Dominant defender
Permanently inked in his skin on the back of his neck are the words: “Never give up,” a motto Sergio Gilliam lives by.
The tattoo is not only his mantra, it’s a tribute to his late cousin Donald Gilliam, who died in 2006 from meningitis.
“You could say we were like brothers,” said the Spokane Shock rookie defensive back. “You keep going, never give up – it’s a big thing that we always said.”
In sports and in school, Gilliam has two specific goals. One is to play football, and the other is to finish his college degree. The latter he will achieve on May 9 when he travels to his home state of South Carolina to graduate from Clemson University.
Among picking off Green Bay quarterback Matt Bohnet three times in the Shock’s arenafootball2 league season-opening victory over the Blizzard last Sunday and earning the league’s defensive player of the week award on Tuesday, Gilliam is taking online classes in the process of picking up his sports management degree.
Since arriving in Spokane in late January, Gilliam has also been racking up internship hours helping out with “whatever needed” in the Shock’s front office.
“When I first got up here, I wasn’t a big fan – it’s cold,” Gilliam said. “Coming from South Carolina, we probably see snow once every two years, so I wasn’t liking the weather. I had to go back home for a week as soon as I got up here, but other than that I’m enjoying it.”
The former Tiger was first contacted last fall by Kelvin Morris, who was a teammate of Gilliam’s at Clemson and played for the Shock in 2007. Gilliam, who signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Vikings, was released by Minnesota in May and had since started his fall semester.
Morris, who is playing for the AFL’s Utah Blaze this season, put Gilliam in touch with second-year Shock coach Adam Shackleford, who worked out a deal where Gilliam could intern, play and finish his degree at the same time. The rookie signed on and has proceeded to impress the Shock coaching staff since his arrival.
“His transition from the outdoor game to the indoor game – which is a big transition – was very smooth,” said Shock assistant coach and defensive coordinator Alex Sirianni. “I haven’t worried about him since day one.”
A three-sport standout in high school – in football, basketball and track – Gilliam led prep athletes in the state of South Carolina in interceptions as a junior (with 13 in 2001) and senior (10 in 2002).
He chose Clemson over Georgia Tech and South Carolina, where his four-year career was highlighted as a junior in 2005 – when the Tigers’ defense was ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation in six different statistical categories – by a career-high nine tackles in a triple-overtime loss against then-No. 13 Miami.
To kick off his senior season in 2006, Gilliam had a record-breaking performance in the spring game with three interceptions.
That’s exactly how he began his af2 career last week in setting the rookie record for interceptions in a game and tying two-year Shock veteran Nygel Rogers’ three-pick performance last season against Amarillo, though he should have had four interceptions, according to Shackleford.
“I gave him a hard time because he dropped an interception that came right to him in the first quarter,” Shackleford joked.
Nonetheless, it was an exciting performance from one of the Shock’s many promising rookies this season.
“I touch base with my mother probably every day. She’s a big football fan and she’s probably just as thrilled as I am (to start off like that),” said Gilliam. “You would think she played in the game or something. But I’m not one to just let that (performance) get to me, though, I did it once. I’ve got to go out there and do it again and live up to it.
“You can’t just be a one-hit wonder.”
Shackleford doesn’t anticipate that being a problem, though playing on the secondary wasn’t initially what the coaching staff had in mind for Gilliam.
“We thought he’d be our Jack linebacker kind of like Jermaine Harris was for us last year,” Shackleford said of the 6-foot-2, 193-pound Gilliam. “(Sergio) came in and really showed the ability to cover on the back side.”
Gilliam believes playing in Spokane could be one of two things, if not both – just a great experience in arena football or a stepping stone.
“Everybody’s ultimate goal is to make it to the NFL. That’s always been my goal,” Gilliam said. “I’m 23, so I (don’t) just want to give up on my dream.
“I figured this would be a good opportunity for me to still play football and just take a different route to make it to the NFL. And if not, I tried, but I never gave up on it.”
“Boosted by last Sunday’s win at Green Bay, the Shock moved up to second place in this week’s af2 coaches’ poll, receiving two first-place votes and 321 points. The Tulsa Talons continue to lead the poll.