Michigan State saw an unlikely star rise among them last season, and this isn't a story of some small town boy dreaming to be a football player. Emilia Rudd was born in Manchester but moved to Toronto, Canada when she was fourteen years old and began elementary there. Upon arriving in Canada, Emilia almost immediately started partaking in sports such as hockey and basketball where her large size allowed her to thrive on the ice and court. What she really wanted to play though was football, something she had heard about very vaguely during her childhood in England for being similar to rugby. In her freshman year of high school, Rudd lined up as a corner back for her district's high school and began her foray into football. As Rudd put on weight via muscle growth, it became increasingly evident that she would no longer be a good fit as a corner back and that she should instead take her talent elsewhere on the field. Coaches initially had her playing as a linebacker where she struggled to have the speed to blow past defensive lineman and eventually found herself riding the bench for most of her junior and senior years.
What no one would have expected though was for Rudd to eventually move to Michigan State in order to earn her degree in Engineering, and upon arriving at the school getting a walk on tryout with the team. At first, most of the coaches scoffed at her for even appearing, especially due to the nature of her high school career where she saw very little success. She was cut from the team in her freshman year and told that there was "no room on a stage like this for a little girl to be running around pretending she's something she's not". This statement lit a fire under the ass of Emilia, and she vowed to come back next year and make a mark on the coaches who had previously turned her down. As though someone was watching over her though, the bigoted coaches running the program in Michigan State got what was coming to them.
At the beginning of her sophomore year, after being cut from the team once again, Emilia came across information that would prove extremely valuable in building a case against Michigan State, something the NCAA had been conducting for years. While walking by one of the team's players during the school day a week after the tryouts, she overheard the player claiming to have received fake pee to use during the NCAA drug testing. Emilia set a recorder in her pocket and went into the coaches office where they had the following exchange;
Emilia: Coach, there's a problem if I ever end up making the team.
(Censored Name of Coach): And under that idea, what is it?
Emilia: The NCCA drug tests, I don't think I would ever pass one.
(Censored Name of Coach): If you make the team next year, I'm sure you won't have to worry about that. The team can take care of things like that, we have lots of ways to get around the testing.
Rudd played the recording while recording a video, exposing the Michigan State athletic department, and posted it onto the interview for everyone to see. The video garnered massive support and made it's way into the hands of the NCAA, who eventually used it to finalize an extradition of the head office in Michigan State and the removal of multiple players who tested positive on drug tests that had been avoiding them for years. The team was given a one season ban from competing in the NCAA circuit, and therefor Rudd would still have to wait until her junior year before getting another crack at making the roster.
Upon the arrival of her junior year, the team had a new faculty in place that was fully prepared to stray away from the previous reputation that had been attached to the Michigan State football program, and talked to Rudd prior to the season beginning about her being able to take a spot provided she was fully committed to playing. The big difference was that instead of being on the defensive side of the ball, Emilia would be moving to tight end to fill the hole made by her predecessor graduating. Rudd agreed, and opened the season on the starting roster. In her first game she made 3 catches for 42 yards for an average YPC of 14 yards, a strong start to the season for a player with as little experience at tight end as her.
She continued on to finish the season with 28 catches for for 384 yards or an average YPC of 13.7 as well as two receiving touchdowns, a great start to her football career. Not only did she contribute as a receiver, Emilia also made her mark as a part of the offensive line, using her strength and size to overpower defensive lineman time and time again. During the off-season she finished her degree in engineering a year early and prepared to have a stress free final year of football in Michigan State, in what she figured would be her last year playing any high level football before she moved into the suburbs.
Emilia's senior year was one to remember, and no one would have been expecting the success that she saw. Emilia posted an absolutely outstanding stat line, with 51 receptions for 826 yards and an average YPC of 16.2 all while adding an amazing nine receiving touchdowns. Rudd had completely exploded into her role as a tight end, and helped Michigan go on a deep run in the national championship. NFL scouts from multiple teams were contacting her about possibly joining their teams come draft night, but the biggest question from the teams was how long she thought she could last in the game. With most NFL careers not lasting over ten seasons, and with the league being 100% dominated by male players, her sex was coming into play as to whether or not she would be selected high, and it wasn't even a matter of sexism. It just biologically might be too big of a risk.
After speaking with the league, it was announced the Rudd would not be eligible to be selected in the entry draft for the NFL, and would instead join the league as a free agent so as to alleviate potential risk from general managers on selecting her. This way, every team still had an equal shot at getting her (she was projected to land in the second round, meaning nearly every team could have picked her anyways). Rudd eventually signed a one year contract with the Seattle Seahawks, starting her professional career in an interesting way. Her CFL rights were drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats, where she would play her first professional football game against the Calgary Stampede.
Rudd did not take part in a single NFL game this season, and instead spent the entire year playing in Hamilton where she posted an impressive rookie stat line of 40 receptions for 552 yards, 13.8 YPC, and six receiving touchdowns. Her professional career was well underway, but the opportunities didn't stop coming to her. While the NFL and CFL had never seen a female player before, the NSFL was not new to female players, and had seen another female player already declare for the upcoming draft into the league's developmental section, the DSFL. Upon fielding a survey from a number of the league's teams, Rudd made the announcement this morning that she intended to join the draft class as well, and partake into the new football scene that the NSFL and DSFL offered.
