IN THIS STORY:
By
Brittany Brownrigg, October 9, 2009
Gerald “Rocky” Legge, who has played soccer since he was four years old, grew up in a sports-oriented house where football seemed to be the sport of choice. As a child, Rocky was a bit smaller so Rocky’s mom never let him play football. She instead suggested soccer. This suggestion has stuck, as Rocky is now a 21-year-old senior at Franklin College still playing the sport he loves.
Rocky grew up in Aurora, Indiana and graduated from South Dearborn High School, a school of around 900 students. While in high school, Rocky also played outfield for the baseball team and participated on the basketball team. As a South Dearborn Knight, Rocky’s soccer team won a couple of sectional games and he also made the district team.
As high school came to a close, Rocky began looking at his options for playing sports at the collegiate level. Out of his three sports, soccer was his best. Going into his search, Rocky knew he wanted a small Indiana school where he could play soccer to call home
He found Franklin College. Talks with first year (at the time) head coach, Shaun Mahoney, started immediately as Mahoney began to recruit. Rocky knew that if he chose Franklin that he would get playing time from the beginning, be only an hour and a half from home, and that he would be building the team up for the future.
I knew we weren’t going to be very competitive [my freshman year],” Rocky said.
Throughout Rocky’s freshman year, the team struggled to win games.
“We weren’t really playing the full 90 minutes,” Rocky said.
After Rocky’s freshman year the team worked hard to improve. This began with recruiting and having Mahoney start to run things.
“It’s a huge difference from when I first came here to now,” Rocky said.
Rocky says Mahoney did a wonderful job at recruiting new players that really brought skill to the team. Rocky praised the team saying that the team now does not give up and finishes every game.
“We’re competing every game, [and] . . . we’ve got a lot more talent [now then we did when I was a freshman],” Rocky said.
Rocky is the only true Franklin College senior on the team who has participated since his freshman year. There are two other transfer seniors currently on the team.
“I’m the only one left,” Rocky said.
Because of his seniority on the team Rocky feels like other players look up to him and he is able to help them more than ever before, simply because he has been a part of the team for so long.
When Rocky is not kicking the soccer ball around he enjoys spending time with his brother, Jeremy. The two enjoy fishing and hunting together, although Rocky admits that hunting is more of his brother’s passion and that fishing is his. One of his favorite places to go fish is near his home on the Ohio River. To take this passion to the next level, Rocky recently purchased a kayak. Through these activities and sports, Rocky and his brother have grown very close.
“He’s been my mentor more than my brother . . . like a father figure,” Rocky said about his brother.
Rocky is one of three children. Along with his brother who is now 27, he also has a sister, Jessica, who is 24. All three of the children played collegiate athletics, and Rocky admits his family was very competitive.
While at Franklin College, Rocky is working towards a degree in secondary education in life science. After graduation, he sees himself teaching high school students close to where his brother lives, in northern Kentucky. He wants to be a teacher at a smaller high school – probably around 1,000 students – and would love to coach. Rocky sees himself coaching soccer, baseball or basketball since he competed in all three while in high school.
Until graduation, Rocky is focused on his soccer team’s goals for this season. The team still has a majority of their conference games left to play. Rocky wants the Grizzlies to finish in the top four in the conference, and then go on to win the conference tournament.
“It’s definitely still possible,” Rocky said about his team’s chances.
If the Grizzlies win four out of their next six games Rocky believes that will set them up for success.
Rocky credited his passion for soccer to the fact that it is a player’s game, rather than a coach’s game. He also loves the fact that players can show their skill on the field.
“Creativity is kind of frowned upon in other sports,” Rocky said.
Rocky has been able to show his creativity on the soccer field for 17 years, and hopes to only continue this passion in coaching once he graduates.
