"Doc Locke" on hold for now
May 17, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release
Tony Locke caught three passes in 20 games at Ohio State, hardly an impressive resume for an aspiring professional football player. For the biology major who arrived on the Buckeye campus with an academic scholarship, medical school would have been an easy choice.
After college, Locke heard the comments from scouts and teammates telling him he had no future in football. Family members urged him to become a doctor. He listened to the advice, and ignored it all.
"Football is my passion," says Locke, who will celebrate his 27th birthday on Thursday, May 19. "Not that post-graduate school isn't, but you can only play football for so long. I might as well do it while I'm still young. And then, I can go back to school."
After this season, medical school looks like it will have to wait a few more years. With 24 touchdowns in 12 games with the Avengers this year, Locke has emerged as one the Arena Football League's most effective offensive specialists. His presence in the lineup has given Los Angeles one of the most efficient offenses in the league and helped propel the team to its first Western Division title.
With limited college football experience, Locke knew he would have to start at the bottom. He began his professional career in 2003, with the Cincinnati Swarm of arenafootball2 (the developmental league established by the AFL in 1999), scoring seven touchdowns as an offensive specialist and kick returner.
A year later, the Swarm folded and Locke was unemployed until an offseason workout landed him a spot with the AFL's Columbus Destroyers. However, that opportunity to play in front of friends and family lasted only four games before the Destroyers released him.
Discouraged and out of work, Locke received a call from arenafootball2's Albany Conquest. But, he had to consider his future.
"I had to ask myself, 'Do I drive eight hours for $200-a-week job?'" Locke says. "I definitely had to look at myself in the mirror and question whether I wanted to continue with football. But, I just always knew. I always felt that I could be successful in this game. I never gave up on myself."
Given a chance to showcase his talents in Albany, Locke established himself as an explosive receiver. He finished the season with a franchise-record 43 touchdowns and ranked second in the af2 in scoring and all-purpose yards.
That performance earned Locke a look from several AFL teams, with the Avengers eventually signing him to their practice squad on Jan. 27, just prior to the start of the 2005 season.
Early in the year, the Avengers struggled to find a rhythm offensively. With a new quarterback and several young receivers, they experimented with a variety of lineups hoping to find the right mix.
"It was like watching an All-Star game, when you have great players, but not a lot of time together and it looks off," Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss says.
On Feb. 19, one day before the Avengers would host their archrivals, the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats, Locke was signed from the practice squad to the active roster.
The uncertainty surrounding the offensive specialist position ended soon after Locke stepped onto the STAPLES Center turf as he caught three touchdown passes in the first half. He finished with seven receptions for 118 yards, leading the Avengers to a 71-69 victory that began to set the tone for L.A.'s remarkable season.
Then, in Week 15 with a playoff berth in the balance, Locke exploded once again versus the SaberCats, grabbing eight passes for 174 yards and five touchdowns in a crucial 54-42 victory.
Since joining the active roster prior to Week 4, Locke has made up for lost time. He is averaging 93.8 yards a game, he has been named the "Offensive Player of the Game" five times. In four games this year, Locke has found the end zone at least three times, with Los Angeles winning all of those contests.
Locke's immediate success should come as little surprise. He has always been a quick learner. He spends hours watching video and studying other receivers. He will pester teammates and coaches with questions about route running. After practice, he spends extra time with the quarterbacks to work on timing.
"He understands the work ethic of studying" Hodgkiss says. "He is able to take concepts you talk about verbally and translate them on the field, which is sometimes hard for players."
Locke also has benefited from the presence of several veterans on the offense. Quarterback John Kaleo is in his 12th year in the AFL, while WR/LB Greg Hopkins and WR/DB Kevin Ingram bring a combined 15 years of experience in the league. The group has helped Locke make the adjustments, incorporating the intricacies of Arena Football.
"I am just trying to be a sponge around them and soak up as much as I can," Locke says. "They have been real good at bringing me along and teaching me things and Coach Hodgkiss has also been a good teacher."
Tony Locke has always been a great student. It seems in football all he needed was the right teachers. His days are still filled with study sessions and frequent tests, however, the classroom will have to wait.
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