news-record.com

GREENSBORO — Steve Davis learned quickly that you can't take the fullback out of Kennedy Tinsley.

A bruising junior varsity quarterback at Dudley in the early 2000s, he earned the nickname "Backyard" for his fearless style of running, the kind of heat-seeking approach you need to survive in a backyard pickup game. When Tinsley moved to tailback on the varsity unit, Davis told him not to change a thing.

"It wasn't broke," Davis said, "so we wasn't trying to fix it."

Now, after being overlooked in the NFL draft, the St. Louis Rams are hoping they've found a steal. The Rams signed the former North Carolina special-teams standout and reserve linebacker to a free-agent contract and want to move him back to fullback.

"I only started one game my whole career at Carolina, man. A lot of guys don't get this opportunity," Tinsley said. "I just found my way to shine. Whatever I was given, I did the best I could."

The 6-foot, 220-pound Tinsley recorded 39 tackles, 18 more than his first three seasons combined, as a senior for the Tar Heels. But he made a name as a special-teams hawk and weight-room fiend (he set a record for UNC linebackers with a power clean lift of 360 pounds).

The Rams first took notice of him from special-teams film. Their running backs coach, former Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom, called Tinsley a few weeks ago and asked whether he would be up for moving back to offense. St. Louis has one other fullback on the roster, seven-year veteran Mike Karney, whom they signed to a three-year contract in 2009.

Tinsley hadn't played the position in four years but told Croom, "Man, I'll do whatever it takes to get on the team."

That was no surprise to Davis, who called Tinsley "one of the best kids we ever coached character-wise here."

As a senior at Dudley in 2005, Tinsley ran for 1,148 yards (6.95 per carry) and 10 touchdowns to help lead the Panthers to the 3-AA state finals.

"He wasn't one of those guys who had a whole lot of wiggle with him," Davis said. "He was a pounder, a move-the-chains guy. He would just run so much stronger than the rest of the guys."

Tinsley watched the draft in Greensboro with his grandparents; wife, Christina; and 7-month-old daughter, Kaycee. He said it was "annoying" to hear his phone keep ringing and never have it be for an official selection. Finally, the Rams called during the seventh round and told him they'd sign him immediately after the draft. Tinsley will fly to St. Louis for the first time in his life Thursday and begin minicamp. Official rosters are set Sept. 4.

"My wife is excited, but she knows deep down that nothing's stable until you make the final cut," Tinsley said. "Still got to have that business-like attitude."

Even as he carved out his niche at UNC, Tinsley worried his middle school dream of playing in the NFL might be slipping away. He was suspended for the fall semester of his junior year for an academic infraction, and he knows there are hundreds of more statistically prolific college players who are still waiting for their phones to ring.

"A lot of times I was like, man, this is going to be it," Tinsley said. "But I just kept working hard. Some things, you just don't give in. I wasn't going down without fighting."

Contact Tom Keller at 373-7034 or tom.keller@news-record.com