By David Boyce

Several years ago John McCoy and Terrance Isaac knew nothing about the Gorilla walk and the passionate fans that follow the Pittsburg State football program.

McCoy was leaving the Boston area and his beloved Red Sox to play quarterback at Southwest Baptist.

Isaac survived Hurricane Katrina and pursued his football dream as a running back at Coffeyville Community College.

Life generally has a way of altering plans. The high school coach that McCoy followed to Southwest Baptist was fired. Despite playing in 11 games and throwing for 1,152 yards as a freshman, McCoy decided to leave.

“I was going to go back to the Boston area,” McCoy said. “I really didn’t enjoy being at SBU too much. I was looking to go home. I got in contact with people and ended up at Pitt State.”

Isaac redshirted his first year at Coffeyville and then was cut.

“It was crazy and I was real emotional,” Isaac said. “I didn’t like it at all. I kept my head up high and kept fighting for what I wanted to do.”

Some of those thoughts might rumble through the minds of McCoy and Isaac Saturday when they make the traditional walk from the locker room past adoring fans in the Gorilla Village and into Carnie Smith Stadium for the season-opener against No. 16 Central Oklahoma.

McCoy and Isaac made this walk all last year, but they were bit players in Pittsburg State’s 11-2 season, which included a run to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

“I redshirted my first year so I wasn’t able to be on the sidelines and do the Gorilla walk and that sort of thing,” McCoy said. “But I practiced with the team.

“Coach Chuck Broyles said to me right after our first game, ‘You are a Gorilla now. You are not going to be a Gorilla to a lot of these guys, especially coming from a school we compete with until you put on a helmet and take that first snap.’

“That’s when it really hit me, especially when you are walking down as a team. When you put on the pads and you put on the jersey it is a whole other experience.”

The walk may have a completely different meaning now for McCoy and Isaac because they are being counted on to help Pittsburg State, ranked No. 7 in Division II, to keep the tradition strong.

Isaac admits he will be nervous at 7 p.m. Saturday for the kickoff.

“But at the same time it is going to be exciting,” he said. “It has been a while since I’ve played a lot.

“Our excitement level is very high. We got a lot of doubters and haters. We are ready to come out and show everybody what we are about.”

Because of the nature of the position, many eyes will be on McCoy. He’s following one of the most successful quarterbacks in Pittsburg State history in Mark Smith.

And Smith just happened to grow up in Pittsburg, Kan., and is adored in a town that also supports its high school teams with just as much passion.

It could be a daunting task for McCoy.

McCoy, though, relishes the position he’s in. He’s had plenty of time to soak in the football tradition, learn from Smith and other past quarterbacks.

“He (Smith) is a great leader,” McCoy said. “He’s just one of those guys that everybody went to in a time of need. He was there and did things the right way. I tried to pay attention to the things he did. He won a lot of games. I’ve learned a lot from Mark.

“Lucky for me he is still around. He’s a GA (graduate assistant). I will take advantage of it. I’m pretty lucky.”

McCoy saw action in 11 games last year in a reserve role. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns.

Isaac has played in 12 games over the last two seasons and had a total of 19 carries for 83 yards.

Given what he went through in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Isaac should definitely have the mental toughness to be the featured running back in the Gorillas’ run-oriented offense.

Isaac rode the hurricane out at his sister’s apartment.

“It was crazy,” he said. “I can still remember watching all the destruction right outside the window. At times I didn’t think it would hit, but when it did, I got kind of scared at the moment. It was a crazy experience.”

Playing running back at Pittsburg State should also be a wild ride for Isaac, one he’s looking forward to.

“It is my first chance to get to start and that’s what I’m coming here to do is to be a starter at Pitt State,” Isaac said.

Only time will tell the kind of marks McCoy and Isaac will leave on Pittsburg State’s storied football program.

Right now McCoy and Isaac know there is no better place for them to be.

“I like a lot of things about Pittsburg,” McCoy said.” It’s a lot slower living, not that it is too slow. People take their time here. Life is a little bit simpler.

“But don’t get me wrong, I love where I’m from. Go Red Sox. I’m definitely a homer, especially when people want to give me grief about the Red Sox. I notice there aren’t too many Royals fans out here as there are Yankee fans. There’s a bunch of Yankee fans out here. I don’t know what that is about.”

There is no divided loyalty in Pittsburg when it comes to the MIAA. On game day the parking lots at Carnie Smith Stadium are a sea of red and gold.

“It took me the first year to buy into the whole Pitt State tradition and what it is all about here,” McCoy said. “Since I have been around these guys it is a dream-come-true type of thing. Everything I’ve worked for is coming to a head now. I’m ready to go on the field and put it all to work.”

Fun facts: Saturday’s game is one of four matching nationally-ranked opponents in the first week of NCAA Division II action. No. 2 Northwest Missouri lost at No. 5 Abilene Christian on Thursday. The other big Division II game on Saturday is No. 1 Grand Valley State at No. 11 West Texas A&M…Pittsburg State has won 26 of its last 31 season openers…The Gorillas have won 22 of their last 23 regular-season, non-conference games.

Offensive player to watch: John McCoy will be making his first start for Pittsburg State. McCoy has a strong arm and the ability to run. Those have been the traits of Pittsburg State quarterbacks this decade.

Defensive player to watch: Junior free safety Alex Kuhlman will lead an experienced unit that returns 11 players that started at least nine games last year. Kuhlman was twice selected defensive player of the week in the MIAA last year.

Keys to the game: With a new backfield, Pittsburg State needs to prove it can run the ball right away. When the Gorillas are successful running the ball they generally win. Since 1986, Pittsburg State has rushed for more than 200 yards in 248 out of 288 games and is 223-24-1in its 200-plus yards games.

Last meeting: Pittsburg State won 16-12 in Edmond, Okla., on Aug. 30, 2008.

On Saturday: Game coverage of Pittsburg State against Central Oklahoma.

David Boyce wrote for The Kansas City Star for 21 years, covering high schools, area colleges, the Royals, the Wizards and boxing. Boyce was also a contributing writer for the Royals Gameday Magazine this summer.