http://www.terrelltribune.com/articles/2005/06/29/sports/sports01.txt
Blanton turns pro, inks deal with Nike
By Kent Miller
There will be no more All-American awards or NCAA championships for former Forney standout DaBryan Blanton after the three-time Class 3A state 100-meter champion and world’s fastest teenager from 17 to 19 turned pro last week, signing with Team Nike. Terms of the contract were not available.
Blanton, who also won a pair of 3A state titles in the 200-meter dash as well as one 400-meter relay championship, will forego his senior season at the University of Oklahoma to pursue a professional track career.
“I think for me to get to the level I need to race at, I need to turn pro,” Blanton told OUInsider.com. “I need to set up my schedule to train for the big meets, not have to run in a lot of meets throughout the year.”
The now Sooner-ex had a stellar college career to match his high school accomplishments, winning back-to-back 60-meter NCAA national titles, three Big 12 100-meter outdoor championships and one Big 12 60-meter indoor title. Blanton was a five-time All-American at OU. He originally signed with the Sooners to play football and run track but decided to focus on track after redshirting for the football team in 2002.
According to OUInsider.com, Blanton cited coaching changes at OU - track co-coaches Rodney Price and Jill Lancaster resigned June 14 - as influencing his decision.
“I grew to know them and they grew to know me,” Blanton said on the Web site. “So I thought about it, and with the coaching changes, I decided to turn pro.”
Blanton finished a disappointing fourth in the 100-meters behind Florida State’s Walter Dix at the NCAA championships in Sacramento, Calif., earlier this month after qualifying second.
He ran a 10.31 in the 100-meter dash in his final meet as a Sooner.
At Forney, he was also an all-state running back for a perennially strong Jackrabbit squad and holds 3A state records in the 100 meters (10.26) and 200 meters (20.37).