St. Michael's Warmsley - A lesson in character

St. Michael the Archangel’s Julius “Alex” Warmsley has proven to be a true leader in the classroom and on the field. Warmsley wraps up his senior season at the Baton Rouge school as a member of the National Honor Society and recorded 98 tackles, 12 sacks, and 17 tackles for losses in 2008.

The 6-2, 240 pounder talks about who he is, his college plans and those individuals who have influenced him to be the person he is today.

LB: Where are you originally from?

JW: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

LB: What has your experience been like playing for St. Michael’s?  What will you miss the most?

JW: I’m going up to West Point, so it’s pretty much going to be exactly the same or just a little more because of the kind of prestige and history that the college has.  However, I’m going to miss the people.  It’s the people, my teachers, my coaches, and of course, my family because I’m going to be moving to New York.  So, it’s a little ways from the South.  I’m going to miss my southern cooking.

LB: Where did you start playing football?

JW: It was off and on, but I think I started when I was 6 or 7 in a pee-wee league.  Then, I stopped playing.  I started playing at Sacred Heart in middle school.  We had to merge with Holy Cross because we didn’t have enough people playing football, so for practice we had to go across the river [to Port Allen], and that was a little much.

LB: Has there been anything that has been significant to you throughout your career?

JW: I think it’s the people- the people that I met and all the opportunities that God has given me a chance to enjoy, such as the Warrick Dunn player of the year.  That was great.  I got to meet Warrick Dunn, and he’s such a humanitarian and just to be in his presence was a blessing and an honor.

LB:  What is the Warrick Dunn award?

JW: My coach probably nominated me or something like that, but just knowing I was a finalist, and it’s only the second year, but the amount of thought that goes into who is going to win is just great.  It was Shawn Anders who won, and he’s just great.  He had a great story coming from New Orleans and helping lead Christian Life to the Superdome this year.  So, just being able to be with that type of character and those type of people is rewarding.

LB: Who have been some of your greatest influences on the field and in life?

JW: My mom is the person that has helped me through everything.  My brothers…I can’t say enough about my family and the affect they’ve had on me.  My number one is definitely my mom and God, my religion.  If I didn’t have religion, then I wouldn’t be in the position I am in today.  Other than that, my favorite football player in the NFL, not at this moment, is Gino Marcetti.  He was a defensive end and wore #89, and he was a go-getter and a hard worker.  I also love LeBron James because I love basketball, and I think he’s done a great job with his mom, a single mother.  I kinda see a little bit of myself in LaBron James with his mom bringing him up by himself.

LB: Who is Julius Warmsley on the field versus Julius Warmsley off the field?

JW: I guess you could say there’s two halves.  I’m kinda like two faced.  With football, I like to be in the zone.  I don’t really like to say much at practice, but I like to lead by example, but on the field, you look in my face, and you can tell I’m angry.  I’m just a mean guy, but I have good sportsmanship.  I just take everything that has been the worst to me.  I just take all that and use that to give me momentum and strength, agility, and everything I need…and of course, God.

I always pray before a game, even in the middle of the game when I’m doing horrible.  I ask God to take over my body and do whatever He needs, and just to help me be the best I can and help the team be better and lead us to victory.

LB: It’s hard to find young people who are willing to talk about their spirituality.  When did faith became such an important part in your life?

JW: My mom has let me take my own route.  I went to a Unitarian church.  I like seeing different view of different religions, whether it’s Buddhism or Zen.  I love meditation; just being able to find your inner peace, your inner self.  I also like reincarnation, but I don’t believe in it.  However, I think it’s a good theory.

All through my life I’ve been Catholic, and I’ve strayed away at times, but it always seems that when all my energy is pointed towards Catholicism and Jesus…that’s when I’m truly at my best.  I like to let him take over because he’s the one that’s helped me out.

I would say that my mom has been the main person with my spirituality.  She helped me in the freshman and sophomore year.  Truthfully, I didn’t go to church that much my sophomore and freshman year.  It wasn’t just because of me not wanting to go to church, but it was because it’s so hard to find the time.  I know that sounds horrible, but during my sophomore and freshman year I started to grow closer.  Then, my junior year I started to settle down a little more and got serious about who I needed to become and where I need to see myself in the next 10 to 20 years.  

LB: What do you plan on studying at West Point?

JW: I want to try and double major in Kinesiology/Biology, or go into Pre-Med and become a doctor.  Either way, I want to become a doctor.

LB: What other schools showed interest in you?

JW: Basically, it was between West Point and Tulane, at the end.  But, I had University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Arkansas State…LSU was looking at me for a little while, Texas A&M.  U-Conn actually came on the scene pretty late.  I was going to take a visit up there, but I decided that I knew where I wanted to go.  I just felt it was the time to act.

LB: What attracted you to West Point?

JW: Of course, the environment and the people.  Also, being up there and seeing the amount of history.  One of the quotes they have is: “We taught history to those who made it.”  So, that was a quote that stuck with me for the rest of my recruiting journey.  It still sticks with me today because I’m going to be a part of that.

The environment was also so welcoming.  I mean, it’s West Point.   The amount of education, opportunity and networking you get going there is hard to compare.

At other colleges, you’re just a player and nothing else.  You are a student first.  Truthfully, a lot of colleges pamper their football players and don’t put them under a lot of stress because they want them to play well.  At West Point, I will get a strong degree, and that’s one of those options I had to weigh.  That degree has a power within itself, and I want to be able to do anything I want.

Another thing that drew me going to West Point was when I was watching this television show called “I Want To Work For Diddy.”  I want to be able to do it because I want to work for Diddy. I want to be able to be in the situation and have the education to work for a person of his caliber.

So, if I truly wanted to be the best all-around person and the best worker, I felt that West Point was the place I needed to go to bring out the real Julius.  I know people say you need to stay home with your family, but you need to break away from your family to develop into the person you want to become.  Your family is not always going to be there.  Your brother, sister, mom, dad…they could die tomorrow.

LB:  Are you the only one in your family that has gone on to play sports on the college level?

JW: My brother, Titus Warmsley, went to Texas for basketball.  He transferred to Montana State where he played and was NCAA player of the year, an Academic All-American.  He went on to play in Europe and was picked up by the [Boston] Celtics for a summer.

One of my other brothers, Darryl Hurst, went on to play at Southern University.  Then, my sister, Britney Hurst, went to Tulane, and she played professional volleyball in Europe.

LB: Besides football, what are some other things you enjoy in life?

JW: I’m actually trying to teach myself to play the guitar.  So, writing and music is one of my passions.  Just music in general, I love it.  My favorite time period is 80’s and 90’s music.

LB: What was your experience like playing in the U.S. Army Redstick Bowl?

JW: I got named most outstanding lineman, but I’m hoping I get to play in the Bayou Bowl.  It’s the game against Texas and Louisiana.  My coach said he’s going to nominate me for it, so we will see.