Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Hall of Fame profile: Wes Counts
9/20/2017 4:33:00 PM | General
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Looking at just the four years he played for Middle Tennessee's football team wouldn't do justice to how long Wes Counts has been around the program.
Counts grew up in Murfreesboro and was constantly around the football team as a kid. His parents, Larry and Wynnifred, worked at the school, and on Saturdays Counts could be found running around on the sidelines of Blue Raider games.
Now, after his playing career has closed, Counts has continued to be a part of the program and will be forever. He currently serves as the Blue Raider network color analyst for football games, and on Saturday he'll be inducted into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame, where his jersey will hang alongside some of the greats he watched growing up.
"It'll certainly be special," Counts said. "Looking up to the guys that I watched growing up, I never wanted to let them down. It wasn't just about me and the team and mom and dad, I wanted those guys that played before me to say, 'Hey, I remember when that kid was running around on our sidelines.'
"Now, I get to be included with some of those guys in the hall of fame."
Counts' MT career from 1998-2001 can truly be called one of the best in the school's history for a quarterback.
He graduated with a still school-record 8,007 passing yards and 706 completions, and is second in attempts (1,079) and completion percentage (65.4). He's also third in touchdowns thrown (50).
More importantly than his statistics, Counts was the QB and a defacto team captain in 1999 when the Blue Raiders made the jump from Division I-AA to I-A.
It was that year that would help shape Counts as a person, mostly because of the losses they suffered in the 3-8 season. It also served as a building block for future MT success.
"It truly was absolutely awful," Counts said of the 1999 season. "I don't know how many homecoming games we had to play in that year – it seemed like everyone was moving around their homecoming weeks so they could play us.
"But, it also shaped what happened in 2000 and 2001. It was so bad that through attrition we lost some bad apples and added some guys in the recruiting class, so it was a good thing."
Counts helped lead the Blue Raiders to their first Division I-A conference title in the Sun Belt and an 8-3 overall record in 2001, his final season in the blue and white.
The leadership he showed, plus the 17:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 2,327 yards he threw for, weren't quite what head coach Boots Donnelly, who retired after the 1998 season, expected out of the quarterback when he was being recruited.
"You never know how a player is going to turn out," Donnelly said. "You had a pretty good indication of what he could do, but it's just a matter of him coming in and adjusting to the college game and not getting hurt. He had a very, very good career, and we're very proud of him."
Donnelly will be there with Counts Friday night during a special hall of fame banquet, where the former head coach will likely tell a few classic stories until Counts is red with embarrassment.
Then, come Saturday, Counts will get the chance to thank teammates and coaches. He'll also get to push for other teammates to join himself and running back Dwone Hicks in the Blue Raider Hall of Fame.
"I'm really looking forward to thanking everybody," Counts said. "A quarterback can't win anything by himself, they only lose things by themselves.
"This team will have two with me, and there has to be a third one coming soon with Kendall Newson. It will be good to have those guys in there, because they got us here."
This is the third in a five-part series showcasing the five Blue Raider Hall of Fame inductees.
Counts grew up in Murfreesboro and was constantly around the football team as a kid. His parents, Larry and Wynnifred, worked at the school, and on Saturdays Counts could be found running around on the sidelines of Blue Raider games.
Now, after his playing career has closed, Counts has continued to be a part of the program and will be forever. He currently serves as the Blue Raider network color analyst for football games, and on Saturday he'll be inducted into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame, where his jersey will hang alongside some of the greats he watched growing up.
"It'll certainly be special," Counts said. "Looking up to the guys that I watched growing up, I never wanted to let them down. It wasn't just about me and the team and mom and dad, I wanted those guys that played before me to say, 'Hey, I remember when that kid was running around on our sidelines.'
"Now, I get to be included with some of those guys in the hall of fame."
Counts' MT career from 1998-2001 can truly be called one of the best in the school's history for a quarterback.
He graduated with a still school-record 8,007 passing yards and 706 completions, and is second in attempts (1,079) and completion percentage (65.4). He's also third in touchdowns thrown (50).
More importantly than his statistics, Counts was the QB and a defacto team captain in 1999 when the Blue Raiders made the jump from Division I-AA to I-A.
It was that year that would help shape Counts as a person, mostly because of the losses they suffered in the 3-8 season. It also served as a building block for future MT success.
"It truly was absolutely awful," Counts said of the 1999 season. "I don't know how many homecoming games we had to play in that year – it seemed like everyone was moving around their homecoming weeks so they could play us.
"But, it also shaped what happened in 2000 and 2001. It was so bad that through attrition we lost some bad apples and added some guys in the recruiting class, so it was a good thing."
Counts helped lead the Blue Raiders to their first Division I-A conference title in the Sun Belt and an 8-3 overall record in 2001, his final season in the blue and white.
The leadership he showed, plus the 17:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 2,327 yards he threw for, weren't quite what head coach Boots Donnelly, who retired after the 1998 season, expected out of the quarterback when he was being recruited.
"You never know how a player is going to turn out," Donnelly said. "You had a pretty good indication of what he could do, but it's just a matter of him coming in and adjusting to the college game and not getting hurt. He had a very, very good career, and we're very proud of him."
Donnelly will be there with Counts Friday night during a special hall of fame banquet, where the former head coach will likely tell a few classic stories until Counts is red with embarrassment.
Then, come Saturday, Counts will get the chance to thank teammates and coaches. He'll also get to push for other teammates to join himself and running back Dwone Hicks in the Blue Raider Hall of Fame.
"I'm really looking forward to thanking everybody," Counts said. "A quarterback can't win anything by himself, they only lose things by themselves.
"This team will have two with me, and there has to be a third one coming soon with Kendall Newson. It will be good to have those guys in there, because they got us here."
This is the third in a five-part series showcasing the five Blue Raider Hall of Fame inductees.
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