Brockenbrough excels opposite Larry Fitzgerald

Not too long ago, Princell Brockenbrough made a verbal commitment to the University of North… Not too long ago, Princell Brockenbrough made a verbal commitment to the University of North Carolina.

However, things did not work out with UNC, and he wound up a little farther north, at Pitt. Now in his senior year – he has two years of eligibility left – Brockenbrough, a Richmond, Va., native, is finally fulfilling his dreams.

After spending two years at junior college and another year sitting out to recover from surgery on his left knee, Brockenbrough won the starting job at wide receiver opposite All-American candidate Larry Fitzgerald.

Against Kent State, in his first career start as a Panther, Brockenbrough caught three passes for 58 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown strike, the first Panthers’ touchdown of the year.

“I actually couldn’t believe [the touchdown] happened,” Brockenbrough said. “Actually, the play was designed to go to Larry [Fitzgerald], and I was the last read, but it just happened [that] Rod [Rutherford] came back to me. When I saw him look at me, my eyes just lit up, and I thought ‘Oh, here it comes.'”

After graduating from Henrico High School in Virginia, Brockenbrough didn’t qualify academically to go a Division I school, although he had offers.

Instead, he headed out west and enrolled in the City College of San Francisco. He spent two years there, where his team did not lose a game, going 24-0 during his tenure.

In two years Brockenbrough caught 65 passes for 1,055 yards and 20 touchdowns and was rated the No.1 junior college receiver in the country by JCFootball.com. Although going to Division I out of high school was his goal, his time spent at CCSF was for the best.

“It was a good experience for me,” Brockenbrough said. “I look at it as punishment for not putting the effort in at high school when I should have.”

Brockenbrough hoped that last year would be his first on the field with the Panthers, but an injury to his left knee in the 2002 off-season forced him to have surgery and sit out all of last year. Although the Panthers lacked the big-time third receiver that he could have been, Brockenbrough knows sitting out was the best for thing for everybody.

“It wasn’t that bad,” he said. “I knew I wasn’t ready, and the worst thing you can do is have it hurt your team by not being able to play at your full ability.”

With 2003 spring practice rapidly approaching, it appeared to be his time to shine. The Panthers lost last year’s No. 2 receiver Lamar Slade to graduation, and No. 3 receiver Roosevelt Bynes left school.

Pitt had a huge hole to fill, and Brockenbrough hoped to be the man to do it. Before he could get a tight grasp on the starting job, converted safety Chris Curd had an outstanding spring at wide receiver, including being named one of the most improved players.

Going into summer practice and camp in August, it appeared to be Curd’s job to lose. With just two weeks left before the season opener, head coach Walt Harris had still not named a starter.

Just a few days before the opening game against Kent State, Harris announced that Brockenbrough would start because the player had separated himself from the rest of the pack. The long-term competition was tough on him.

“That’s football. Especially on the college level, competition is there no matter what,” Brockenbrough said. “When you come to the next level, everybody is ‘that guy.’ You think you have the stuff, but everyone does. It’s what I expected.”

Now, Brockenbrough has the chance to play with, learn from and teach Fitzgerald, a player who many say is a lock for a long professional career someday.