Will of a winner
Cowboys hope Polk's determination can make him an NFL receiver
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
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Everything about Daniel Polk's football background suggests he's a long shot to make the Dallas Cowboys' roster.
First there's the small school -- Midwestern State.
Then there's the experience. Polk started only one full season at the Division II school in Wichita Falls, although he still managed to set 14 school records.
And, of course, there's the switch to wide receiver. Before last week's rookie minicamp, the dual-threat quarterback said he hadn't run pass routes since his junior season at Dallas South Oak Cliff High School.
Add all of those factors with the limited roster spots available, and the chances of making the NFL might appear to be, in Polk's own unflinching words, "slim to none."
But all he wants is a chance, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was happy to give it to him after his solid performance at the team's Dallas Day workouts.
"I think I'm good enough to play in the NFL, and I want to prove it," Polk said. "I know it's going to be a lot of work, but I'm no stranger to hard work."
When Polk wants something, in fact, he's willing to work around the clock to get it.
That's exactly what he did at Midwestern State when he decided to major in respiratory care. He was the first varsity athlete ever to tackle the program's rigid demands, including clinicals that required three 12-hour shifts per week at a local hospital.
"I was a little bit skeptical when I heard he wanted to come into the program because I didn't see how he could do it with all the demands of football and the travel involved," said Patrick Helton, clinical chair of the respiratory care program at Midwestern. "But he's been able to juggle everything pretty well. It requires a lot of motivation to do what he's done."
Balancing act
Former Midwestern offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas vividly recalls his first reaction when Polk told him about his plans to major in respiratory care.
"I thought it was absurd," he said. "We were obviously extremely worried about how much of a toll it would take on him."
The most difficult aspect was structuring Polk's schedule during clinical weeks to fit in all of his academic and athletic responsibilities. As a quarterback, that was quite a challenge.
While most respiratory care students do their clinical training during the day, Polk was allowed to work his shift at night. Still, it took some trial and error for the coaching staff to fit in all the meetings and film study their quarterback needed.
"At one point, we were meeting at 6 a.m. a couple of mornings a week to try to catch up," Thomas said. "But he was pretty much spent by then, and I was pretty worthless at that hour. Eventually, we came up with a schedule that would work."
The schedule provided little sleep and no breaks for Polk, even during football season, but he never complained. He would spend two weeks doing clinicals, then two more doing regular classwork.
During clinicals, he worked at a local hospital from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the early part of the week, slept until about noon, then reported for meetings, film work and practice at 1 p.m. That lasted until about 5:30 p.m., giving him just enough time to shower and get back to the hospital for another 12-hour shift.
With an 18-hour course load, Polk said non-clinical weeks were sometimes just as difficult, with four tests scheduled each week.
"There were times when I was pretty exhausted," Polk admitted. "One time I got sick and I had three tests to study for and a big game coming up. It was the worst week of my life. I think I threw up seven times at practice."
But Polk, who eventually wants to be a physician's assistant, never considered quitting. Now he's a year away from completing the program and earning his degree, although he hopes a stint with the Cowboys will delay those plans for a while.
During last week's minicamp, Polk concentrated solely on his complex new playbook, although academics weren't far from his mind. He returned to Wichita Falls last Sunday to take three finals in three days.
He's hoping he can duplicate the 3.0 grade-point average he posted during the fall.
"I just want to have as many options in life as I can," he said. "I want to have something else to put in my backpack just in case football doesn't work out. And I really like working in the hospital because you get a chance to help people every day."
Academics first
Sports have always been important to Polk, who was a captain and four-year starting catcher for South Oak Cliff's baseball team as well as a two-year starter in basketball. But even as a young athlete, he never lost sight of his priorities.
"He knew he had to make good grades to play sports, so he was always studying when he wasn't playing," said his mother, Arlene Polk. "He never really hung out with his buddies. He'd come home from practice, do his homework and go to bed."
Polk was just as successful in the classroom as he was on the athletic fields. He made the National Honor Society, graduated in the top 10 percent of his class and immediately focused on earning his college degree.
"He's always been dedicated to everything he does," Arlene Polk said. "If he says he's going to do something, he will."
Put me in, coach
Polk didn't truly become the centerpiece of Midwestern State's offense until his senior season, but he stepped in to lead the Mustangs to some of their biggest victories in school history during his first three years.
Perhaps the biggest came after starting quarterback Rahsaan Bell's season-ending injury, when Polk led Midwestern State to a 29-19 win over Abilene Christian, sending the Mustangs to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time.
He earned conference freshman of the year honors that season despite starting only three games.
When he finally got the full-time job as a senior, Polk put up unbelievable numbers and became the school's first Division II All-American. He was the only quarterback in any division to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards last season, and he finished fourth in the nation with 322.6 yards of total offense.
"He made me a good coach, no doubt about that," said Thomas, who is now an offensive quality control coach with the Atlanta Falcons. "We put up all these crazy numbers and people think I'm a guru, but he's the guy who takes a third-and-4 play and runs 50 yards for a touchdown. He's unbelievable."
But is he good enough to make it in the NFL?
"Athletically, there's no doubt he's comparable to anybody at any level," Thomas said of the 6-foot-1, 202-pound Polk. "He's got the size, speed and agility. The question is how long it's going to take to mold him into a receiver, because that doesn't happen overnight. These guys have been running routes 15 years and he's been doing it five months.
"But I certainly wouldn't bet against him."
Daniel Polk file
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 202 pounds
Position: Wide receiver
Hometown: Dallas
High school: South Oak Cliff
Athletic highlights: Midwestern State's first Division II All-American; Harlon Hill Award finalist as top Division II player in the country ... Only quarterback in any division to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 last season ... Scored a school-record 19 rushing touchdowns last season and threw for 16 more, with only five interceptions
Career school records: Total offense (8,276 yards), rushing yards (3,560), touchdowns scored (44) and total touchdowns (82)
Smart choice
Dallas Cowboys undrafted rookie free agent Daniel Polk of Midwestern State University is majoring in respiratory care and carries a 3.0 grade-point average. Here's a look at some of his classes:
Fall classes: Adult Critical Care, Basic Respiratory Therapeutics, Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology, Physics and Respiratory Care, plus one lab.
Spring classes: Respiratory Pathophysiology, Adult Critical Care Procedures and Equipment, Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care, plus two labs.
Lori Dann, 817-390-7760
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