From 2nd Grade Spelling Bee Star To MSU Football Standout, DE Shilique Calhoun Has a Mandate From His Mom & the Skill to Make it Happen

Football is a precious game. It is violent and tough, but at its core it is a work of art. It is prettier than any play, more appealing than any song. Played at

Football is a precious game. It is violent and tough, but at its core it is a work of art. It is prettier than any play, more appealing than any song. Played at its best, the game is a thing of beauty. Eleven against eleven, each team trying to impose their will on the other.

MSU legendary strength and conditioning Coach Ken Mannie descried it to Spartan Nation like this, “Come game time there’s not one single coach gonna be on that football field. Not a one. And when all hell’s breaking loose all around there’s gonna be 11 guys on that football field at any given time, making decisions, expressing different techniques, having other assignments, having to execute those assignments, having to lean on each other.” Well said coach, well said.

As the Spartans enter the 2013 season everyone knows that William Gholston has left early for the NFL. What many don’t recall was that several times last season in critical situations, Gholston was on the sidelines watching as his backup and current starter Shilique Calhoun was getting critical reps.

The youngster from Middletown, New Jersey, is only a sophomore in 2013, but at 6’4” and 255 pounds he is a force. When he got to MSU he was only 218 pounds, but Ken Mannie has sculpted him into a fighting piece of iron.

I asked Calhoun about the fact many didn’t notice that he was on the field for key reps and the fact that he isn’t stepping into the critical #1 spot with no experience. He told me, “I just wanna show them that I’m out here also. There’s more people here than Will. I’m not taking anything away from him. Like I said before, he’s a great player. But there’s other people here that can play also. And you know, we’re not trying to fill any shoes, but we’re gonna make marks on the field. That’s for sure, as a defense.”

Spartan fans will see Calhoun as a monster attacking opposing QB’s now, but for his lovely mother, Cynthia Mims, she sees her little Shilique in a much different way. She sees him as a tiny second grader and the moment she thought he would be special. The moment may surprise you.

She told me, “When he was in 2nd grade he was put on the front page of a newspaper here in New Jersey for being in a spelling bee. From that moment, I knew he was special. I always reflect on that article and remind him that he is special. I didn’t know at the time he would be a football player, but I did know at that moment he was special.”

That moment changed Calhoun’s life. Every time Shilique goes home he sees that picture from that spelling bee and it reminds him that it was education that first got people to notice Shilique. It was that commitment to education that Mims furthered through a game her “little boy” loved: FOOTBALL!

When you get to know a person you start to peel back the layers of what they do and learn who they are. When that happens with Calhoun you learn that beyond the drive to be great on the football field and behind the smile that reminds so many of another great Spartan athlete in Magic Johnson, you still have the second grade young man beaming with pride at what school had done for him. He no longer competes in second grade spelling bees, but he does compete just as hard in the classroom for a degree. He said, “That’s for sure. I mean, my mom definitely capitalizes on getting a degree. She loves the aspect of football…she definitely capitalizes on me getting a degree. She says that you know football doesn’t last forever so she wants me to keep working hard in the classroom just as hard as I work out here.”

I asked Calhoun if the reason he works so hard in the classroom is because of those principles instilled by his mom. “I never know what’s gonna happen, you know? I look at guys that fall down, they hurt themselves and they break a bone. And I look like… I know my teammates are working hard, so now I’m like I gotta make sure I’m working hard in these classrooms because if anything happens out here I wanna be prepared for the real world if anything goes down.”

I asked Mims about the recruiting visit that they had to Michigan State. What was it about Coach Mark Dantonio and Coach Pat Narduzzi that clicked for her? She is a protective mother, but not overbearing and what did she see from those coaches that told her Michigan State was the place.

She didn’t hesitate to answer saying, “When we took the visit there, it was the first recruiting visit. It was a feeling that they loved him unconditional like I did. Me, Shilique, and his father all felt it. The coaches were about education and they didn’t bad mouth anyone. When we went to other schools they did bad mouth other places. We didn’t want to hear the negativity. We could figure it out and at Michigan State the entire visit was about education, schooling, family and what was good about here. We knew that Michigan State and Coach Dantonio was the place for us.”

Mims had made a promise to Shilique when he chose to play football. It was a simple promise. “I just told him that school can take him a far way. Of course he loves sports, but at some point that will end and an education will take him past that. I told him he had to be committed to school more than sports.”

