Charles Scott etched his place in LSU lore in 2008 and finished with the fifth-highest rushing total and the second-most rushing touchdowns in Tiger history.But the senior running back’s achievements have come not only on the field in Death Valley, said Shannon Brown, Scott’s football coach at Jonesboro-Hodge High School in Jonesboro.”With all the success he’s had and all the things coming his way, he’s still the same kid I coached in high school,” Brown said. “This past year Charles came out to the Little League park here and sat out there for hours signing autographs. There was a line 100 yards long at the field, and he just sat there and spent time with all the kids.”Brown said Scott has never lost touch with his hometown roots, and he has always given credit to his teammates for any awards he’s garnered, much like he does today at LSU.Scott had a career year in 2008 with 1,174 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on his way to receiving first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors. The year was a breakout season for Scott who began the season with 10 combined rushing touchdowns in his first two years at LSU.Scott was named to the 2009 Doak Walker Award watch list for college football’s best running back and the Maxwell Award watch list for the most outstanding college football player.”When Charles started getting his accolades and things, he was careful to make sure he mentioned his offensive linemen and his teammates,” Brown said. “He doesn’t like people saying, ‘Hey Charles, you’re on the Doak Walker list,’ but where we’re from in a small town, that’s a big deal. And [the accolades] didn’t just happen last year; he’s built himself up far, and he’s finally getting the recognition.”Scott’s mother, Phyllis, said her son assuming a leadership role in the running game and on the team as a whole is something his family and friends are accustomed to seeing.”He has such a strong work ethic, so I never had to worry about him not working hard to achieve something,” Phyllis Scott said. “He actually became the main leader as a running back when he started his junior year of high school. Before that I always encouraged him to be patient and his time would come.”With LSU’s 2009 season drawing near, Scott said the Tiger running backs are a “tight-knit group” amid the “friendly competition” in practice.”It’s a sense of pride we have, and our unit is going to handle our end of the deal,” he said. “I’m not the best running back in every situation in a game. If it calls for Keiland [Williams] or it calls for Richard [Murphy], I’m cheering them on. We’re actually kind of crazy on the sideline.”At Jonesboro-Hodge, Charles Scott was not just a running back. In fact, Brown said Scott began as a defensive back and gradually took on roles on both sides of the ball and in kickoff returns.”His freshman year, he didn’t carry the ball a tremendous amount,” Brown said. “In his senior or junior year, we moved him to linebacker and tailback, two of the more difficult positions to handle, but he did it with ease. He wanted to be out there all the time … His junior year he was primarily our offense.”Charles Scott also played   basketball and baseball, ran track and sang in his church’s youth choir in high school. In the midst of his whirlwind of extracurricular activities, Phyllis Scott said her son also excelled academically.”He’s the kind of student who would come home and do his homework, but I would tease him because he didn’t have very good study habits,” she said. “He would take a test and pass it no problem, and I said to him, ‘Boy, you’re going to have to learn some study habits if you’re going to get into college.'”Charles Scott had the chance to forgo his senior year and enter the NFL draft, but Phyllis Scott, an elementary school teacher, said she was very pleased with her son’s decision to finish college and get his degree.LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton described Charles Scott as a “punishing runner who makes a lot of big plays.” But for Shannon Brown, his character can be recognized further in his interactions with others.”When he comes home, he talks to the high school kids and anybody who wants to talk football or otherwise,” Brown said. “He’s one of those special guys you’ll never forget. They don’t come along often, particularly for a place like this. He’s one of a kind.”
 
 
—-Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]