By: Mark Barnhart '11
Sports Information Student Assistant

BEREA, OHIO - - More than five years ago, Baldwin-Wallace College senior running back Kyrell Crook (Columbus/ St. Francis DeSales) spent a year great of time making a very conscious decision on what college he wanted to attend.  This fall,Crook is completing both his education and career, and couldn't be more pleased with his decision to be a Yellow Jacket.

 
"I knew on my first visit to B-W that this place held high expectations both academically and athletically, and had a great winning tradition in the sport of football," said Crook, who enters the Capital game as one of three outstanding running backs in Head Coach John Snell's offense.  "And, I wanted to be apart of that winning tradition and history.  I wanted to compete with the best and hopefully be remembered as one of the best.
 
"I visited a number of colleges in Ohio," said Crook.  "But one school stood out compared to all the others. It was just the right fit for me. I haven't regretted that decision since that day."
 
In addition to being active in football, Crook is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and serves as a Resident Assistant in the dormitories. He also serves as a mentor back in Columbus to young students and athletes who attend the New Salem Baptist Church.
 
I enjoy being active in my communities, whether at home in Columbus or here at Baldwin-Wallace," said Crook. "It is important to be a productive and contributing member of a family."
 
Now, Crook is in his fifth year as a member of the Yellow Jacket family (he missed almost all of the 2007 season with a broken arm) and is one of the top running backs in the Ohio Athletic Conference.  He enters the Capital contest with 1,968 all-purpose yards, including 1,417 rushing yards with 12 career touchdowns.   

"It was tough," said Crook, referring to his arm injury in '07.  "Prayer and god got me through the struggles.  My parents kept me motivated and told me I had to finish what I started and that really put a chip on my shoulder.
 
"You have the whole off season to train and prepare your body for the upcoming season [the 2008 season and following the arm injury], but I was still a little nervous about my arm entering the first game," said Crook, who splits carries in the backfield with senior John McGraw (North Ridgeville) and junior Tim Miker (Parma/ Senior).  "It was hard adjusting to the plastic cast at first, which made it difficult for me to hold on to the ball. All I wanted to do was prove I can get it done."
 
Crook definitely proved to his teammates and coaches as well as the Yellow Jacket opposition that he was healthy by rushing for a team-high 711 yards  and six TD as well as grabbing a career-high 15 pass receptions for 314 yards and a TD.  The TD catch came in his first game back in a 42-35 shootout loss at nationally-ranked Franklin (Ind.) College.
 
Then, last season, Crook's production dropped to 134 carries for 559 yards and six TD via the rush and 14 catches for 134 yards and a TD through the air, but he gained some help in the process in the form of McGrawand Miker.
 
"There is only one thing that makes a difference in the end," said Crook. "It's whether you win or you lose.  If winning means less carries, less yards and less touchdowns, then I'm all for it. That is the great part of playing with John and Tim. All three of us only care about what we can do to help the team."
 
This season, with 2009 quarterback and team captain Anthony Gardner '09 graduated, Crook was asked byC oach Snell to step up as one of the team leaders this season.  Crook has embraced that opportunity with open arms and feels his leadership skills have improved every year and looks forward to leading the Yellow Jackets into the season.
 
"Being at B-W has helped me grow over the years and develop myself as a leader and a person,"said Crook. "Playing with Anthony [Gardner] the last couple years, I've been able to take a lot from him on how he led the team.  Our offense will miss him, but we have a great group of guys right now who are ready to compete and get it done on the football field. "
 
So, what expectation does Crook have coming into this season?
 
"We had a down season last year and I feel that fuels us even more for this season," said Crook, who is a double major in business administration and economics. "We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and realize it starts with us.  We have a lot of experience coming back and we want to get B-W back to the top again.
 
"We have the talent on both offense and defense to do it," said Crook. "We have an experienced group of senior leaders, both a solid group of contributing sophomores and juniors who gained experience last season and an incoming class of freshmen and transfers that will give us strength and depth.  We had a good start to the season against Wooster, and now we have to just build on that experience when we face Capital.
 
"We know that the Capital game offers a serious challenge," continued Crook.  "They were picked ahead of us on Media Day, so we want to prove that our victory against Wooster wasn't a fluke. Capital is a very talented team, it is the OAC opener for each of us, so I think both teams will be up to the challenge. We know that you can't look past any opponent in the OAC."
 
So, what does Crook want to do following graduation this year?
 
"I plan to attend graduate school and want to pursue a career in finance or accounting,"said Crook. "But no matter where I'm at or doing, I'll always been looking for scores for the Yellow Jackets."
 
"The relationships you build over the years with your teammates are the ones that last forever,"said Crook. "I have made a lot of great friends here at B-W.  I'll really miss the beginning of the games during pregame with the music blaring over the speakers.  I'll really miss running out of the locker room with my teammates and being able to look up into the stadium and see my parents sitting there."
 
But, before Crook has to worry about any of that, he still has nine more games to play. And, you can bet that he's going to play each game like it's his last.
 
"I don't want to have any regrets," said Crook. "I want to play with 110 percent effort. I want people to remember me for always giving a total effort."