Miami's Copeland Could Be Two-Sport All-American

MIAMI - When an unknown long jumper leaped during last year's NCAA track and field championships, the rest of the competitors chuckled.

Until he landed.

That's when Horace Copeland's ungainly jump was measured at 26 feet, 6 1/2 inches, fifth best in the nation, making him an All-American. Not bad for a University of Miami football player who dabbles in track.

"Football is like my job," Copeland said. "Track is like my vacation."

Copeland's Deionesque double could earn him All-America honors in two sports before he graduates in May. He is the leading receiver on college football's No. 1-ranked team. Subtract the stats, and Copeland is Miami's most talented athlete, coaches say.

"He is just phenomenally versatile," said Rich Olson, quarterbacks and receivers coach. "On the first day of fall practice, he was standing in front of the team and all of a sudden, he did a back somersault. Nailed it like he was Mary Lou Retton."

Except that Copeland is 6-3, 200 pounds, a size very appealing to NFL scouts and Miami quarterback Gino Toretta. Going into yesterday's game against West Virginia, Toretta had thrown to Copeland 28 times in seven games for 442 yards and one touchdown.

"He's a big target," Olson said. "He can overpower defensive backs. He can use his size to get away from jams at the line of scrimmage."

Copeland is fast, too. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds, and won the Big East Conference 100 meters in 10.42.

"You don't see too many receivers who run with the long strides I have," Copeland said. "It makes me look like I'm running slow. But I'm not."

Then there's Copeland's leaping ability.

"I high jumped 6-8 in the eighth grade, and I didn't know anything about high jumping," said Copeland, who tied teammate Lamar Thomas in the Big East championships with a mark of 6-7 1/2.

Copeland is so raw in the long jump, he's not sure whether he uses the hitch kick or the hang or a combination.

"I don't know what I do; I call it natural style," Copeland said. "At the NCAAs, all the guys were standing around laughing and teasing me, saying I had no form."

Copeland's jump would have qualified him for the U.S. Olympic Trials, but it was wind-aided.

"I was watching the Olympics and some guys' best long jump was in the 27-foot range, and I was thinking I could eventually do that," Copeland said. "If I specialized in track and had year-round coaching, I could be better, but I'd have to do one or the other, and football is much more important to me."

Copeland has toyed with the idea of trying the decathlon - if it was nine events.

"They'd have to eliminate the pole vault," he said. "I'm scared of heights. I don't want to land on my neck."

Copeland said his skills were developed early on when he was a kid playing football in the street and racing around his Orlando neighborhood in bare feet. In high school, he starred in football, track and basketball.

"I could never be still," he said. "I used to tear up Field Day in elementary school. I'd win every event. Until I started doing track in the offseason here, I felt kind of empty. I have to be active."

This season, Copeland is leading Miami in receptions, yardage and average gain (15.9 yards). He's just ahead of Thomas, who has 27 catches. Copeland attributes his improvement to surer hands. Last season, he said he dropped too many passes, although he did make what many consider the biggest catch of the year at Florida State when, on fourth down and six, he was flipped by his tackler but held on to a nine-yard toss that led to Miami's winning touchdown two plays later.

"I'm more consistent because I'm more confident," he said. "I spent a lot of time working with former Miami receivers Wesley Carroll and Andre Brown last summer, and they told me the key to catching is all in your mind."

The comparisons of Copeland to Thomas are inevitable. Both are tall, fast and acrobatic. But the flamboyant Thomas usually gets most of the attention.

Olson said the two receivers' personalities are "at opposite ends of the spectrum." Teammate Kevin Williams doesn't totally agree.

"Horace can be crazy at times but during practice he's real quiet," Williams said. "He can do funny stuff with his body. And he imitates the coaches a lot."

After college, Copeland is thinking about using his criminal-justice degree to become a private detective. He doesn't mention an NFL career, as if he doesn't want to jinx it.

"If I make it to the pros, that would be icing on the cake," Copeland said.

An NFL contract was never Copeland's biggest goal anyway, he said.

"To be honest, I always dreamed about graduating from college," said Copeland, who sat out his freshman year to fulfill Proposition 48 requirements. "A lot of people didn't have much confidence in me, thought I'd flunk out. In a way, I'm glad they thought that because I wanted to prove them wrong."