Adapting to Change
10/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Flames Illustrated Feature: The following article ran as a Senior Game Day feature in the Oct. 9 Flames Illustrated game program. Patrick Bannon has now started all seven games for the Flames this season as a defensive end, having recorded 27 tackles, five tackles for a loss, two sacks and three pass break-ups.
When passing by Williams Stadium on Highway 460, it is hard not to notice the newly renovated complex, complete with a brand new five-story football tower. Although future recruits visiting Liberty University for the first time might think the state-of-the-art football facilities surrounding the field have existed for at least a decade, current Flames senior captain Patrick Bannon knows that's not the case.
Bannon, a native of Lexington, Va., remembers coming to Liberty in high school for passing scrimmages. He vividly recalls a time when there was no football tower or operations center and FieldTurf was just a possible alternative.
A four-year letterwinner and linebacker for Rockbridge County High School, Bannon set foot inside Williams Stadium on numerous occasions before making his official visit to Liberty. During his senior year in high school, Bannon and the Wildcats made it to the Virginia High School League AA State Championship in December 2006.
That year, Williams Stadium served as the site of the clash between Rockbridge County and Richlands High School. In a tightly contested match-up featuring the Commonwealth's two best teams, Bannon's Wildcats were edged by the Blue Tornado, 29-28.
At the time, Bannon could not have imagined winning multiple collegiate conference titles at the same place where a state championship narrowly slipped through his grasp.
"I never really saw myself here," Bannon stated, recounting the times he took the Williams Stadium field during his high school days.
When Bannon finally made his official visit to Liberty, he could see the changes beginning to take place. These changes altered Bannon's preexisting thoughts about the school, ultimately playing a role in his decision to one day take the field as member of the Flames.
"I just liked the atmosphere and how the school was changing," he recalled. "It didn't look anything like it did when I was coming over here for passing scrimmages in high school."
Bannon took the field for the Flames as a true freshman linebacker in 2007, finishing with 23 total tackles and three sacks. The following year, he moved to outside linebacker, starting 10 of the Flames' 12 contests. He concluded the campaign with 28 tackles, ranking 19th among Big South linebackers with 2.3 tackles per game.
At end of his sophomore year, the coaching staff approached Bannon with a proposition.
"They told me we needed defensive linemen and I could play there," he recalled. "I said, ‘Fine, I'll do it for the team'."
Coming out of high school, Bannon had chosen Liberty over his hometown school VMI and others for the chance to play linebacker. While some players might be hesitant to move away from their desired field position, Bannon relished the chance to join Liberty's defensive line.
"I loved playing linebacker, but I wasn't hesitant at all," Bannon remarked. "It was just a change in environment. I really had no problem with it."
Fellow senior defensive lineman Terry Adams witnessed Bannon's conversion from linebacker to lineman and was impressed with what he saw from his teammate.
"He adjusted well to the transition," Adams noted. "He did what he needed to do and he didn't ask any questions at all. He just bought into the idea and fit well."
Last season, Bannon took the field in all 11 contests, receiving the start in the final two games. As a member of the defensive line, he was instrumental in helping Liberty earn its third-consecutive Big South Championship, recording 16 total tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
After observing Bannon's string of performances as a defensive end in 2009, defensive line coach Levern Belin believes that the former Lexington linebacker is right where he belongs.
"The defensive line is more suited for his athletic ability and skills," Belin stated. "There were some things at the linebacker position that he was a little limited with, but in moving to defensive line, he fits the mold of exactly what we need."
Bannon's teammates also took notice of his efforts in his junior year, tabbing him as one of Liberty's six team captains during the 2010 spring game. For Bannon, the responsibility of being a team captain is about leading by example and mentoring the up-and-coming players.
Adams says one of Bannon's biggest strengths is his knack for encouraging others. This character trait came into play following Liberty's 10-3 setback to James Madison on Sept. 25, as the senior leader petitioned his gridiron brethren to keep their heads up.
Liberty's game against Savannah State on Oct. 2 turned out to be the perfect setting for Liberty to bounce back from its two-game skid. The meeting with the MEAC member marked the Flames' grand re-opening inside a newly renovated stadium, a project nine months in the making.
"We've watched it being built all offseason and now we're looking forward to enjoying it during the season," Bannon said, referring to the expansion, which upped the stadium's seating capacity from 12,000 to 19,200. "I think it's a huge factor in playing these home games."
The crowd of 19,314 fans that witnessed the unveiling of the upgraded stadium certainly played a role in the Flames' performance, as Liberty christened the complex with a 52-14 victory over the Tigers. The grand re-opening of Williams Stadium also marked a big day for Bannon, who finished with six tackles and fumble recovery, which led to Liberty's final touchdown of the contest.
Seeing the upgrades Liberty has made to its football program over the past few years, Bannon reminisces on the days before the improvements existed.
"I never had any kind of inclination that it would look like this," he said, sitting inside the Williams Football Operations Center. "I feel like it was just yesterday I was out here playing for the state championship."
While Bannon came up short at Williams Stadium back in 2006, he is now part of a short list of players seeking to win a Big South Championship each of their four years at Liberty. At the close of the 2010 season, however, the player who has become very acquainted with the field at Williams Stadium will step into one that is not as familiar. Upon graduating with a degree in health promotions, Bannon will likely walk away from the gridiron to attend physical therapy school.
"It's kind of exciting because I'm so used to being in the football mindset my whole life and I'm coming up on my last year now," he said with an optimistic tone. "It's like a whole new territory I've never been in before."
Although life after football presents a degree of uncertainty, Bannon is certainly accustomed to change. He's witnessed changes to Williams Stadium and even changed positions on the field. However, through all of life's modifications, he has managed to stay the same.
By Eric Brown, an assistant athletic communications director for Liberty University.
