Auburn’s Doolittle overcomes painful, emotional injury

By OANow Staff

Published: September 2, 2008

A year ago, Tez Doolittle couldn’t even watch Auburn football. It was too painful.

Last Saturday, Doolittle was the one dishing out the pain. The AU senior was back on the field for the Tigers’ season-opening win against Louisiana-Monroe, capping an incredible comeback from what once appeared to be a career-ending injury.

Thirteen months have elapsed since Doolittle collapsed during a preseason practice in August 2007. He was diagnosed with a ruptured
Achilles’ tendon. His senior season — and possibly his college football career — was over.

At the time, Auburn’s medical staff didn’t mince words with Doolittle. After an MRI showed the Achilles’ had ruptured, and a series of tests confirmed the injury, the doctors wasted no time preparing him for the worst.

“They told me: ‘It’s over for you,’” the former Opelika star said this week.

That looked like more than a possibility: A fifth-year senior, Doolittle had to petition the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility. The organization historically only granted sixth seasons to players who missed two years with the same injury.

And Doolittle had bigger concerns than a medical redshirt. It would be months before he could focus on extending his football career.

Before he could think about his chances of playing football again, he had to prove to his doctors — and to himself — that he could walk normally.

It wasn’t easy. The injury was agonizingly painful, even when Doolittle tried to sleep.

“Every time I’d bump it against something or rub it against the sheets wrong, it killed me,” he said.

Rehab wasn’t easy, either: He spent most of his days in Atlanta, working out under the supervision of doctors and physical therapists.
Meanwhile, his teammates were miles away in Auburn, focused on their season.

The sudden transition from college football player to — in Doolittle’s words — “regular person — was jarring.

“I was really emotional about it,” he said. “Every time I’d watch a game, I’d get upset.”

But he never gave up, never slowed down on his rehab, never allowed his emotions to distract him from his rehab. He attended one home game in 2007, limping out of the Jordan-Hare Stadium tunnel to be announced with his classmates on Senior Day to a noisy
ovation.

In April, after months of suspense, he finally got the news he’d been waiting for: The NCAA had approved him for a sixth year of eligibility.

By mid-June, he had progressed far enough in his rehab that he was hardly walking with a limp. A hamstring injury slowed him during some offseason workouts, but by midway through preseason practice in August, it was clear he would be ready to play in the season opener.

Doolittle made his debut earlier than he expected, coming in at defensive tackle in the first quarter and finishing with 30 snaps on defense. For the first time, with his goals finally accomplished, his emotions nearly got the best of him.

“I was this far from crying,” he said this week, shaking his head. “I had a frog in my throat. I was just anxious to get out there … ‘Is this really happening?’ I was just so excited.”

And he wasn’t just taking up space on the field. In fact, he made one of the game’s biggest defensive plays in the fourth quarter, slicing through the Louisiana-Monroe line on fourth-and-1 to tackle tailback Frank Goodin for a 4-yard loss.

That stop — one of three for Doolittle — helped preserve an AU shutout. And it showed exactly why the sixth-year senior is so valuable.

According to Doolittle and head coach Tommy Tuberville, sophomore middle linebacker Josh Bynes misread the offensive formation, lining up the defense incorrectly. But Doolittle recognized the offensive look from film study, shifted his position before the snap and shot through a gap to make the play.

“Tez has a lot of common sense in the defense,” Tuberville said. “He’s been around. He understands.”

His teammates weren’t surprised by the big play. Doolittle, Auburn’s oldest and most experienced defensive lineman, is always giving the younger players tips, passing on his five seasons of experience.

”A lot of guys like to talk with me,” he said. “I’ve been around a lot of NFL guy who played here. I learned from those guys.”

Early in the season, Doolittle helped freshman defensive end Jomarcus Savage add a new pass-rush move to his repertoire. The move worked, and Savage wasted no time pestering the veteran for more tips.

“He was so excited,” Doolittle said with a laugh. “He said, ‘Have you got another one for me?’ I told him that I’d have to start charging.”

Savage isn’t the only Auburn defender to have learned valuable lessons from Doolittle. As one of the only remaining Tigers to have played on the undefeated 2004 team, he rarely misses an opportunity to remind his younger teammates of their potential to match that team’s accomplishments. According to Doolittle, it starts off the field.

“There was something about the ’04 year — how the guys all got together and did stuff and talked and hung out together instead of being all branched off here and there,” he said. “I try to get everybody to go back to doing those kinds of things.”

Doolittle’s evolution into a team leader hasn’t escaped Tuberville.

“He is one of our leaders,” the head coach said. “It’s great to see guys turn a negative into a positive as he has.”

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