Calhoun is working hard for that degree, but he is also hunting for a Big Ten title. He played last season at 235 so he has already added 20 pounds of pure muscle. He and Coach Mannie think that he can add more. He said, “I’m gonna keep going. I’m gonna see if I can get to 260, see how I feel at that weight. As long as I can maintain my speed I’ll keep playing at that weight and keep going up.”

So why has Calhoun placed so much emphasis on getting bigger? Simple. “Coaches have told me I’ve done really good in the running game right now. I don’t feel like I’ve done the best that I can, so I’m trying to improve on that. I say weight is a big key because you gotta be able to stable down with those bigger guys. I mean, they’re out there about 330, and 240 just ain’t cutting it, ya know? There’s some big guys out there. So I’m just trying to maintain and make sure they’re not running me over.”

Last year Calhoun played very well as a backup. He isn’t that anymore. He is the man. Is he ready for the added pressure of being the #1 man on one of the nation’s elite defenses? “I mean, you’re always gonna sweat about it. It’s always gonna be in the back of your mind, but right now I just try not to focus on that. I try to focus on more of getting better out here, ya know. If you focus on the pressure and how people are looking at you, that’s gonna deter you from what you’re doing. So right now I’m just focusing on making my game better and improving where I can improve at. And that’s definitely all aspects of the game so I’m just trying to get better. That’s about all.”

You can see Calhoun’s commitment to education bleeding over into football. Don’t let the big broad All American smile fool you. He is also very analytical. Not one to brag, he is much more comfortable pointing out his fault. Like what do you have to get better at? “A lot on footsteps, like my foot movement, how I was coming off the ball. It’s not the best now but it wasn’t…it’s not as bad as it was before. Before I was stepping over my feet, stepping in the same spot. So now I’m trying to get my foot to my hand and make sure that’s the first thing I’m doing when I’m getting off the ball, focusing on that.”

He was a little boy so many years ago at his spelling bee and today he is a monster. Don’t be fooled. What makes Calhoun such a special young man is that underneath all the muscles, size, and strength, is that little second grader. He has a big body, a big brain, but most of all a big heart. Do not make the mistake of pigeon-holing Calhoun as a brawny football player. He is a fantastic person.

He told me last year when I asked about his goals that he wanted to give his mom his degree to hold. His contagious smile is bigger than Spartan Stadium when he is talking about his mother. You can tell that Cynthia Mims is not just the woman that gave birth to him; she is his pride and joy.

I asked Mims about that moment when Shilique Calhoun graduates from MSU. Neither Mims nor Shilique mention the NFL. They know that goal is out there, but it isn’t why he came to MSU. I told her about Shilique wanting to place in her hand his degree.

I asked this devoted and precious woman what that will feel like. When the big strapping football player walks off the stage into the loving arms of the woman he idolizes. She said, “It is hard to explain. I will be in tears crying uncontrollable. He will be my first kid that graduates college.” She pauses for several moments and says faintly, “It puts tears to my eyes.”

It would be unfair to both mother and son if I didn’t let you in on a little piece of information that best explains them both. You see Mrs. Mims is driven to see Calhoun succeed in the classroom. She is also driven to making sure whatever course that her children take in life that they are committed to excellence.

I asked her if it was difficult watching Shilique play at such a violent pace, when his off the field personality is so gentle and kind. Her answer reminded me of Rocky and Adrian Balboa. She said, “It is hard to watch because he is so loving. He tries his best to do his part. I am ok with that. As long as they get it done and win! Go Michigan State. Just win Shilique!”

You see the big and gentle smile of Shilique is mirror image of his lovely mom. What you might not know is so is that competitive fire. When you see Calhoun the student and gentle giant, that is his mom, and the interesting thing is that when you see his relentless pursuit of quarterbacks, that is his mom.

Just win Shilique; in the classroom, off the field, and on it. Shilique Calhoun is a great young man in every area of his life. You may see a monster, but in Middletown, New Jersey, there is a woman who still sees that second grade spelling bee participant. If you are at graduation when Shilique walks off the stage you will see a lot of tears, if you are at Spartan Stadium between now and then you will see a lot more. Those won’t be from this wonderful family, they will be from opposing teams.

They can wait to cry at graduation, he has work to do now. WIN!