Luke Black has a final Wednesday, and is scheduled to graduate from Fairmont State (W.Va.) University with a degree in graphic technology Saturday.
The 23-year-old Marietta native and Parkersburg Catholic grad will probably have to alter that plan a little bit, though, because on Thursday, he'll be on a flight from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Green Bay, Wis. After touching down in the Dairyland State, he'll attend a Packers rookie camp, where he'll be trying out for the team with hopes of signing a contract.
"This has been an exciting time," said Gregg Black, Luke's dad and owner of Black's Tree Service in Marietta.
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Luke Black
And, busier than a 320-pound lineman chasing a scrambling quarterback, too.
This past weekend, the younger Black was in Dallas, Tx., at a Cowboys rookie camp. Mind you, participation at these tryouts is by invitation only.
At Fairmont State, Black, a 6-foot-6, 288-pound defensive end, was a four-year starter, who finished his career with 149 total tackles, 37 for losses. He also had 72 career solo stops and 20 sacks.
"Luke is very strong and has a big frame," Gregg Black said.
As a Falcon gridder, the younger Black was a two-time first-team All-West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) honoree.
Even though FSU is an NCAA Division II school, Black was not an unknown to National Football League scouts. Shortly after the NFL Draft (April 26-28), he received a phone call and an invite from Green Bay.
Later, he got another call from Dallas.
"Dallas knows Luke's going to Green Bay, too," Gregg Black said. "It's such an honor to be invited to these camps.
"At Dallas, the temperature was near 100 degrees, and they had to put IVs in a lot of the players - but not Luke. He said he had a great experience, and the Cowboys evidently were pleased with his play. But there's a lot of evaluation going on, and they only have so many roster spots to be filled. I guess they kind of left everybody hanging. Anyways, Luke has an agent (Adam Sattler), and I'm sure he'll hear from him if an offer is made."
The younger Black is from a football-playing and athletically-minded family in Marietta. His father (Gregg) was a three-year letterwinner, who played for Joe McDaniel at Marietta College in the late 1970s.
Black's older brothers' Vince and Nate were also football and basketball standouts at Parkersburg Catholic High. After graduating from PCHS, he followed his bros to Fairmont State to play football for the Falcons.
Nate incidentally is currently employed at Marietta Memorial Hospital, while Vince is married and working in Morgantown, W.Va.
Right now, Luke Black is back in Fairmont, studying for an exam on Wednesday - and looking forward to another weekend trip.
Currently, Barrows is the golf pro at the Athens Country Club.
Ron Johnston is the Marietta Times sports editor, and can be reached at 376-5441 or at rjohnston@mariettatimes.com