Rudd joins the class as the only tight end, making her a mark to be a top selection by any team. Over the last two seasons she has developed into a faster target with solid hands, while still being a viable aid to the offensive line. Emilia poses as a two threat, and will be one of the hardest working talents in the training room as she has been through her entire career. There is no doubt that this is a player that everyone should be watching, especially in a draft class loaded with this much offensive power. Only time will tell, but Rudd is guaranteed to be something special.
1405 Words - Double pay for draft article
What no one would have expected though was for Rudd to eventually move to Michigan State in order to earn her degree in Engineering, and upon arriving at the school getting a walk on tryout with the team. At first, most of the coaches scoffed at her for even appearing, especially due to the nature of her high school career where she saw very little success. She was cut from the team in her freshman year and told that there was "no room on a stage like this for a little girl to be running around pretending she's something she's not". This statement lit a fire under the ass of Emilia, and she vowed to come back next year and make a mark on the coaches who had previously turned her down. As though someone was watching over her though, the bigoted coaches running the program in Michigan State got what was coming to them.
At the beginning of her sophomore year, after being cut from the team once again, Emilia came across information that would prove extremely valuable in building a case against Michigan State, something the NCAA had been conducting for years. While walking by one of the team's players during the school day a week after the tryouts, she overheard the player claiming to have received fake pee to use during the NCAA drug testing. Emilia set a recorder in her pocket and went into the coaches office where they had the following exchange;
Emilia: Coach, there's a problem if I ever end up making the team.
(Censored Name of Coach): And under that idea, what is it?
Emilia: The NCCA drug tests, I don't think I would ever pass one.
(Censored Name of Coach): If you make the team next year, I'm sure you won't have to worry about that. The team can take care of things like that, we have lots of ways to get around the testing.
Rudd played the recording while recording a video, exposing the Michigan State athletic department, and posted it onto the interview for everyone to see. The video garnered massive support and made it's way into the hands of the NCAA, who eventually used it to finalize an extradition of the head office in Michigan State and the removal of multiple players who tested positive on drug tests that had been avoiding them for years. The team was given a one season ban from competing in the NCAA circuit, and therefor Rudd would still have to wait until her junior year before getting another crack at making the roster.
Upon the arrival of her junior year, the team had a new faculty in place that was fully prepared to stray away from the previous reputation that had been attached to the Michigan State football program, and talked to Rudd prior to the season beginning about her being able to take a spot provided she was fully committed to playing. The big difference was that instead of being on the defensive side of the ball, Emilia would be moving to tight end to fill the hole made by her predecessor graduating. Rudd agreed, and opened the season on the starting roster. In her first game she made 3 catches for 42 yards for an average YPC of 14 yards, a strong start to the season for a player with as little experience at tight end as her.
She continued on to finish the season with 28 catches for for 384 yards or an average YPC of 13.7 as well as two receiving touchdowns, a great start to her football career. Not only did she contribute as a receiver, Emilia also made her mark as a part of the offensive line, using her strength and size to overpower defensive lineman time and time again. During the off-season she finished her degree in engineering a year early and prepared to have a stress free final year of football in Michigan State, in what she figured would be her last year playing any high level football before she moved into the suburbs.
Emilia's senior year was one to remember, and no one would have been expecting the success that she saw. Emilia posted an absolutely outstanding stat line, with 51 receptions for 826 yards and an average YPC of 16.2 all while adding an amazing nine receiving touchdowns. Rudd had completely exploded into her role as a tight end, and helped Michigan go on a deep run in the national championship. NFL scouts from multiple teams were contacting her about possibly joining their teams come draft night, but the biggest question from the teams was how long she thought she could last in the game. With most NFL careers not lasting over ten seasons, and with the league being 100% dominated by male players, her sex was coming into play as to whether or not she would be selected high, and it wasn't even a matter of sexism. It just biologically might be too big of a risk.
After speaking with the league, it was announced the Rudd would not be eligible to be selected in the entry draft for the NFL, and would instead join the league as a free agent so as to alleviate potential risk from general managers on selecting her. This way, every team still had an equal shot at getting her (she was projected to land in the second round, meaning nearly every team could have picked her anyways). Rudd eventually signed a one year contract with the Seattle Seahawks, starting her professional career in an interesting way. Her CFL rights were drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats, where she would play her first professional football game against the Calgary Stampede.
Rudd did not take part in a single NFL game this season, and instead spent the entire year playing in Hamilton where she posted an impressive rookie stat line of 40 receptions for 552 yards, 13.8 YPC, and six receiving touchdowns. Her professional career was well underway, but the opportunities didn't stop coming to her. While the NFL and CFL had never seen a female player before, the NSFL was not new to female players, and had seen another female player already declare for the upcoming draft into the league's developmental section, the DSFL. Upon fielding a survey from a number of the league's teams, Rudd made the announcement this morning that she intended to join the draft class as well, and partake into the new football scene that the NSFL and DSFL offered.
Rudd joins the class as the only tight end, making her a mark to be a top selection by any team. Over the last two seasons she has developed into a faster target with solid hands, while still being a viable aid to the offensive line. Emilia poses as a two threat, and will be one of the hardest working talents in the training room as she has been through her entire career. There is no doubt that this is a player that everyone should be watching, especially in a draft class loaded with this much offensive power. Only time will tell, but Rudd is guaranteed to be something special.
1405 Words - Double pay for draft article
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