BMOC: Big Man of County

By EASportsToday.com
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Updated: December 20, 2014

Oxford’s Gamble has Offensive Player of the Year season following move to backfield

Oxford’s Tre Gamble dives for one of his 28 touchdowns this season. On the bottom, even though he was the Jackets’ main running threat, Gamble never was far from his receiver roots. On the cover, Gamble accounted for more than 2,100 yards in his Calhoun County Offensive Player of the Year season. (Photos by Greg McWilliams)

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

OXFORD – When Tre Gamble says he can’t remember a time he wasn’t called “Big Man,” you can take it to the bank.

The Oxford senior has been answering to that nickname since he was a toddler, when he was just too big to fit in any pair of shoes his parents tried to find for him. Yellow Jackets football coach Ryan Herring doesn’t know him by any other and refers to him that way in every conversation.

“My momma gave that name to me when I was 1,” Gamble explained. “I always remember being called that.”

He certainly was a big man for the Yellow Jackets this season. Herring said coming into the year Gamble was the best receiver in the state, but when the Jackets’ offense needed a boost early this season the coach didn’t hesitate to move him to running back and both flourished.

Big Man rushed for nearly 1,500 yards once he became a full-time running back and accounted for 2,137 yards total and 28 touchdowns. Understandably, he was the runaway winner for East Alabama Sports Today’s Calhoun County Offensive Player of the Year award. He was first or second on 11 of the 13 ballots.

“We got to Game 2 and you just could see it was kind of inevitable we were going to have to have some help at running back,” Herring said. “We put him in there just in jumbo sets against Gadsden City and we just all of a sudden scored points. … To help us win, to help us get in the playoffs, we needed him at running back. It was, honestly, a no brainer.”

It was no stretch, either. Gamble had made two starts at running back before — as a 10th grader, both in the state playoffs, and rushed for more than 250 yards in each game. He moved out to receiver last year with the emergence of Roc Thomas and was going to remain there this season as Herring considered other options in the backfield.

When those options were slow to develop and quarterback Ty Webber’s ability to run limited by a bad ankle, it took about a second for Herring to decide to move Gamble. And it took Gamble about that long to accept his new role.

“When he told me it took me a minute to recognize what he was talking about,” Gamble said. “But I just snapped back into being a running back. It was like it all clicked.

“I really had my head on receiver, but I said I can go back there and productive, too. It was fun. I could bounce around the field and be productive wherever I go.”

The switch nearly was stopped before it ever got started. Gamble fractured his ninth rib in the Gadsden City game, but was determined to continue playing. The coaching staff did what it could to protect him for the long term and it wasn’t until Game 5 he actually felt good again. And then he couldn’t be stopped.

Over the next four games he rushed for 186 yards (with five touchdowns) against a Vestavia Hills teams that to that point hadn’t yielded much, 138, 139 and, against Chelsea in a game the Jackets desperately needed to make the playoffs, 330 yards on 32 carries.

“I’ve seen guys have an ankle sprain and it just sideline them, with bruised ribs and it sidelines them,” Herring said. “There’s something inside of him that he’s not going to be sidelined. He just wants to win. He wants to play. He wanted the action.”

Gamble called the Chelsea game his best of the year because of the importance it held, his production and couple nifty moves he had in it. But for all that he accomplished as the answer to his team’s biggest need, the competitor in Gamble was left wanting more.

“I think I did OK, not great,” he said. “I think I could’ve done more, because we didn’t go any farther than the second round (of the playoffs).”