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Football
An extremely gifted player who Tech running backs coach Billy Hite calls the most unselfish player he has ever coached * Has worked extremely hard to make himself a complete football player * Studies the game * Practices hard day in, day out * Excels in the weight room * Combines excellent speed and quickness with great vision * An instinctive ballcarrier who likes running in traffic * Also poses a threat as a receiver and a kickoff return man * A tough, aggressive blocker * Played a key role during the Hokies' 1996 Orange Bowl season as a true freshman * Rescued the team during the first three games when the top two tailbacks were sidelined * Led Tech to three straight wins, scoring five touchdowns in the process * Put the team first when he took a redshirt year in 1997 because of the Hokies' depth at tailback * Averaged 5.3 yards a carry last season while sharing the tailback duties with starter Lamont Pegues * Finished second on the team in rushing with 699 yards * Surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for career rushing during the Rutgers game * Enters the 1999 season as the No. 1 tailback * Has a chance to become one of Tech's all-time best * 1998: Met all of his goals during preseason strength and conditioning tests and earned Iron Hokie honors * Rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries versus East Carolina in the opening game * Had 69 yards on 12 carries at Clemson and 63 yards on 16 rushes against Miami * Also returned three kickoffs for 60 yards versus the Hurricanes and caught two passes for 15 yards * Scored on a 16-yard run against Pittsburgh * Gained 117 yards on 20 carries in the Temple game and hauled in a 17-yard pass * Had a season-best 34-yard kickoff return against West Virginia * Posted five returns for 101 yards at Syracuse * Ran for 80 yards on 11 carries against Rutgers * Registered a career-long 51-yard touchdown run in the Virginia game and finished with a career-high 124 yards rushing on 17 attempts * Finished the season with 113 carries for 699 yards and three TDs * Caught five passes for 42 yards and returned 14 kickoffs for 282 yards and a 20.1-yard average * Led all rushers in Tech's Music City Bowl win over Alabama with 71 yards on 10 carries * Scored on a 4-yard run against the Crimson Tide * Also contributed a 44-yard kickoff return and a 9-yard pass reception * Was named the most valuable offensive player in Tech's spring game after rushing for 105 yards on 17 carries and scoring a touchdown * 1997: Took a redshirt year * Won Iron Hokie honors during the winter program * Turned in a 530-pound back squat and a 310-pound push jerk during spring testing * Posted the fastest time among the running backs in the 20-yard shuttle run with a time of 4.12 seconds * Rushed for 28 yards on three carries in Tech's first spring scrimmage before tearing a ligament in his right thumb * Underwent surgery and missed the rest of spring practice * 1996: Entered the season-opener at Akron early in the second quarter after starter Ken Oxendine suffered a separated shoulder * Went on to rush for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the narrow 21-18 win * Was the first true freshman at Tech to rush for 100 yards in a season-opening game * Started the next week at Boston College and contributed 80 yards on the ground and two more TDs * Scored again in a start against Rutgers, rushing for 75 yards on 18 carries * Also caught three passes for 24 yards in that game * Returned to a backup role when Oxendine rejoined the team prior to the Syracuse game * Ran for 87 yards on seven carries later in the season against Southwestern Louisiana * Picked up 26 yards on four rushes versus East Carolina * Saw action on the kickoff and punting teams and the punt return unit during the second half of the season * Finished the year as the team's No. 2 rusher with 474 yards on 89 carries, an average of 5.3 yards per carry * Tied for fourth in scoring with 30 points * Registered a 300-pound hang clean during spring testing * Suffered a sprained ankle and was held out of contact work the last half of spring practice * High School: Lettered four seasons as a halfback for Coach Lew Johnston at Western Branch High * Rated the No. 9 running back in the ACC Region by BLUECHIP Illustrated * Was voted the team's MVP as a senior and was named the squad's best offensive player in 1994 & 95 * Named to the coaches' second-team 3A all-state team as a return specialist and a running back * Earned first-team all-conference and all-city * Only played in five games as a senior due to injuries, but still rushed for 670 yards and 11 touchdowns * Played nine games in a Wing-T offense as a junior and rushed for 947 yards and 19 TDs * Scored five touchdowns in a game against Granby in 1994 on the way to leading the district in scoring * In 25 career games posted 2,234 yards rushing and scored 39 touchdowns Ñ both school records * Lettered three times as a sprinter on the track team * Personal: Shyrone Orenthal Stith * Born 4/2/78 in Portsmouth, VA * Son of Wanda Elizabeth McCoy * Enrolled in interdisciplinary studies. Rushing G No. Yds. Avg. TD LG 1996 11 89 474 5.3 5 35 1998 11 133 699 5.3 3 51 Total 22 222 1173 5.3 8 51 Receiving G No. Yds. Avg. TD LG 1996 11 4 26 6.5 0 13 1998 11 5 42 8.4 0 17 Total 22 9 68 7.6 0 17 |
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