Dancing through the halls of LSU is a smiling Sam Montgomery, halting his journey to class to converse with nearly every passerby and donning a Sonic the Hedgehog book sack.
Come game time, Montgomery isn’t unlike the famous blue hedgehog. Both speedy balls of energy can be found battling enemies, wreaking havoc on rivals and searching for rings.
“When I pound the ground, I kind of imagine myself powering up a little bit,” Montgomery said. “I pound the ground, and every last time I pound the ground I feel like my energy grows a little bit more and him.”
John Darrell Adams, Montgomery’s brother, passed away Feb. 5, 2007, after being shot 12 times outside a sports bar in Columbia, S.C.
Montgomery said as a child, his brother got him hooked on video games, which now serve as a reminder that Adams is never far from Montgomery’s heart.
Since Adams’ death, Montgomery has used their mutual love of video games as an enduring bond of brotherhood.
“My brother used to play all these Final Fantasy games and stuff like that,” Montgomery said. “One of the things I took under my wing was Sonic the Hedgehog. He really loved Sonic, too, and I think in a way this is a symbol to show that my brother hasn’t been college.”
Through three games this season, Montgomery has 11 tackles — 2.5 for a loss — and half a sack, and he made his way into the minds of Tiger fans forever after repeatedly pounding the ground before snaps in the Tiger’s season opener against Oregon.
“The enjoyment that I get from Sam is that he is an untendered spirit and he enjoys playing,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “My kids watched him pound the turf at Cowboys Stadium … and it just scared them. He’s very emotional, plays with great passion, and I want him to stay that