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University of Minnesota Athletics
Base Defense
11/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Damarius Travis spent much his youth perfecting his home run trot as a star traveling baseball player. After receiving some advice from his football coach at the time he decided to make baseball more of a hobby.
"Coach told me that baseball didn't pay for full scholarships," Travis said. "I didn't know if I would have to pay for college so I took football more seriously."
While it's hard to say what his baseball career could have been, it is safe to say his decision to pursue football has paid off. He has played in 50 career games for the Maroon and Gold and has recorded 173 tackles, 16 pass deflections, four interceptions, forced one fumble and recovered two.
"He has great versatility, is a really good tackler and a really good playmaker," defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel said. "He has continued to get better every year. He is such a hard worker that he will always find a way to improve. He has done a great job. He always works, he is always studying football. He is a coach's dream."
As safety Travis is the quarterback of the defense and may just be the best football player on the whole Minnesota roster this season. Yet he has a problem not many team's top players have to deal with. Fans may not necessarily think of Travis when they think of Minnesota's number seven. That's because the quarterback for the offense, Mitch Leidner, also dons the number.
"I have a lot to say about that. He says he's the real number seven because he got here a semester ahead of me and he got the locker number seven," Travis, who owns locker number 112, said. "We just joke around a lot with that. I think I kind of brought it to light. I'll let the people decide who the better number seven is."
Not having his number on his locker is hardly the most adversity Travis has had to face in his time with the Gophers. The Minnesota secondary was one of the best in the country last year as Travis went into his senior year with fellow safety Antonio Johnson and now NFL corners Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Eric Murray. Travis started against TCU last year, but was injured on the last play of the game trying to block a punt and missed the rest of the season with an injury. He was granted a medical hardship waiver to extend his collegiate career for this season.
"It's been a long ride," Travis explained. "It was definitely hard for me to get over that and through that. I had to talk to my dad and pray and be humbled about it."
The loss of Travis impacted the Gophers in a big way.
"That was difficult because you knew how much he meant to what we do," Sawvel said. "From all the people in the 2014 season he probably got the least credit of anybody but he was probably the most important of anybody that year."
Instead of sulking Travis used his status as a student-athlete to make a difference off the field while overcoming his injury. He interned with student-athlete development throughout the year. He provided leadership with Gopher R.E.P.S. (Relationships Empowering Professionalism and Success) for football. He assisted in putting together a financial wellness session for the football team addressing basic budgeting, simple savings, debit cards vs. credit cards, establishing credit, compound interest, and more. One of his other favorite memories was taking trips to Masonic Children's Hospital.
"It touched me and showed me that everyone is not the same and does not have the same type of opportunity that I have had," he said.
"He loves to play football and he has done everything right off the field the time he has been here," Sawvel said. "He goes to class, he does his work and he stays out of trouble. If you go to draw up a recruit and list what you want, he is exactly what you want. It has been a pleasure to have him around."
Travis also earned his degree in sport management last year. He has aspirations of being an athletic director at the high school level someday. Through the student development office he was able to connect with athletic directors in the area this summer.
"I've had an opportunity to meet with them and have informational interviews to learn about what the job is, and what it takes to do it," Travis explained. "I love kids and I enjoy being around sports. It's something I've always wanted to do and I need to continue to move forward and achieve that goal."
Those goals may have to be put on hold. Travis came back from his year off even stronger as a football player. He is having a big senior season and is expected to be selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.
So when Travis hears his name called this April he will owe a special thank you to that coach who convinced him to trade his first love, baseball, for the sport that has provided him with so much: football.
