important thing in my life," Dayne said. "She gave me a new perspective on life. There's nothing I wouldn't do to protect her." There are further signs Dayne isn't the typical college football star. At a demanding educational institution, he's 12 hours away from his degree, which he would like to finish this spring before moving on to the NFL. And on Saturday, if he wins the Heisman, he doesn't plan on making a showy speech. Anything he might want to say can't be easily expressed with words. "I know my daughter's going to be there, and my sister, and my girl," he said. "As long as they're there ... and my aunt and uncle, and probably my mother. But as long as Jada is there, it'll be good." | ALSO SEE
College football awardsESPN analysis: Chasing the Heisman Heisman namesake buried near Wisconsin Dayne picks up two awards, looks for hat trick Dayne, 4 QBs are Heisman finalists; Warrick not invited Players say voters should look on field, not off Little Joe is big man on Georgia Tech campus Pennington just happy to be there Tough decisions nothing new for Heisman candidate Brees Vick has vaulted into Heisman race VIDEO
Ron Dayne makes history with a 31-yard run. avi: 897 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Dayne goes untouched into the endzone. avi: 512 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Dayne goes in for his fourth touchdown of the game. avi: 738 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Ron Dayne goes 41 yards for the touchdown (Courtesy: ABC). avi: 731 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Ron Dayne finds the hole and goes 24 yards for the TD. avi: 735 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Ron Dayne goes up the middle untouched and scores. avi: 723 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Dayne gets his second touchdown of the day on the 15-yard run. avi: 791 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Ron Dayne busts loose for a 51-yard touchdown run. avi: 967 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Ron Dayne slices 57 yards through the Hoosiers for the TD. avi: 912 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 |
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