Speed runs in family for Rebels’ Purvis
Speed can’t be taught, says a coaching adage.
But it can be inherited.
Deante Purvis, a junior who has been clocked at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash, is believed to be UNLV’s fastest football player. Whether he’s the fastest in his own family, well, that’s another matter.
Purvis, a cornerback turned running back, credits his father, Tommy, for passing down the speed gene to Purvis and his three sisters, who run Division I track.
Tommy Purvis played defensive back for Pacific in the 1980s and was an NFL prospect before sustaining a neck injury his senior season.
“He was the one who basically gave us the talent,” said Purvis, whose Rebels (1-5, 1-1 Mountain West Conference) play at Colorado State (1-5, 0-2) at 11 a.m. PDT Saturday.
Deante’s sister Amber helped Oregon win national titles in the indoor and outdoor 1,600-meter relays last season. She is a five-time All-American and owns seven school records.
Purvis was in the crowd in May at Berkeley, Calif., when Amber won Pac-10 Conference titles in the 100 and 200 meters and 400-meter relay.
“It was amazing,” Purvis said. “I had never seen her move like that because she was really a long jumper in high school.”
His other speedy sisters are Julian, a junior hurdler at Michigan, and Ashton, a freshman sprinter at Miami. In July, Ashton was named the Gatorade national girls high school track athlete of the year.
Purvis isn’t exactly slow. His 94-yard return last season against Brigham Young was the Rebels’ first kickoff return touchdown since 1999.
Because of a ticket promotion, his kick return score earned fans free chicken fingers. Because players receive tickets, they also got to dine on the dash, making Purvis a popular teammate the following week.
“The teammates asked if I’m going to get them more chicken strips,” he said.
Purvis no longer handles return duties. He moved from cornerback three weeks ago and is concentrating full time on running back, though he is still considered a two-way player.
The 5-foot-11-inch, 195-pound Purvis saw his first significant playing time at his new position in Saturday’s 49-10 loss at West Virginia. He used a physical, straight-ahead style to gain 48 yards on 17 carries.
Purvis employed what he called a much more “jukey” running style when he rushed for 1,277 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior at Pinole (Calif.) Valley High School.
A thigh injury his senior season limited his production and, Purvis said, affected his recruiting status.
He is happy to be out of Richmond, Calif., a place with a notorious reputation for gang violence. Purvis won’t go into detail about what he saw while living there but said he uses his negative memories as motivation in football and in school.
“Every time I go back there, I can’t believe I grew up there,” he said. “I don’t even know how I did it, but I did it.”
Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.
