It was while fielding grounders during fall baseball practice at the University of Georgia that Slade Dale knew he was not where he wanted to be. Hearing the whistle chirps and crashing pads of football practice nearby, Dale made the decision to end his baseball career and begin shopping for a place to play football again.
The former Ringgold High School all-state quarterback's search ended recently when he transferred to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he plans to walk on to play football.
"Football is in my heart. It's the game I love," said Dale, who attended a UTC practice late in the season when he was deciding where he would enroll. "I would hear football practice going on, and all I could think was how much I wanted to be on that field instead. My dream growing up was always to play college football. Other people wanted me to play baseball and said I was too small for football, but I knew it wasn't me.
"Coming back home was a big part of it, because I'm really close to my family. UTC has things rolling right now, and I want to be a part of that. All I ask for is a chance. Even if it's just helping in practice for a while, I'm going to work hard and have fun. I'll play wherever the coaches say they need me. I can't wait to get back on the practice field. To play college sports you have to love what you do."
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Dale projects to play either defensive back or slot receiver for the Mocs and is athletic enough to get a look as a kick or punt returner.
He amassed more than 3,000 total yards and 40 touchdowns as a senior, including a combined 384 yards and seven touchdowns in one playoff win. He was the Times Free Press Scrappy Moore male athlete of the year, and his combined batting average for his last two prep baseball seasons was .406 with 10 home runs and 56 RBIs.
He committed to play baseball at Georgia the summer before his senior year but was granted his release by tthe Southeastern Conference school and already has enrolled at UTC.
As a walk-on he won't count in the 2015 signing class, but he does give the Mocs another new athlete to help with depth at whichever position he winds up playing.
"I remember after we lost in the playoffs his senior season he told me that wouldn't be his last football game," Ringgold coach Robert Akins said. "I thought that was odd since he was going to play baseball, but he just kept talking about how much he loved and missed football. He couldn't shake that feeling.
"UTC is getting a kid that has some intangibles you don't always see. He's a great competitor with unlimited potential at several positions."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.