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BY JENN MENENDEZ
Blethen Maine Newspapers 08/28/2008

Blethen Maine Newspapers

There were moments he hung his head and cried.

Then got to his knees and prayed.

Jhamal Fluellen spent his life playing football, cutting through the grass, eluding tackles, the feel of the ball tucked against his torso.

But in the fall of 2005 he was serving fried fish at Long John Silver's, a fast-food restaurant in his hometown of Lockport, N.Y.

A rare heart condition discovered during a physical at Syracuse University ended his Division I football career. After surgery and countless consultations with doctors, he left school and got a job. The months stretched on. Football was becoming a memory.

"I thought I was done," Fluellen said. "I cried many times."

Fast forward to Saturday.

Fluellen and the University of Maine will open at Iowa. He is the Colonial Athletic Association's only returning 1,000-yard rusher, the marquee player on Maine's offense, a senior in his last year of eligibility, a captain.

Maine has been his second chance.

"When you have something taken away and are forced to stare life in the face, there's some learning going on there," Maine coach Jack Cosgrove said. "Jhamal is not a man of many words. Football is where he's gifted. It's where he's talented. It's where he speaks."

And he's spoken on the field: Fluellen rushed for 1,052 yards last year, ripping out a breakout season on 223 carries, with another 302 receiving yards.

He entered the season a fairly unknown commodity, having spent most of 2006 as the backup tailback. As the Saturdays passed, his elusiveness stood out, a mix of explosiveness and battering power.

"Some players have that certain feeling about them," Maine quarterback Adam Farkes said. "We have a certain package of plays that are based around him. They are to get the ball in his hands and give him some room."

Exactly how he got the ball back in his hands again is a tale of determination.

Fluellen originally was recruited to play cornerback for the Orange. During a team physical, it was discovered Fluellen suffered from a rare heart condition called Wolf-Parkinson White Syndrome. He underwent surgery to repair tiny pinholes in his heart and an arrhythmia, or double heartbeat.

Doctors finally cleared Fluellen to play again, but the condition raised too many red flags for the Orange, so he left school and prayed for another chance. He took a job at Long John Silver's and waited.

"It was an anxious time," Fluellen said. "Football is basically what kept me going."

Fluellen got a call from a coach of a semipro team and said he had one foot in the door at the University of Buffalo. Both fell through.

An old teammate from high school, Daren Stone -- a safety who now plays for the Atlanta Falcons -- was making a name for himself at Maine. His high school coach made a call to Cosgrove. "He's a guy going through a little bit of a life crisis," Cosgrove said. "And there's thin hope from a phone call from a guy he didn't know."

Maine seemed like the end of the earth, but it was Fluellen's ticket back to the game.

"From the day he stepped on campus, everyone knew he could play," said Maine quarterback Michael Brusko. "At any time he has the ability to break out a run. His explosiveness opens up so many other things."

Looking back, Fluellen admits he likely wouldn't have finished college had football not paved the way financially for him.

"I don't think so, to be honest," Fluellen said. "I wasn't a big school person. Now that I've matured, though, and see what school can do, I do have a sense of pride."

He's on track to graduate with a child development and family relations degree in the spring. He wants to work with juvenile delinquents. Before that, he wants to help his team.

Maine's passing game is expected to improve this season, perhaps opening things up for Fluellen. But the league is well aware of his ability, Cosgrove said, and he expects there to be significant pressure.

"They're probably going to try and hit him harder, lean on him a little more when he's on the ground," Cosgrove said. "That's a sign of respect. He's the marquee guy."

Added Fluellen: "I really have pushed myself and feel faster and more elusive. We return a lot of guys and think this year has the makings of being a special one."

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