Death is supposed to put things in perspective, and the tragic fall that claimed Billy Gaines on Wednesday has given the Pitt football program plenty of it.
The Panthers, amid their mourning, are playing host to their skills camps, typically a major part of their recruiting efforts. But how can you expect coaches to focus on recruiting when they lost one of their players so suddenly?
This weekend, Pitt coaches aren't as concerned about Moon's A.Q. Shipley commitment to Penn State or whether star campers like Penn Hills quarterback Anthony Morelli, North Hills running back Andrew Johnson, Reading linebacker James Bryant or Glenville (Ohio) cornerback Ted Ginn Jr. ultimately choose the Panthers.
It will provide no consolation for the loss of Gaines.
It was actually at the Pitt camp two years ago that Gaines earned a scholarship offer from the Panthers. His gritty performance -- diving for passes in shorts and a T-shirt -- drew instant respect from players and coaches alike.
Pitt coach Walt Harris said the offer brought Gaines to tears because, at 5-foot-7, 170 pounds, Gaines figured he would have to walk-on if he wanted to play Division-I football. Typically, the only scholarship players that size are kickers.
How many times in his life do you think he was told he was too small⢠Probably every day. Yet, Gaines never let his size become an obstacle to him meeting his goals.
Gaines was a consensus all-state selection as a junior and senior at Urbana High School in Ijamsville, Md., a state powerhouse that had won 50 consecutive games when he graduated in 2002.
He scored the game-winning touchdown in a 7-6 victory in his final high school game, to help Urbana win its fourth straight state championship. He finished his career with 116 receptions for 2,036 yards and 34 touchdowns.
He ran the 40-yard dash in a record 4.29 seconds at the Nike Training Camp at Penn State. He recorded a 36-inch vertical leap. He was powerful, bench-pressing 250 pounds, power-cleaning 285 and squatting 325 in high school.
Gaines was not only a special athlete, but a gifted student who had a 3.5 grade-point average and scored 1,020 on the SAT.
By all accounts, he was a classy kid.
Even so, Pitt was the only school to offer Gaines a scholarship. The Panthers liked his willpower, his determination, his drive to succeed.
Listen to these testimonials, before his death:
Except, Gaines never allowed it to be a drawback. He simply compensated by striving for perfection on every play.
Perhaps, the greatest compliment to Gaines was that Pitt continued to use him on punt returns for the Panthers despite his pedestrian 4.9-yard average, until he suffered a season-ending foot fracture.
The reason is, Gaines was so adept at catching everything that came his way -- pass or punt -- that Pitt trusted him more than anyone else. The Panthers were willing to forsake field position for the certainty of clean catches to prevent turnovers deep in their opponents' territory.
Perhaps, this will put it in perspective: Pitt trusted a 5-7, 170-pound true freshman receiver that no one else wanted.
That's why every aspiring Division I prospect should remember Billy Gaines for his rise, not his fall.
