Kent Hull was a mountain of a man with an incredibly soft side.
I had the pleasure to cover his final six seasons with the Buffalo Bills, including his last three trips to the Super Bowl. It was so neat to have a hometown boy to write about in the NFL.
I will never forget my first call to him for an interview. I had been on the job only about four months, and here I was asking this NFL standout center to share his time with me. I was nervous, and he knew it.
Kent immediately made a joke and put me at ease. He was able to do that because he never forgot his roots. He was incredibly humble, sincere and gracious.
I went on to ask questions, and he didn't hold back with his answers.
Little did I know at the time this was the start of a good friendship.
After the former Mississippi State great retired following the 1996 season and permanently moved back to Greenwood to run a cattle farm in Carroll County, our friendship started.
The best story I ever wrote about Kent was when he was inducted into the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame in October 2002. My wife and I were among a group of about 40 locals who made the trip together with his family to Buffalo for the induction ceremony.
It was simply unbelievable to see how revered he was in Buffalo. He was truly a fan favorite because Kent was so much like the residents of western New York - a hard-working, no-nonsense, blue-collar player.
With such a big crowd in the skybox, not everyone could go down on the field, so all of the kids and I went down at halftime of Buffalo's game against the Oakland Raiders.
The atmosphere was electric. The people of Buffalo loved this guy just like we all did.
I will never forget a man sitting about 20 rows up holding a sign that read: "It's been a Hull of a ride."
Boy, was it.
That was the funniest story I ever wrote about Kent; this column is no doubt the toughest.
Kent overcame tremendous odds at every stop in his successful football career.
After graduating from Greenwood High School in 1979, he arrived in Starkville as an undersized 210-pound center. He was quickly thrust into the starting lineup and wound up earning freshman All-SEC honors in the first of four years as a starter for the Bulldogs.
I imagine he didn't win many battles in the trenches that first year, but he didn't lose many after that.
He wound up being the anchor in head coach Emory Bellard's wishbone attack.
Kent went undrafted by the NFL but was picked in the seventh round by the New Jersey Generals of the fledgling USFL. When the league folded, it appeared Hull's football career was over.
He was picked up, however, by the Buffalo Bills, who were looking for a backup center for a short time. Well, six weeks turned into 11 years, and he is now considered the best center in the Bills' franchise history.
Hull served as Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly's center during the Buffalo's AFC title years in the early 1990s. Kent was a fixture on the offensive line of a team that made four straight Super Bowl appearances - from 1991 to 1994 - and played in three Pro Bowls.
The Bills ranked first in the NFL in yards rushing in both 1991 and 1992, and finished in the top six in total yards from 1989 to 1993.
He was smart, tough and durable as a player, and at one point appeared in 121 consecutive games with the Bills. He appeared in 189 games in all with Buffalo.
When he walked away from the game, Hull received a standing ovation from the media members at the press conference. Never heard of that before, but that tells you what kind of a man he was - honest, straightforward and genuine.
Then behind the closed doors of the locker room, his teammates gave him an emotional six-minute standing ovation.
His story on the gridiron is one of great inspiration, and one that everyone should know. His life after football is just as inspirational.
Kent, called by many a "gentle giant," lived the kind of life of which to be proud. He was a great family man, a great friend and, most importantly, a man of God.
"He was very serious about his Christianity," said Kent's preacher, Dr. Rusty Douglas of First Presbyterian Church of Greenwood.
Longtime friend Straton Karatassos was shocked and saddened by the news of Kent's death Tuesday. He said there was no doubt where his friend was now.
"The only solace in this truly sad situation is that I know Coach Bellard, who died back in February, was one of the first people to greet Kent in heaven," said Karatassos, who was the head trainer during Hull's time in Starkville.
If there is football in heaven, you can bet Kent is already in the middle of it.
We're sure going to miss you, big boy.
n Contact Bill Burrus at bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
