Growing Up With The Green Wave
Senior Terrence Tarver Credits Tulane Football For Helping Him Mature
	By John Sudsbury, Tulane Associate Director of Media Relations
The oldest player on the Green Wave iced his aching shins; he was battling through his fifth Tulane football preseason camp, a veteran of over 800 days of college football. However, rather than worry about his own aches and pains, Terrence Tarver cast a sympathetic eye at a rookie teammate. Freshman kicker Barrett Pepper, an 18-year old from 300 miles and a world away from New   Orleans, had had a rough day.
"He just had a bad day, he needs someone to let him know that is all it is," said senior defensive end Terrence Tarver, also from North  Louisiana. "Regardless of whether you have a bad day, a bad play, a bad week, you have to get past it and focus on the future. I didn't really have anyone to tell me that when I was a freshman."
The 23-year old Tarver came to Tulane five years ago, part of head coach Chris Scelfo's first recruiting class, a big body from a powerhouse high school. He was just 19 years old and experienced culture shock, football shock and college shock.
"It was very, very difficult," Tarver said. "I was coming from a smaller town and had never really been away from home; I had always depended on my mom and dad. It was a tough ordeal. I drove home every weekend my freshman year."
His grades suffered, his football suffered and it was in doubt if Tulane would remain in Tarver's future.
"I had serious thoughts [about transferring]," Tarver said. "It wasn't because of the people down here or the program or football or anything. Going back home would have been the easier road to travel, but I stayed the course and I am a better man for it. I have grown up a lot and I have met wonderful people, especially in this city. I wouldn't trade my experiences here for anything. It taught me about being a man and growing up."
Tarver redshirted his first season at Tulane in 1999 and then saw limited action in four games in 2000. As a sophomore, he played in eight games, recording 10 tackles. Last season, he remained largely unknown, playing in 11 games and recording 11 tackles as a second-string defensive lineman.
With the top four players on the defensive line completing their eligibility in 2002, Tarver finds himself the "old man" on the line, and on the team. He will have the distinction as the last player born in the 1970s to play football at Tulane. However, more impressively, his perseverance has paid off. Through his hard work and dedication, he has made himself into a starter at defensive end and a key player in the Green Wave's quest to reach back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 1979-80.
"He has waited his turn; he has understood and accepted his role for the last four years," Scelfo said. "Looking at the depth chart now shows how far he has come, from homesick freshman to the starting lineup."
At the conclusion of preseason camp this year, the Green Wave players made their annual votes on captains. J.P. Losman and Mewelde Moore, both captains last year, were unsurprising repeat selections. Daniel Nevil, who has piled up 177 career tackles, was also tabbed by his teammates. The final selection was Tarver, maybe unappreciated by fans and the media, but not unknown to his peers.
"I was not at all surprised [that Tarver was voted a captain]," said fellow defensive tackle Bamm Mateen. "He has been here through everything. He knows everything inside and out. He knows the plays and knows what to do. He has always been a leader on the defensive line."
"To be voted a team captain by your peers is a great honor. I see it is as the highest honor a player can achieve," Scelfo said. "The key to being a good captain is when you are faced with adversity, how will you react?"
Tarver has faced adversity during his time as a Green Wave football player. In addition to the New Orleans culture shock and his bouts with homesickness, Tarver found himself on the sidelines as the team won just 12 games in his first three seasons. By contrast, his West Monroe High School team had won three state championships. There were many opportunities to quit; pack it in and concentrate on school and a future as a successful businessman or lawyer. However, Tarver battled on, mainly with the assistance of his parents.
"My parents are amazing; they help me a lot," Tarver said. "They are the single-most important reason that I am still here and I am getting a degree. I owe everything to them. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world."
"I've grown up mentally and as a man and experienced many things," Tarver said. "I have Tulane and football to thank for that. If I hadn't had that, I may have been blinded to the world. This place has totally changed my entire outlook on life and I believe it is for the better."
Tarver is also quick to agree with Scelfo on the honor of being named a team captain.
"It gave me chill bumps when Coach Scelfo said my name [as a captain]," he said. "I was tremendously honored to be able to represent this team. We were chosen and I feel really honored and humbled at the same time. We have all gone through a lot and I hope to be able to lead them in the type of way that we will have a great and successful season."
"By far, he's definitely the leader in my room," defensive line coach Giff Smith told the Times Picayune. "And he's been just a great example of someone working every day, in the classroom, on the field, in the weight room, practice, the whole deal. Probably, I've gotten better leadership out of him than I have in my four years out of any of my seniors."
While he has grown into a starter and a leader on the football team, Tarver has also continued to hone his mental skills. A member of Tulane's Student-Athlete Advisory Board, he has been a multiple selection to the Conference USA Academic Honor Roll. A double major in finance and legal studies, Tarver, who was his high school valedictorian, is on track to graduate in December. In addition to studying game film and opposing offenses, the 6-1, 285-pounder has been studying LSAT handbooks. He hopes to remain in the Crescent  City and attend Tulane's law school.
"I wasn't comfortable in New Orleans until maybe my third year here," Tarver said. "It was a really tough ordeal for me, but I became comfortable in my skin and I love it now. It is a great place with great people."
While he relishes the day when he can let his mind, and not his body, do his work for him, Tarver is not ready to turn in his pads quite yet.
"I am very excited about this season," he said. "I want to win every game and go to the Liberty Bowl. I want the year to last as long as possible, but once it is done, I am done. I can stop worrying about gaining weight and double-sessions and everything else."
As the team strives for success, many veterans will enjoy the discomfort of freshmen. Tarver, despite being the oldest man on the team, still seems to have the freshest memories of his own early days with the Wave. He will always look to assist the struggling rookies, especially those from his native North Louisiana, like Pepper.
"I really didn't have anybody who could understand where I had been," Tarver said. "I kept everything to myself, internally, and it was probably one of the worst things I could have done. It was rough, but I came through it.
"It's hard for people in that area [North La.] to leave home, because it's such a great place," Tarver said. "But, I would definitely recommend giving it a chance. You have to be open and honest. Early on I wasn't open to New Orleans. I did not know how to think for myself until I came here."
From West Monroe to New Orleans, from wide-eyed, homesick freshman to team leader, Terrence Tarver has used his Tulane experience to build a success story that goes well beyond football.