Flames wide receiver where he belongs

By Chris Lang
Sports writer
Published: September 2, 2008

When Brock Smith was a Liberty freshman in 2005, the quarterback was surrounded by several top-notch receivers, including Brandon Turner, Wynton Jackson and Lauren Williams.

However, the receiver that was mentioned most was the one who was not there.

“They kept talking about Jon Crawford,” Smith said. “They were like, ‘oh, wait ’til he comes back. If he comes back, he’s going to be one of your go-to guys.’”

“If” was the key word. Former Flames coach Ken Karcher clearly didn’t agree with his players’ assessment of Crawford as a receiver. Karcher wanted Crawford to play defensive back. The two parties didn’t see eye-to-eye, Crawford said.

“I’m not going to repeat them, but he made some pretty rude comments in the meeting I had with him,” Crawford said. “I didn’t want to play for a coach who felt the way that he felt.”

So he left.

That was in the fall of 2004. So it was unlikely, to say the least, to envision Crawford in a Liberty uniform in 2008, celebrating after returning a kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown. But that’s exactly what Crawford did Saturday night at Williams Stadium. Earlier, he caught an 18-yard touchdown pass, the first of his career.

Crawford, a man scorned by Karcher, has quickly become one of the Flames’ most reliable and important targets, both on offense and in special teams.

“It’s truly a rags to riches story,” Liberty receivers coach Charlie Skalaski said. “It’s a great story about perseverance and tenacity and overcoming adversity.”

Crawford wasn’t heavily recruited out of Staunton’s Robert E. Lee High School. He came to Liberty as a walk-on in 2004 and returned 11 kickoffs for 179 yards. He didn’t catch a pass and ended the year as a defensive back.

After the falling out with Karcher, Crawford intended on transferring to another school. But there was a hitch. Karcher didn’t immediately release Crawford, and by the time Crawford was free to look at other schools, it was too late to transfer.

He returned to Staunton, took classes at Blue Ridge Community College, played some flag football and spent time helping out the coaching staff at Robert E. Lee. After the 2005 season, Crawford looked at some Division II schools, like Concord, Lenior-Rhyne and Carson-Newman. He checked out nearby Bridgewater College, a D-III school. But none of them felt like they were the right fit.

“All my friends were here,” Crawford said. “I had good connections here. I just felt like there was nowhere else I should play.”

Crawford had kept in touch with Liberty defensive backs coach Marshall Roberts and contacted him prior to the 2006 season. Karcher was gone, replaced by Danny Rocco. Still, Crawford was going to have to earn his spot back on the team. He walked on again and spent the entire 2006 season on the scout team.

In 2007, Crawford was the Flames’ fourth receiving option behind Jackson, Turner and Dominic Bolden. He caught five passes against William & Mary and finished the year with 11 receptions for 134 yards, so there were some signs he could be a capable receiver.

“You saw flashes last year,” Skalaski said. “But where he really asserted himself as a dominant receiver was in spring practice. With Wynton and Brandon gone, he got a lot more reps. He was the most consistent receiver in spring practice.”

Rocco rewarded that consistency by putting Crawford on scholarship and naming him a starter for 2008. He also earned the Samkon Gado Award as the team’s most improved player in the spring. Crawford gives the Flames some diversity at the position. Bolden is a pure speed burner who is Liberty’s best deep threat.

Crawford is taller and stronger than Bolden and rarely fails to escape the first attempt at a tackle. During the offseason, Smith said he and Crawford challenged one another to push their limits in the weight room. Both can squat more than 600 pounds. The difference? Smith outweighs Crawford by nearly 50 pounds.

“Between Dominic Bolden and Jonathan Crawford, we have a very intriguing 1-2 punch,” Rocco said. “Dominic is fast, explosive and kind of dynamic out there in everything he does. Jonathan is big and strong, he’s athletic and powerful. It’s a tough combination to throw at people.”

Crawford’s LU experience has left him humble. Ask him a question, and nearly every response is crafted in one way or another to convey that, whatever he does, his only concern is how his actions help the team.

The time away from Liberty gave Crawford a sense of perspective. Toiling through practices and agonizing summer workouts are better than the alternative — not playing college football at all.

“You don’t have to be recruited, or be a star athlete or sign a scholarship to help a team out,” Crawford said. “You can come into a program, work your way from the bottom up. If you work hard and do what the coaches do, then you can help out a team.”

No one at Liberty will deny he’s done that.