An enduring image

By John Boyanoski  

JANUARY 22, 2010 9:37 p.m. (0)

Ray Ray McElrathbey asked for one last standing ovation for Gaines Adams Friday afternoon.

The two were teammates at Clemson in the mid-2000s, but the bond was stronger than that, he said.  When McElrathbey took on the daunting task of becoming the legal guardian of his younger brother Fahmar, Adams was one of the first people to see what help was needed. Adams volunteered to pick-up Fahmar from school, which he did over and over again.

“He was my brother,” McElrathbey said of Adams.

Brotherhood. Humility. Respect. Honesty.

Adams exemplified those hallmarks in his 26 years. He died earlier in the week at his parents’ home in Greenwood from complications of an enlarged heart, according to the former teammates and coaches who spoke at his memorial service – referred to as a celebration of life by the Adams family – in front of more than 1,000 people at Rock Hill Baptist Church in Easley.

That crowd included Clemson President James Barker, athletic director Terry Don Phillips, head coach Dabo Swinney, former head coach Tommy Bowden, Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith,  representatives of the NFL Commissioner’s office, Adams’ Bears teammates including stars such as Tommie Harris,  Brian Urlacher, Matt Forte and Jay Cutler, college opponents such as former Georgia Tech star Calvin Johnson, as well as many ex-Clemson teammates including Leroy Hill, Phil Merling, Charles Bennett, Anthony Waters  and Justin Miller.

Adams’ casket – covered in orange and white flowers with a large orange “C” on top – was positioned in the front of the imposing two-level sanctuary with nine floral arrangements flanking it as well as a large picture of the former Clemson All-American wearing his No. 99 Bears uniform.

Less than five feet from the casket sat his father, Gaines DeMario Adams III, and his mother Linda, who spent most of the two-hour service with her head on her husband’s shoulder. Behind them scattered through 12 rows of blue-upholstered pews were his many family members including his children, Gaines V and  Avery, his sisters Lashonda and Yazmine and his brother, Stanley.

There was a large contingent of Greenwood residents who drove up Highway 25, hooked a left onto a Highway 153 then another left on the winding two-lane road that led to the church in a miles-long procession of trucks, vans and cars with their hazard lights flashing with an escort of Pickens County Sheriff’s cruisers blocking traffic.

There were smatterings of orange in the congregation Friday including at least one Clemson jersey – a reminder of the cheers and ovations that greeted during his stellar career with the Tigers.

The mourners watched two large screens prior to the service that mixed video of his Clemson highlights – sacks, touchdowns, tackles – with still shots from his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who drafted him in the first round in 2007, and most recently with the Bears, who traded for him in the middle of the 2009 season, as pianist Brennan Hanks played a soft melody.

The Bears team arrived on four jumbo Champion coach buses after flying a chartered plane into the Greenville area Friday morning. Adams’ passing was the latest unexpected death for the franchise. Willie Gallimore and Bo Farrington died in a car crash in 1964, Brian Piccolo succumbed to cancer in 1970, team president George Halas, Jr. and heir apparent as the franchise owner died on the last day of the 1979 season.

Smith said Adams already was working out to get ready for the 2010 season when he passed away. He was one of many who talked about Adams’ dedication to family and team. The first thing Adams  asked Smith when he joined the Bears was how he could help them win.

Todd Wash, Adams’ position coach in Tampa Bay, said it was the same thing Adams said to him three years ago. Speaking in a sometimes cracking voice, he praised Adams’ attitude on and off the field. He was the first person to congratulate teammates on a play, he laughed when he played bad golf and he would flip to the quote section of the team playbook every week before reading the diagrams.

At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Adams sometimes seemed larger than life.  The Rev. Curtis Hill, the pastor at New Holly Light Baptist Church, said he thought Adams was a basketball player when they first met. Adams smiled and said no.

That smile.

Swinney said that was the first thing he thinks about when remembering Adams.  Big and toothy, the smile was Adams’ calling card and adorned the front of the funeral program. The snapshot was from his Clemson senior night and shows him in a tuxedo with a flower in his lapel.

“What an incredible smile,” Swinney said.

Bowden, who apologized for showing up in an ill-fitting gray suit, but that was all he had because he was on vacation when the family asked him to eulogize Adams, said that smile inspired teammates as they walked to practice every day even if it made him worry.

“I thought something was wrong with him because all he did was smile,”  he said.

Bowden often addressed Adams’ parents directly during his 17-minute eulogy and choked up when he told them their son considered them his best friends.

Bowden said the only time he saw Adams not smiling was after his fourth season when he was considering leaving for the pros despite having a year of eligibility left. The decision was worrying him, but eventually he decided to stay and earn his degree.

It set a benchmark for the next few years as other stars such as James Davis, C.J. Spiller, Ricky Sapp and Andre McDaniel decided to come back for one more season.

“I promise you, he is smiling down on us,” Bowden said.

McElrathbey also talked about graduation.  In his eyes, Adams had graduated again – this time to get a degree with God.

And with that, the mourners rose to their feet to clap for Adams one final time.

Contact John Boyanoski at 679-1227 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Comments

Add New

Leave a Comment
Comments are moderated and may not be posted immediately.
Name:
Email:	do not notifynotify
Title:
	Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."