Sept. 23, 2004

By: Zach Schrieber
Samford Sports Information

Samford's Cortland Finnegan is a unique player on the field. Not many people have the talent to be named a consensus All-American and the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year ... as a sophomore, but that's just two of the highlights Finnegan achieved last season. He was also the conference's leading tackler, averaging 9.8 stops per game, and earned All-OVC honors as both a defensive back and kick returner.

Finnegan is often categorized as the player that sparks the defense with a crushing tackle or even as the catalyst that fires up Samford's offense with one of his signature kick returns and tantalizing speed. On the football field, Finnegan likes to start fires for his team, while off the field, Finnegan plans on making a living by putting out fires and saving lives.

"I want to be a firefighter when I graduate," announced the 5-foot-9, 180-pound free safety. "I think it's just what God has put on my mind to do. I think that He feels that I need to do something to risk my life in order to help other people out, so it's just been pressed on my heart. There might be a time when I need to give my life for somebody else."

The same desire to provide leadership for others has translated well to the football field this season. Prior to Samford's rigorous two-a-day fall camp, Finnegan was named one of the team's four captains, along with seniors Efrem Hill, Ray Nelson and Josh Taylor. Finnegan, the lone junior chosen to lead the Bulldogs throughout the 2004 campaign, was blown away by the honor bestowed upon him by head coach Bill Gray.

"I was actually quite shocked when he announced my name," Finnegan said. "I'm just a junior and there are so many hard-working players on this team. It was an honor to hear the players say that they want me to be a captain and I was actually surprised. We had a lot of seniors coming back this season, but I figure that since I put my work in on the field and have a really good relationship with the team, that it helped."

Finnegan's professional demeanor and outgoing personality will also help him achieve his goals outside of football. After working as a fireman, the Bulldogs' interception leader in 2003, plans to begin a career in coaching where he can combine two of the biggest joys of his life: football and teaching.

"I plan on working as a firefighter for about seven or eight years and then I really want to get into coaching," declared Finnegan. "I've been taking a lot of human development classes lately and I've enjoyed it. It's sort of like being a counselor and I think that's a good way to get to know people. I really want to know how to best relate to all of the different types of people."

A native of Milton, Fla., Finnegan is a self-proclaimed outdoorsman and chose to attend Samford over a variety of Division I-A football programs. "I came to Samford because I really wanted to be able to play early in my career," Finnegan said. "That was the biggest thing for me in picking a college. I had some Division I offers, but I was 5-9 and 150 pounds at the time, so not too many people wanted to take a chance on me. The main thing for me was that I just wanted to play football somewhere and I definitely made the right decision."

As a freshman in 2002, Finnegan saw action in all 11 games of the season and started the last seven contests. Since then, the Bulldogs' fiery competitor has been a staple in the defensive backfield and accumulated 154 tackles in his first two seasons. Against West Alabama in the 2004 season-opener, Finnegan picked off a career-high two passes, including a highlight-reel-worthy interception in which he made up 10 yards of ground between himself and the defender while the ball was in the air.

"On the second interception, we had some blown coverage by one of our other defensive backs," Finnegan said. "He was supposed to have the No. 2 receiver, but things got mixed up and I had to fade back to cover his guy. I saw it on the replay (of the game) and I was like, `How was I there?' I don't know how I was able to get to the ball. I guess I was just in the right spot at the right time."

Finnegan credits his successes both on the football field and in life to his mother, Linda. She raised him in Milton, Fla., and took the initiative to get him involved in playing football at an early age.

"My mom is definitely a big inspiration for me," Finnegan beamed with pride as he talked about his mother. "She was a single-parent mom and she was still able to give me and my sister everything that we could have asked for. She decided to put me in football one morning and that was the thing that really kept me out of trouble. She's been a great influence on me."

Finnegan's closeness with his family helps him maintain the confidence that he needs to excel in both football and in life. He's also been able to use that confidence to translate his experiences from football to his future career of firefighting.

"I think that running through a burning building has a lot of similarities to football," explained Finnegan. "There's the adrenaline level that runs through you and that sort of goes hand in hand, because if you're not awake when you're running through a burning building, you'll be awake soon."

Awake or not, either on the field or in a burning building, Samford's Cortland Finnegan is definitely the type of person that you want on your side.