From the battlefields of the Middle East to the classrooms and basketball floor of UT, one thing has remained consistent in Jermaine Salmon’s life; Salmon has been a leader and a team player no matter what the situation.
A Staff Sergeant in the Third Infantry Division, Salmon earned the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq. The medal is awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through acts of bravery or meritorious service. Salmon received the award after volunteering for a mission to try to stop an enemy who had been firing at his base.
“There was an insurgent launching mortar rounds in the base. I volunteered to stay for 72 hours, and eventually we were able to shoot his vehicle and capture him,” Salmon said.
Salmon had the opportunity to play basketball after high school but chose to enter the military because of financial reasons. Johnson and Wales University showed interest in Salmon, but since they are a Division III school and cannot offer athletic scholarships, Salmon joined the Army.
Even though Salmon was unable to play basketball after high school he has always had a passion for the game. Salmon credits basketball for keeping him on the right track as a kid when so many of his peers were getting into trouble.
“Basketball helped me out a lot during high school. It saved me from a lot of things. I was never a troubled kid, but a lot of the kids around me were. Basketball helped me stay away from the wrong crowd,” Salmon said.
The lessons Salmon learned on the basketball floor also carried over when he entered the Army.
“Basketball taught me about teamwork, sticking together and not being selfish,” Salmon said. “When you start not being part of the team that is how you get hurt or killed in the Army.”
Salmon was able to attend UT because of the Army program called Green to Gold which allows young soldiers the opportunity to attend college. After serving eight years in the military, Salmon was finally given the opportunity to attend college and play basketball.
It seemed like the perfect situation. Salmon was getting a free education, the UT ROTC program is one of the few in the nation that pay for both tuition and room and board, and he was able to make the basketball team as a walk-on.
The NCAA had a different idea though.
Salmon entered Tampa as a sophomore after taking 42 hours worth of college credit, 12 hours worth of online credit and 30 hours of military courses. However, since he never attended college full-time he had to qualify through the NCAA Clearinghouse as a freshman. The problem was Salmon had only completed 13 core courses in high school, and the Clearinghouse requires 14 for freshmen. On Jan. 23, an NCAA Academic Appeals Committee cleared Salmon to participate in games.
Despite the obvious disappointment of missing most of the season, Salmon has remained the ultimate team player for UT. Salmon was unable to compete for most of the season but has attended every practice and dressed for every game.
“It’s been fun both on and off the court,” Salmon said. “I love it, and I never regret coming here.”
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/20/news_pf/Sports/He_left_a_fight_but_f.shtml
http://tampaspartans.athleticsite.com/profile.asp?playerID=128