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DC Retirement
Dan Carroll Switches Roles
July 22, 2010
It was with a heavy heart that Dan Carroll addressed his teammates before practice Thursday night. On the positive side, was that had Dan had just landed a phenomenal carer opportunity, in which a company was willing to make a significant investment in putting Dan through an apprenticeship program and pay for his education. It was an opportunity that was too good to pass up. The tradeoff however was that the risk of injury on the football field could threaten the great career opportunity. Something had to give, and unfortunately in this case Dan had to make the painful decision to put his playing days for the Oilers on hold.
While his teammates and coaches were dissapointed to lose one of the best players in the EFL, they understood. The EFL is a working mans league, and it comes with risks. And sometimes life dictates that the risks aren't worth taking. As much as we love it- football is just a game and it's a luxury, and sometime we need to make decisions where "real life" takes priority. As much as it pained Dan to give up playing the game he loves, in this case it was clearly the right decision.
Dan has been one of the best players in the EFL over the last 5+ years. He has been a perennial All League performer. He has been the EFL Defensive MVP. He has been elected captain by the coaches, and he has been elected team captain by his teammates. He has scored touchdowns on interception returns, fumble returns, kickoff returns, punt returns, and on passes from his teammate Ryan Myers. DC has given his heart and soul to the Randolph Oilers organization.
DC has been the ultimate teammate.Through the winning seasons and through the challenging seasons, he was a rock and never gave up, never made excuses, and never took the easy way out. No matter what the score was, Dan gave as much effort on the 1st play of the game as he did on the last. He played tough, he made big plays when his team needed them most, he played through injuries, and he left everything he had on the field after every practice and every game.
Coaches and teammates never had to worry what they were getting from DC- he epitomized the teams' mantra of "full tilt / full time." He was a quiet leader, setting an example for teammates by how hard he practiced and played, and by how he always strove to get better and to help his teammates be their best. You never had to worry whether DC would make it to practice. Even after tearing up his knee and ending up on crutches, DC would hobble to practice in the hot summer heat to support his teammates when no one would have blamed him if he had decided to stay on the couch and rest his injuries.
DC always stayed positive no matter what the situation was, even when others around him pointed fingers and focused on the negative. Dan has epitomized class and professionalism and everything positive the Randolph Oilers stand for. He has been a warrior on the field, and one of the greatest teammates the Oiler players have ever had. DC's last game (for the time being?) was Friday vs Clinton. As usual Dan battled the whole game, made big plays (one interception, numerous tackles, several pass break-ups, and even came in on offense in crunch time). Unfortunately as a team we couldn't send Dan off with a victory, but Dan should leave the field with his head held high knowing he gave it all he had- jut like he did in every game and practice throughout his career.
The good news is that despite this being written in the past tense this is not an obituary (unfortunately sometimes it take a major life event for us to step back and appreciate and acknowledge all the great things a person has done and how much we care for that person). But no, fortunately DC is not dead. He's just hanging up the cleats for a while so as to not jeopardize a promising professional career.
July 22, 2010
It was with a heavy heart that Dan Carroll addressed his teammates before practice Thursday night. On the positive side, was that had Dan had just landed a phenomenal carer opportunity, in which a company was willing to make a significant investment in putting Dan through an apprenticeship program and pay for his education. It was an opportunity that was too good to pass up. The tradeoff however was that the risk of injury on the football field could threaten the great career opportunity. Something had to give, and unfortunately in this case Dan had to make the painful decision to put his playing days for the Oilers on hold.
While his teammates and coaches were dissapointed to lose one of the best players in the EFL, they understood. The EFL is a working mans league, and it comes with risks. And sometimes life dictates that the risks aren't worth taking. As much as we love it- football is just a game and it's a luxury, and sometime we need to make decisions where "real life" takes priority. As much as it pained Dan to give up playing the game he loves, in this case it was clearly the right decision.
Dan has been one of the best players in the EFL over the last 5+ years. He has been a perennial All League performer. He has been the EFL Defensive MVP. He has been elected captain by the coaches, and he has been elected team captain by his teammates. He has scored touchdowns on interception returns, fumble returns, kickoff returns, punt returns, and on passes from his teammate Ryan Myers. DC has given his heart and soul to the Randolph Oilers organization.
DC has been the ultimate teammate.Through the winning seasons and through the challenging seasons, he was a rock and never gave up, never made excuses, and never took the easy way out. No matter what the score was, Dan gave as much effort on the 1st play of the game as he did on the last. He played tough, he made big plays when his team needed them most, he played through injuries, and he left everything he had on the field after every practice and every game.
Coaches and teammates never had to worry what they were getting from DC- he epitomized the teams' mantra of "full tilt / full time." He was a quiet leader, setting an example for teammates by how hard he practiced and played, and by how he always strove to get better and to help his teammates be their best. You never had to worry whether DC would make it to practice. Even after tearing up his knee and ending up on crutches, DC would hobble to practice in the hot summer heat to support his teammates when no one would have blamed him if he had decided to stay on the couch and rest his injuries.
DC always stayed positive no matter what the situation was, even when others around him pointed fingers and focused on the negative. Dan has epitomized class and professionalism and everything positive the Randolph Oilers stand for. He has been a warrior on the field, and one of the greatest teammates the Oiler players have ever had. DC's last game (for the time being?) was Friday vs Clinton. As usual Dan battled the whole game, made big plays (one interception, numerous tackles, several pass break-ups, and even came in on offense in crunch time). Unfortunately as a team we couldn't send Dan off with a victory, but Dan should leave the field with his head held high knowing he gave it all he had- jut like he did in every game and practice throughout his career.
The good news is that despite this being written in the past tense this is not an obituary (unfortunately sometimes it take a major life event for us to step back and appreciate and acknowledge all the great things a person has done and how much we care for that person). But no, fortunately DC is not dead. He's just hanging up the cleats for a while so as to not jeopardize a promising professional career.
The Oilers family wishes Dan the best of luck with his career endeavors. If he approaches his job like he has approached football, he is sure to have a very successeful career and his new company should consider themselves lucky to have him as a member of their "team." And we’re glad Dan's contributions to the Oilers have not ended, as he continues in any way he can to help this team reach its potential.
Oilers For Life.
