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Linebacker's family grew up to be Cowboys (fans)
By TRACY COLLINS, The Times-Union
The first NFL game for Jaguars rookie linebacker Clint Ingram is against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. That's fitting because Ingram's ties to "America's Team'' run deep.
For starters, Ingram's uncle is Robert Newhouse, who played fullback for the Cowboys from 1972-’83, and helped the franchise reach three Super Bowls, winning one.
"He played with Tony Dorsett, Roger Staubach — I mean they were all way before my time,'' said Ingram, who was born the year of Newhouse's final season. "Later on, I got to see some of the retakes and some of the plays.''
That experience, combined with a 1990 boyhood trip to Cowboys' training camp (Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio was a Dallas player at the time), and Ingram was hooked.
"Anytime anything was going on and the Cowboys were playing, everything just stopped like a holiday,'' Ingram said.
Cooler weather meant watching football all weekend for Ingram's family, starting with Friday nights at the high school games.
"Then on Saturday, everybody just glues their self to the TV early in the morning all the way through the day watching college games,'' Ingram said. "And then Sunday (with the Cowboys playing) it was like Christmas.''
He’s quick to note, though, Jaguar fans should have no worries about where his allegiance lies now. The silver and blue blood that has been coursing through his veins for over 23 years has quickly turned teal and black.
“I’m all the way down with the Jaguars,” he said. “I’ll probably still like the Cowboys if they’re playing somebody else and them winning doesn’t mess with us. But as far as getting out there on the field,it really doesn’t matter who it is on the other side.”
Ingram, whom the Jaguars drafted as part of a trade with — you guessed it — the Cowboys, wears No. 51, the same number worn by linebacker Akin Ayodele last year. But Ayodele will still be on the field Sunday — as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, whom he signed with as a free agent. In fact, Ingram and Ayodele know each other.
“His brother went to school with me at Oklahoma,” said Ingram, who wore his uncle's Cowboys number (44) as a Sooner. “So he (Ayodele) came down a couple of times — he’s a real cool dude.”
After Ingram made the Jaguars' final roster, he was bombarded with ticket requests from family and friends. He laughs when he talks about the struggle to find everybody a seat at Alltel Stadium.
“I got like at least 15 calls of people saying, ‘I’m coming to the game! I’m coming to the game!’” he said.
“I’m trying find some nose bleed seats for them — well, half of them — I'll put my mom and everybody else in some good seats, but some people gotta get in the cheap seats!”
He’s also made it clear that all those hometown, die-hard Cowboy fans coming to see him play won’t be cheering for the opposition.
“Nobody will be wearing Cowboy jerseys,” he said.
He made that clear during a family discussion about the confusion over their divided loyalties.
“Everybody in my family (said), ‘OK., we’re (rooting) for the Cowboys but we’re going for you.’”
“If you’re going for me,” he told them, “then y’all want the (Jaguars) to win — because that’s who I’m with.”
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/090806/jag_ingram.shtml
By TRACY COLLINS, The Times-Union
The first NFL game for Jaguars rookie linebacker Clint Ingram is against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. That's fitting because Ingram's ties to "America's Team'' run deep.
For starters, Ingram's uncle is Robert Newhouse, who played fullback for the Cowboys from 1972-’83, and helped the franchise reach three Super Bowls, winning one.
"He played with Tony Dorsett, Roger Staubach — I mean they were all way before my time,'' said Ingram, who was born the year of Newhouse's final season. "Later on, I got to see some of the retakes and some of the plays.''
That experience, combined with a 1990 boyhood trip to Cowboys' training camp (Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio was a Dallas player at the time), and Ingram was hooked.
"Anytime anything was going on and the Cowboys were playing, everything just stopped like a holiday,'' Ingram said.
Cooler weather meant watching football all weekend for Ingram's family, starting with Friday nights at the high school games.
"Then on Saturday, everybody just glues their self to the TV early in the morning all the way through the day watching college games,'' Ingram said. "And then Sunday (with the Cowboys playing) it was like Christmas.''
He’s quick to note, though, Jaguar fans should have no worries about where his allegiance lies now. The silver and blue blood that has been coursing through his veins for over 23 years has quickly turned teal and black.
“I’m all the way down with the Jaguars,” he said. “I’ll probably still like the Cowboys if they’re playing somebody else and them winning doesn’t mess with us. But as far as getting out there on the field,it really doesn’t matter who it is on the other side.”
Ingram, whom the Jaguars drafted as part of a trade with — you guessed it — the Cowboys, wears No. 51, the same number worn by linebacker Akin Ayodele last year. But Ayodele will still be on the field Sunday — as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, whom he signed with as a free agent. In fact, Ingram and Ayodele know each other.
“His brother went to school with me at Oklahoma,” said Ingram, who wore his uncle's Cowboys number (44) as a Sooner. “So he (Ayodele) came down a couple of times — he’s a real cool dude.”
After Ingram made the Jaguars' final roster, he was bombarded with ticket requests from family and friends. He laughs when he talks about the struggle to find everybody a seat at Alltel Stadium.
“I got like at least 15 calls of people saying, ‘I’m coming to the game! I’m coming to the game!’” he said.
“I’m trying find some nose bleed seats for them — well, half of them — I'll put my mom and everybody else in some good seats, but some people gotta get in the cheap seats!”
He’s also made it clear that all those hometown, die-hard Cowboy fans coming to see him play won’t be cheering for the opposition.
“Nobody will be wearing Cowboy jerseys,” he said.
He made that clear during a family discussion about the confusion over their divided loyalties.
“Everybody in my family (said), ‘OK., we’re (rooting) for the Cowboys but we’re going for you.’”
“If you’re going for me,” he told them, “then y’all want the (Jaguars) to win — because that’s who I’m with.”
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/090806/jag_ingram.shtml