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cavalier sports OCTOBER 2018 9 behind the scenes The WalkThrough With Ahmad Hawkins T he date Nov. 28, 1998 is one that stamped the name Ahmad Hawkins in the mem- ory bank of every Virginia football fan. Quar- terback Aaron Brooks hit Hawkins on a deep corner route, he hauled in the iconic throw, raced 29 yards down the sideline and slid into the Cavalier end zone in Lane Stadium, giv- ing the Hoos a 36-32 win over Virginia Tech. Hawkins not only played wide receiver, he also played cornerback at Virginia. He said making the switch after the 1998 sea- son to cornerback enabled him to join the Kansas City Chiefs on the practice squad, play on an NFL Europe club and make a living in the Arena Football League. Today, Hawkins offers his experience and education to help fans take a deeper dive into sports alongside a player with a unique perspective on The Ball Hawk Show Podcast. He also writes for TheSabre.com, serves as an analyst alongside the Voice of the Cavaliers Dave Koehn on the Orange and Blue Report, and is a frequent guest on Charlottesville sports talk radio. "When I look back on high school and college, I always took public speak- ing classes, journalism classes and drama classes," Hawkins said. "I guess, in a sense, God was preparing me for my backup plan because all I knew was sports." What has fans and Virginia coaches truly excited is his new venture, The WalkThrough on VirginiaSports.com. Hawkins says it began during alumni weekend when director of media relations Jim Daves, assistant athletics director for video services Luke Goldstein and the foot- ball office were thinking of ways to get better exposure for football players and coaches. "Unlike basketball, you're hid behind the barrier, especially the players," Hawkins explained. "They have a helmet on so fans can't really see their face, their personality." A few months later, Ball Hawk, as he is known to friends and fans, said Daves let him know they had a green light and asked if he was still interested in the project. "That's how it came about," Hawkins said. "I've always had a great relationship with the players and coaches. I was happy they thought of me, but it just took off from there." Through Sept. 23, Hawkins has recorded 13 episodes of The WalkThrough, most re- cently it was a conversation with Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall. In addition to play- ers, the Hampton Roads native has inter- viewed Redskins lineman and former Cava- lier Morgan Moses, head football coach Bronco Mendenhall and new Virginia ath- letics director Carla Williams. Asked if he's had any surprises since be- ginning this project, Hawkins noted there have been a few and they're all good. "I would say the excitement from the coaches was the first thing that caught me off guard," Hawkins admitted. "Coach Bronco Mendenhall wanted to do it. I was truly surprised and humbled that Ms. Wil- liams wanted to do it. "She took time out of her day; I can't even describe how that felt. She came in and was excited to be a part of it. That just blew me away." Not only has The WalkThrough been re- ceived well by administrators, coaches and players, Hawkins said fans love the idea of getting to know these faces under the helmet. "I love the way the fans are responding and looking forward to it," he said. "Any project you work on, you're hoping the au- dience will be receptive. "It's been blowing me away how the fans have really fallen in love with The Walk- Through." — Greg Waters Hawkins — seen here with UVA athletics director Carla Williams on The WalkThrough — played wide receiver and cornerback at Virginia from 1997-2000. PHOTO COURTESY UVA