Father's memory lives on for NFL-bound Carmichael

It was July 5, 2008. A Saturday. Rashad Carmichael was at Virginia Tech when his father called, asking his son to come home immediately.

It was bit of a hassle. It was already late in the afternoon, and home was a four-hour drive away. What could possibly be going on?

''We sat right here,'' said Carmichael, rapping his knuckles on the kitchen table. ''He told me he was going to pass away.''

It didn't make much sense. True, his father had suffered from some heart problems in the past, but nothing to indicate that he was seriously ill.

The next day, Bernard Carmichael checked into a hospital. A week later, he had a massive heart attack and died at the age of 40.

''How he was able to tell us that a week (early), I have no idea,'' said Mae Carmichael, Rashad's mother. ''I have no clue.''

Said Rashad: ''He said it came to him in a dream.''

Gone was the father who had worked so hard to raise his three sons the right way. Who just retired after 20 years in the Air Force. Who had moved his family into a nice house in the suburbs less than a month earlier.

Who coached Rashad in football, basketball, baseball and track. Who taught Rashad about discipline, respect and work ethic. Who made Rashad strap on an inner tube attached to a rope and run 100-yard sprints after everyone else was done at practice.

''People are looking at us like we're crazy,'' Rashad Carmichael said. ''But it worked out so good - I'm fast.''

Fast indeed. Fast enough that the 22-year-old cornerback is a projected third- or fourth-round pick in this week's NFL draft. Fast enough that he finished his degree in human development a year before his final season with the Hokies, fulfilling the family plan and allowing him to devote 40-hour weeks to a local Head Start program. Fast enough that words and stories just flow from his lips in such rapid succession that it can be hard to keep up with them all.

If he flops in pro football - which is not likely - he'll be a natural making his living standing in front of kids. Or leading a charitable foundation known by the name he's already picked out: ''Bless All People.''

''I actually am too focused,'' Rashad Carmichael said, when asked his biggest flaw. ''That's it. Never been in no trouble.''

He shows off a newspaper clipping of Bernard Carmichael coaching an Andrews Air Force Base fifth- and sixth-grade Boys Club basketball team, wearing fatigues and military boots on the bench, even though his father ''didn't know anything about basketball.''

''He didn't have to hit me,'' Rashad Carmichael said. ''He didn't have to do nothing - because of the respect that we had for him.''

Mae Carmichael concurs that she's raised a trouble-free son. And she should know. Their rapport is such that mother and son speak on the phone a half-dozen times a day when he's at college.

''As soon as I wake up, I call Mom,'' he said.

Rashad Carmichael's nickname is ''Roc.'' It's often misspelled as ''Rock,'' but he said he's been spelling it without the ''k'' since kindergarten. (He said he wasn't aware that a roc is actually a large, mythical bird). The name was given to him by his grandmother after his father wanted to put an end to Rashad's baby nickname of ''Rah-Rah.''

Carmichael has had his share of visits with NFL teams and has received even more phone calls. During an interview with The Associated Press, he received a call from the New York Giants, who asked for the standard information any team would want to have on draft day: cell phone number, backup phone number, email address, agent's name and address, nearest airport.

Given Carmichael's background and his ability to make a strong, personable first impression, his draft stock should jump a few points for those NFL general managers who often like to boast how they emphasize character as much as talent.

But Carmichael also has another thing going for him - his loves of the film room.

He tells the story of a visit from former Virginia Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers, now with the Kansas City Chiefs. Flowers so impressed upon Carmichael the importance of film study that Carmichael cut off his cable service the next day - he loves old comedy movies - and ordered scores of DVDs of cornerback game film.

The family is hosting a small gathering for the draft, but Carmichael said he doesn't plan on watching while it's on television. He said he'll let his mother answer the phone when a team calls. And, besides, there's the never-ending presence of Bernard Carmichael - and it's not just symbolized by the three-corner-folded American flag that draped the coffin.

''He's still sitting right there on that couch,'' Rashad Carmichael said. ''Don't you see him?''