O.J. Does It by the Letter and Things Turn Out OK : Ojomoh Works Hard, Regains Eligibility for CS Northridge

When it came down, fast and final, O.J. Ojomoh couldn’t believe it. He thought he could reverse the decision, like reversing his position on the field in pursuit of a ballcarrier.

But there was no changing it: Ojomoh had to sit out last season on the sidelines for failing a summer school class.

Ojomoh, the emotional leader of the Cal State Northridge defense and the cover boy of the schedule card, was left without a stage to express his fiery personality and intense devotion to the game.

Suddenly, this trash-talking linebacker who challenged tailbacks to run the ball his way had no place to talk and no one to tackle.

“Because he’s such a competitor and his focus is solely on football, sitting out was much harder for him,” defensive coordinator Mark Banker said. “And even something as superficial as ego played a role. It hurt him that his peers knew he couldn’t participate because of academic problems.”

At practice, Ojomoh tried to make up for those missed Saturday nights. Under his leadership, the black shirts, the term used for players who are spending a redshirt season, became the most passionate unit on the practice field. With Ojomoh stuffing the run, chasing quarterbacks and exhorting the black shirts to match his efforts, he made a contribution to a team he felt he had disappointed. Each week, his black shirts ran the opposition’s defense, preparing the Matadors’ offense for game time.

“He got us going,” linebacker Miguel Cerna said. “He inspired us to do better. He can really get players excited. He’d say, ‘Just because you’re on scout team doesn’t mean you can’t get better by doing this.’ ”

While Ojomoh took out his frustrations on the Northridge offense during the week, there was no relief on Saturday nights. Like a caged tiger, he paced the sidelines in street clothes.

Recently, while attempting to express how he felt last season, a shadow crossed his face.

“You can tell how much I missed the game by the way I practiced last season,” he said in a soft, sad tone. “When I heard I couldn’t play, I was in shock. Then, I thought, ‘What can I do?’ I decided to practice as hard as I could.”

Driven by his loss, the 6-foot-1, 218-pound Ojomoh worked himself into the finest physical conditioning of his life.

“I am in 10 times better shape than I was,” he said.

He is also a different person. When the severity of his academic problems hit home, he hit back, spending more time fulfilling requirements for his art major.

“What O.J. discovered, what he didn’t realize in high school or junior college, was that grades are very important,” Banker said. “So it killed him, but it had a positive effect because he reassessed his priorities. And down the line that will help him get his degree.”

In his modern dance class, particularly, the light came on. Ojomoh’s interest extended far beyond the course. He joined a dance troupe and earned the lead role in several performances.

Ojomoh takes great pride in his new interest, but the thought of an inside linebacker in tights makes his teammates cackle. With a wave of his hand, he dismisses their teasing and the stereotype that football players don’t dance.

“He’s gonna do what he’s gonna do,” safety Gerald Ponder said.

That means spinning and stepping with the same passion with which he wraps up tacklers.

“He dances with intensity and polish,” Banker said.

Captured by the muse, Ojomoh caught up so fast in the classroom that he didn’t have to attend summer school this year.

“He learned from his mistakes,” Northridge Coach Bob Burt said. “And he worked hard.”

Ojomoh, the Matadors’ most inspirational player in 1991, also worked on his linebacking skills, skills that are still in the beginning stages because Ojomoh, a native of the Virgin Islands, has played only since 1988, including one season at Redlands High and two at Riverside College.

Although he set a school record with 22 tackles against Cal State Fullerton and his 90 tackles ranked him second on the squad in 1991, his lack of discipline occasionally hurt the team.

“He did some free-lancing, sitting back and not necessarily doing the correct thing,” Banker said. “Because of his hiatus, he takes things more seriously. He does not take short cuts, he does the correct thing. In this game (last week’s 27-12 loss to Weber State) alone, he made plays he would not have made two years ago.

“Being a better student-athlete has made him a better linebacker. They have rubbed off on each other. Because of missing a football season, he’s doing a better job in the classroom and because he missed playing, he is paying closer attention to details on the field. His pass coverage is better and he finds himself in better position to make the plays.”

Heading into Saturday night’s game at Northern Arizona, Ojomoh has 10 solo tackles and 23 overall. Two of his tackles went for losses totaling six yards and he has one quarterback hurry.

His leadership is even more pronounced. “He’s doing the right things all the time as opposed to some of the time,” Banker said. “His intensity is infectious.”