Greg Pruitt, Sooners Rusher OCTOBER 2, 1972

The party was already swinging last April 15 when the phone
rang. Kenoy Kennedy picked up the receiver and was given the
good news: The Denver Broncos were about to select Kennedy, a
free safety from Arkansas, with the 14th pick in the second
round of the NFL draft. Of the 75 revelers in Kennedy's parents'
modest house in the dusty town of Terrell, Texas, that day, the
most delighted by the good news may have been the man standing
in the corner of the living room--Kennedy's agent, Greg Pruitt.
"A dream came true at that moment," says Pruitt. "It's nice to
be there when that happens."

Pruitt, 49, knows a thing or two about realizing dreams. A
two-time All-America running back at Oklahoma, Pruitt made his
name soon after the Sooners adopted the wishbone offense in 1970.
The next year, as a junior, he rushed for 1,665 yards on 178
carries, which translated into a must-be-a-misprint 9.4 yards a
carry. But what he remembers most vividly from that season isn't
making defenders miss tackles; rather, it's a tackle he missed.
"In the Game of the Century, against Nebraska, I was the first
player who had a clean shot at Johnny Rodgers on his punt
return," says Pruitt, who was inducted into the College Football
Hall of Fame in August. "He just juked me, and I can still see
him running."

After being selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round
of the 1973 draft, Pruitt played 12 seasons in the NFL, rushing
for at least 1,000 yards in '75, '76 and '77. Since he married
Mary Hildreth in '84, they have lived with her daughter
Bridgette, 27, and his son Greg Jr., a highly regarded junior
running back and defensive back for Shaker Heights (Ohio) High.
"Greg Jr. wants to break my records at Oklahoma," says Pruitt,
"but that would be tough, since the Sooners now pass on almost
every down. At the moment he likes Florida State."

When Greg Jr. began playing football, Pruitt realized how much he
missed the game and, in 1995, he gave up a job as a recreational
manager for the city of Cleveland to become an agent. These days
he commutes between his home in Shaker Heights and the Houston
offices of Pruitt-Vaughn, Inc. Sports Management. Pruitt has
represented boxers and numerous NFL players and, although he has
yet to sign a first-round draft pick, his client list, which
includes Chris Akins, KaRon Coleman, Jamie Nails and Greg Wesley,
is growing. "Everyone needs to have a financial plan and a
budget," says Pruitt of his new career. "If you play just a few
years in the NFL, you shouldn't have to worry about money for the
rest of your life. You just have to be smart."

--Lars Anderson

COLOR PHOTO: DAVID LIAM KYLE "Greg Jr. [above, with his father]," says his dad, "wants to break my records at Oklahoma."

COLOR PHOTO: JAMES DRAKE (COVER)