Isom's path to NFL career took detour to washroom

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Sep 7, 2004 | by Roger Phillips, STAFF WRITER

SANTA CLARA -- Sometimes in the NFL, solutions to problems come from the most unlikely sources.

Consider the case of the San Francisco 49ers, who may be without injured Pro Bowl fullback Fred Beasley for Sunday afternoon's regular- season opener against the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park.

No problem, the 49ers insist. After all, they have backup Jasen Isom -- who has appeared in one regular-season NFL game on special teams, who has not played a single down on offense, who did not get a college scholarship out of high school, who was passed over in the NFL Draft in 2001, who failed to make the 49ers' roster three years ago and went to work as a janitor at his high school.

Not to worry, the 49ers insist. The 27-year-old Isom, they say, is up to the task after spending most of the last two seasons on the 49ers' practice squad and after missing most of this summer's training camp with a knee injury. Not only is Isom the backup fullback, he could see time at tight end, according to running backs coach Tim Lappano.

"I know he could start for other football teams at fullback," said Beasley, who has a left high ankle sprain and is only "50-50" to play Sunday, according to coach Dennis Erickson. "He's a great blocker. He's got great hands, and best of all, he's a good guy. And those are the type of guys you want on your team."

Lappano added, "I think he could start for a number of teams in this league. He's a big, physical, strong guy that's really athletic, and he can run."

It has been a long, winding path to this point for Isom, whose most recent obstacle was the torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that he suffered one month ago. Isom returned to practice Monday.

Apprised of the compliments from his co-workers, Isom said, "It's a good feeling. Fred made the Pro Bowl last year, and I've had the opportunity to be behind him and watch him over the years and learn from him. It's benefitted me."

Isom, a Long Island native, has resisted the numerous signs through the years that an NFL career simply was not meant to be for him.

Inadequate grades kept Isom from getting a scholarship out of high school. He walked on at Cincinnati as a tight end and a fullback, and played every game his junior season, starting two.

But after that season a new coaching staff at Cincinnati went to a one-back offense, not a propitious change for a fullback with NFL dreams. So Isom transferred to Western Illinois, even though he had to sit the 1999 season.

Isom played well in 2000, but he was not selected in the 2001 NFL Draft. So he signed as a free agent with the 49ers, but they cut him before the start of the season.

Isom remained undiscouraged. He returned home to Wheatley Hills, N.Y., and found a job that would enable him to earn some money yet allow time to train to play football.

The janitorial job was at his high school, Half Hollow Hills, and the 3 p.m.-to-midnight shift was not without its indignities.

"You go from being in the league and then you go to cleaning the toilet at the high school where my picture is up," recalled Isom, the school's Most Valuable Player his senior year.

Kids can be cruel, and Isom was not spared.

"I thought you were with the 49ers," they would say to him. "Clean up my trash."

Isom was unfazed.

"I kept my mouth shut, kept working hard," he said. "I just know it's going to benefit me in the end, as long as I have that perseverance and drive."

Isom gets plenty of encouragement from Beasley.

"I tell him every time, Man, you're there. Just stick with it,'" Beasley said. "He knows it and that's why he's still here. He has the talent. There's no question he could play on any of the other 31 football teams."

Isom has remained stoic through the succession of barriers he has faced. He knew what he wanted and was determined not to relent prematurely.

"There's always going to be some kind of obstacle no matter what you do in life, so you have to keep working hard and keep those blinders on," he said. "When I get older, I don't want to think, 'Shoulda, coulda, woulda.' I want to know I gave it all I had. ... I've kept my eye on the prize."

NOTES: Beasley ran Monday and said his ankle has felt good the last two days. "If it was a do-or-die game, I'd be ready to go," Beasley said. If he does not play against the Falcons, Beasley said, it will be a precautionary measure to ensure against the ankle becoming a problem for the entire season. ... The 49ers were awarded DE Otis Leverette after claiming him on waivers. The 6-foot-7, 278- pound Leverette was drafted by Miami in the sixth round in 2001. He has played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers, who released him Sunday. To make room for Leverette, the 49ers released DE Chris Demaree. ... DE Brandon Whiting practiced Monday for the first time. Erickson has not ruled out the possibility that Whiting will play against Atlanta, but sounded more optimistic that he would be in the lineup for the season's second game, Sept. 19 at New Orleans. ... Kyle Kosier will start at RG against Atlanta after beating out rookie Justin Smiley. "Justin is a great player," Kosier said of the second-round draft choice. "He's going to be a great player. I think he's got a little bit of learning to do. It's all part of being a rookie." ... Erickson said safety Tony Parrish (torn calf muscle) will practice Wednesday. Parrish has not missed a game in his first six NFL seasons. ... The 49ers assembled their practice squad: RB Maurice Hicks, WR P.J. Fleck, DL Mike Landry and Josh Cooper, CB Mike Adams, C Norm Katnik, G Alonzo Cunningham and FB Matt Stanley.