New Outlook Puts Drane on Path to Success
October 15, 2003

As a defensive player on the college level, Dan Drane (Munhall, PA/Steel Valley) has seen all kinds of blocks. Double teams, chop blocks, wide receivers and running backs coming at him from all angles. All of those can be tough to handle.

For Drane, going one-on-one with a mental block proved to be his toughest assignment as an Ashland University Eagle. That confrontation didn’t exactly happen on the gridiron, but it was as exhausting as anything he’s encountered on the football field.

Today, the 6-3, 255-pound senior defensive end is one of the leaders on an AU defense that’s third in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in rush and total defense, second in pass defense and fifth in scoring defense. He’s second in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in tackles for loss (10.5-40) and has a team-high three sacks.

Those are the kind of numbers the AU coaches always believed Drane was capable of producing. Through his first three seasons, two as a linebacker and then one as a defensive lineman, those figures were few and far between. Last spring, that became a hot topic of discussion for Drane and AU head coach Gary Keller.

“Last year in spring ball it looked to me like I wouldn’t play,” recounted Drane. “I didn’t take many snaps with the first team on the field. Coach Keller challenged me, he told me it was my position to earn. I didn’t want to sit my last year. I worked hard over the summer and so far, things have gone well for me.”

Keller didn’t sugarcoat his message. It went down like peanut butter and Pepto Bismol, but it was something he had to hear.

“It was hard for me in the spring,” admitted Drane. “I didn’t think I was getting a fair shake. I sat down and talked to Coach Keller and I realized I had the wrong attitude. If I went out and performed, I would be the starter. I needed an attitude adjustment and Coach Keller helped me through that.”

“I talked with him and a number of our seniors,” said Keller. “I talked to Dan about his potential, his athletic ability and what he could do if he put his mind to it. I’m very pleased, he ran with it. I was disappointed with Dan’s performance. He wasn’t getting to where he could be as a football player. I feel now he’s playing the way we expect players at Ashland University to play.”

What that means is play hard every down. Drane has done that. He’s taken up residence in GLIAC backfields and chased backs and quarterbacks all over the field. In the three years prior to this season, Drane had eight tackles for loss and five sacks. As his numbers demonstrate, he’s a totally different player today.

There are some other factors that have played a role in Drane’s increased production. He played at Ashland as a true freshman, first as an inside linebacker and then moving to outside linebacker. Last year was his first season on the line. That’s a lot of movement and constant relocation can slow a player’s development. Yet learning so many positions can also be a positive.

“Now that I’ve played a couple of spots I feel like I know a lot about a lot of the positions,” Drane said. “I think I have an understanding of the whole defense. I was apprehensive at first, but I think I understand the whole defense. This is only my second year playing defensive line. Coach Saccomen (John) has helped me with the technique. I’m probably not the most technically sound guy, but I have confidence. I’ve got some experience playing the defensive line.”

Keller says that Drane is a perfect fit for a defense that’s been the team’s strong point in 2003.

“Dan’s played a number of positions,” said Keller. “As you look around college football today you see more of that. Finding good defensive linemen, that’s easier said than done. Guys who are used to standing up, they don’t want to be in the mix. Finding that kind of athlete who can do that is tough. Dan’s gone the extra mile. He has the quickness of a linebacker and now he’s got extra weight. He’s making plays. He has the size, range, all of those things. Now, and I think this has a lot to do with maturity, he has the attitude to go with that.”

Speaking of range, Drane has had that all along. Coming out of high school in Western Pennsylvania, he had a verbal commitment to play at Slippery Rock. On signing day, the Rock coaches told him there would be no scholarship, but he could join the program as a preferred walk-on. Drane couldn’t financially afford to do that so he went looking for a school. His sister lives in Ashland, so she brought some game tapes to Keller’s office. After taking a look at those, the AU head coach invited Drane in for a visit and shortly after that, Drane was added to the roster.

“I wanted to stay close to home,” said Drane. “I didn’t have that chance. I’m happy now that I’m here. It wasn’t what I hoped for, but now that I’m here, I wouldn’t give it up.”

In reality, Drane never gave up. When he was challenged last spring, he could have packed it in. AU was coming off a 2-9 season and it would have been easy to walk away and go a different direction. But Drane’s a true double major (criminal justice/history). He’ll graduate this spring, with a complete degree, one from cracking the books and one from cracking through life’s tough knocks.

“Everybody has pride,” explained Drane. “When Bobby (Mercer) and Nate (Howard) left (two years ago), I wouldn’t say I expected to start, but you think it comes along the line. When Coach Keller challenged me, told me to prove I was the starter, that showed me you don’t get everything because you’re next in line. Coach Keller made me earn my position.”

And as the numbers show, it’s been a great payoff for the Eagles.