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Gopher receiver to choose NFL or MLB

By B.J. Rains

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

TEMPE, Ariz. – While most college students will spend time trying to decide which internship to accept or which job might be right for them, Minnesota wide receiver Eric Decker will have a much more difficult decision on his hands.

“He’ll have one more year at the University of Minnesota, and then he’s going to have a choice,” Minnesota coach Tim Brewster said. “He’s going to have a choice between playing Major League Baseball or in the National Football League. And that’s really exciting for Eric.”

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Photo by Ryan McGeeney

University of Minnesota wide receiver Eric Decker talks with reporters after the Golden Gophers' open practice on Sunday afternoon in Tempe, Ariz. Decker racked up 925 yards receiving during the 2008 regular season, leading the Minnesota team in overall yardage, averaging 91.5 yards per game.

Decker, a First-Team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media, leads the Big Ten in receptions per game with almost seven, and is second in receiving yards per game at 84.1.

But instead of participating in spring practice with the rest of teammates, Decker heads out to the baseball field to patrol left field for the Golden Gopher baseball team. He hit .329 with 11 doubles, four triples and three home runs last spring as the team’s starting left fielder.

“I think it’s going to come down to what I love more and what I have a passion for, and what I have more potential for in,” Decker said. “But right now, it’s hard to say because they’ve both been good. I’m just kind of going with the flow right now.”

Decker injured his ankle and knee Nov. 1 against Northwestern and was limited in the team’s remaining three games. He said that he is at about 90 percent but hopes to be close to full strength before Wednesday’s 5 p.m. kickoff against the Jayhawks.

“I really felt like if he didn’t get injured this year, he was the best wide receiver in America,” Brewster said.

While it’s tough to have a successful career in even one sport at the Division I level, Decker is doing it in two — making it look rather easy in the process.

“Time management is tough with school and social life and trying to have some free time,” Decker said. “It’s a challenge, but it’s something that I got used to last spring when I was with the baseball team for the full season. It’s fun because you don’t get the opportunity too much to play two sports in college and I’m just trying to do the best I can.”

With Kansas’ top cornerback Justin Thornton suspended because of disciplinary reasons, Decker could be primed for a big game Wednesday. Most Jayhawks weren’t aware of Decker’s second sport and were impressed upon hearing his numbers at the plate.

“Wow,” said Kansas’ leading receiver Dezmon Briscoe. “That’s impressive. I didn’t know that. Especially at the D-I level, that’s real impressive. I’m not much of a baseball player. I know he’s a great receiver and me being a young receiver and him being a veteran, I always like to sit back and watch so I can see what I can learn from him and see how he reads the defenses.”

Decker had three 100-yard receiving games, including his best game of the season against Indiana, when he had 13 catches for 190 yards. He had only three catches in the Golden Gophers’ last three games of the season because of his injuries, but averaged more than eight catches per game in Minnesota’s first nine games of the season.

“He’s like Bo Jackson,” said linebacker Joe Mortensen, comparing Decker to the former two-way star. “Watching him on film, he can definitely make some plays. He’s a great wide receiver. It’s going to be a great challenge for our defense to stop him.”

While Kansas defenders will have a tough challenge in stopping him, Decker knows that his challenge of choosing a sport in which to go professional next spring will be much tougher.

— — Edited by Kelsey Hayes

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