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Bulldogs Honor Greatest Player With Homecoming Win

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By BART O'CONNELL

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 25, 2008

ZEPHYRHILLS - Ryan Pickett is well aware of all the firsts he's provided for football in Pasco County.

He's the first prep football player from the area to be named an All-American, the first to earn a full athletic scholarship to Ohio State and start as a freshman, and the first athlete from the county selected in the first round of any major professional league's amateur draft.

And to culminate Friday night's homecoming game at Bulldog Stadium, a 21-6 win against Wiregrass Ranch, Pickett returned for another first: to have his jersey number (79) retired by Zephyrhills.

"It's been the greatest honor I've ever received," said Pickett, 29, in his eighth NFL season, currently a starting defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers. "It's been unbelievable. I received a lot of awards and a lot of different things, but this is definitely the most blessed I've ever felt."

Pickett's return was the highlight of homecoming for many longtime Zephyrhills fans, some of which wore Green Bay Packers jerseys and caps.

From 30 minutes before the game until the final firing of Civil War-style cannons signaling the end of the contest, a long line formed near the north end zone where Pickett autographed commemorative game programs with his photo on the cover, and had pictures taken with fans.

Coach Tom Fisher, one of the key influences on Pickett's career, said the 1998 graduate's memory still lives on for many of his current players, all of which were less than 10 years old when he graduated.

"He was a special kid," Fisher said. "His nickname said it all — "Big Grease." He's a good example for these kids, even though he's probably never met any of these kids [until now]."

Pickett, who lives in Texas with his wife, Jennifer, and four children, said his favorite memories of childhood and high school were centered around Zephyrhills football — going to the school to watch his brothers play, then becoming a player himself, wearing his jersey to school Fridays and going to the nearby McDonald's with his friends before and after games.

"Coach Fisher is here, but everybody that coached with him is gone," Pickett said. "It's weird, you know. It's definitely changed, but it's still the same. When I get out here, I feel like I'm in high school again. And that's the most fun I ever had playing football — playing high school football."

Pickett also had some advice for the current Zephyrhills players, especially those thinking about playing at the next level.

"I would tell them to enjoy every second of high school, because this is the most pure fun they're going to have," he said. "From fan support to the local community behind you, there's nothing like high school football. Take in every second."

In tribute to Pickett, No. 79 was painted at both 25-yard lines on the Zephyrhills field, and after the game, the players formed a 79 with their helmets and looked on from behind the ceremony along with Fisher.

In addition to receiving a vintage, framed No. 79 white road jersey from the 1997 season, his last with the Bulldogs, Pickett was awarded the key to the city of Zephyrhills, multiple plaques commemorating the event and a brand new TaylorMade driver from Silverado Golf Club.

With help from Pickett's wife, Jennifer, Athletic Director Craig Milburn also had a XXXXXL letterman's jacket and class ring made for the 6-foot-3, 330-pound Pickett — two mementos he never owned while he attended school.

A banner showing Pickett's years at Zephyrhills (1994-98), and the logos of Ohio State University and the NFL's St. Louis Rams and Green Bay Packers, the teams Pickett has played football for since graduating, will hang in front of the visiting stands at the 50-yard line. And a vintage 1997 home jersey was framed and will be displayed at a yet-to-be-determined location on campus.

"This is where I'm from and this is where my foundation is," said Pickett during the ceremony, as more than a dozen family members, including his mother and father who still live in Zephyrhills, listened in. "And this place where I became the man that I am."

Correspondent Bart O'Connell can be reached at tampasport@gmail.com.

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