Luke Staley will keep the college and NFL football memories and move on to life as a husband and father.
For the former Doak Walker Award winner, the nation's top college running back in 2001, Staley will get back in the game only if he coaches. His playing days ran into his scrapbook. Six knee surgeries will do that to a ball carrier. He has shifted his concentration to the Internet while he finishes his degree.
I caught up with Staley on a cell phone and talked about his new Internet gig. He was on his way to Las Vegas for a business presentation, driving with his wife Heather and child. When I called him to follow up, he was feeding the baby a bottle. The guy is far from the gridiron but close to a diploma and degree in sociology.
The marriage and father deal agrees with him. "It is awesome. It's like being around your best friend all the time. I can't complain."
Staley's new job is representing Cougar Connextions, a dialup and high speed Internet service. Those who subscribe actually pitch a portion — about a third — of their bill toward the Cougar Club and BYU athletics. "It's something I believe in and can get involved with and get excited about," Staley said.
"Most people already have Internet connection but aren't getting anything but Internet. A person signs up for this, he gets a bonus, a starter package that includes tickets, autographed photos, a year membership in the Cougar Club and a chance to earn credit points toward purchases of merchandise."
Staley said he was well on his way to forgetting his last year with the Detroit Lions and taking 18 credits of school when a BYU associate athletic director, Peter Pilling, contacted him about this new job.
"He asked if I could use my name to do some good. I liked it, and I'm involved now. It kind of changes your focus, your priorities. I can't complain, it's fun."
Staley is three years removed from that 2001 season at BYU, his junior year, in which he scored more touchdowns than anyone in the country. That season ended with a broken foot in Starkville, Miss., in the 12th game of an undefeated season. Staley decided to go early to the NFL and get whatever he could.
"I don't regret it. If I had the decision to make over again, it was the right thing for me to do."
To understand how giant of a year Staley had in 2001, his numbers read: 196 carries for 1,596 yards and 24 touchdowns for an 8.14 yard per carry average. He scored four other touchdowns on pass catches while sitting out games at New Mexico, Hawaii and the Liberty Bowl.
Last season, the NCAA's top rusher was Patrick Cobb of North Texas who had 307 carries for 1,680 yards and 19 touchdowns, a 5.47 yard per carry average.
Staley is now an "old" 23 years because of the battering his body has taken, in particular, his legs.
"I feel like I'm 40. . . . The weather changed the other day, and my legs started acting up and it's not fun. I guess I'm a has-been."
Before deciding to give up football this past winter, he was examined by an orthopedic specialist in Colorado at the same clinic Kobe Bryant visited. The doctor told Staley he had arthritis in his knees, and it will continue to get worse as the years go on. "I hope not, but that's what it looks like right now."
The last time Staley had knee surgery was in 2002 during his rookie season with Detroit. Of the six surgeries he's had on his knees, three of them were considered major jobs involving the anterior crucial ligaments.
Still, Staley says "my most favorite" time of his life was the days he played at BYU, especially that junior year. "It will always be a huge part of my life. It was a phenomenal way to go out."
That he can stick his hand in a business that involves his former team and program is just a bonus, according to Staley.
"You need to work at something you enjoy. It's for a cause I believe in and want to be a part of. As long as it keeps progressing and growing, I'm going to be there. It seems like a no-brainer for me to do this."
Staley, stopped at last. He may be domesticated but the guy remains connected.
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com