Former Sooner quarterback
Tommy Grady was back in Norman on Tuesday to participate in
OU's pro day.
Grady transferred to Utah before the start of the 2005 season after falling behind
Rhett Bomar and
Paul Thompson on the depth chart.
Still,
Grady probably would've had a chance to start had he stayed at OU after Thompson was moved to wide receiver and
Bomar was later kicked off the team.
Instead,
Grady was a backup at Utah for the last two years, throwing for more than 600 yards and four touchdowns last season.
"I regret leaving this place,”
Grady said. "Like (former
OU) coach
(Chuck) Long said, ‘It's not always greener on the other side.' I was looking forward to leaving, but I wish I would have stayed.”
Despite his transfer,
Grady said
OU coach
Bob Stoops said it was all right for him to participate in
OU's pro day.
Grady worked out at Utah's pro day on Monday before flying to
Oklahoma, where more scouts were attending.
Even though he was a backup in college,
Grady is intriguing to scouts at quarterback because of his size (6-foot-6, 239 pounds) and his strong arm.
•Former Sooners return: Several ex-OU standouts now on
NFL rosters came to pro day to visit with former coaches and cheer on old teammates. That list included defensive end
Larry Birdine (
Broncos), wide receiver
Mark Clayton (
Ravens), linebacker
Clint Ingram (
Jaguars) and wide receiver
Travis Wilson (
Browns).
Former running back
Renaldo Works, safety
Jason Carter and offensive lineman
Chris Messner were also in attendance.
•"Mean” Joe Greene watching pro day: OU's pro day also delivered some other big names, including
Rex Ryan,
Alonzo Highsmith and
"Mean” Joe Greene.
Ryan, who is the defensive coordinator for the
Baltimore Ravens, was
OU's defensive coordinator in 1998.
Highsmith, now a college scout for the
Green Bay Packers, was a running back for two of three
University of Miami teams that defeated the
Sooners in the mid-1980s.
Highsmith also went on to a bright
NFL career with the
Houston Oilers.
Greene, who is now the
Pittsburgh Steelers' special assistant for player personnel, was the linchpin in the famed "Steel Curtain,” the backbone of Pittsburgh's four Super Bowl titles during the 1970s.
"When I played we didn't have pro days or the combines,” said
Greene, who is in the
NFL Hall of Fame. "Whatever they saw was pretty much whatever was on tape.”
By
Jake Trotter