Ever since he started playing football at the age of nine, Illinois running back E.B. Halsey displayed a special gift for shedding tacklers. As one of the nation’s most sought-after recruits at Elizabeth High School in New Jersey, he made a habit of eluding anything that stood in his way. But an incident during prom weekend of his senior year almost stopped Halsey from getting where he wanted to go.
In May 2002, Halsey and three other men were charged with aggravated sexual assault and statutory rape after a 14-year-old girl contended that she was plied with alcohol and abused. Halsey spent the next seven months fighting the allegations, knowing full well he would never set foot on a football field at Illinois unless he was cleared of all wrongdoing.
Halsey had made a commitment to coach Ron Turner and the Fighting Illini months earlier, signing with Illinois despite receiving scholarship offers from more than 40 other schools, and he received the school’s support in return. After gathering as much information as they could, Turner and the rest of the Illini coaching staff concluded that Halsey was a standout individual caught in an unfortunate situation. They promised to admit him if and when his legal troubles were dispelled.
“Coach Turner and my family circle did a great job of keeping me focused and letting me know that everything was going to be alright,” Halsey said. “I had faith that everything would be alright, it was just a matter of it getting done in time for me to come out here and play.”
In November 2002, all charges against Halsey were dropped after laboratory tests revealed that the girl’s blood-alcohol level was .02, one-fifth the legal limit to drive in New Jersey. Halsey enrolled in spring semester classes last year at Illinois, determined to show that he was every bit the person the coaching staff thought he was. He earned a 3.1 grade point average that semester and never missed a class, armed with a newfound focus.
“Through different life experiences you mature and you grow up,” Halsey said. “You just have to stay in the right place and stay around the right people and you won’t have to worry about stuff like that.”
In his first season with the Illini, Halsey has risen to the forefront of a young and talented Illinois backfield. He leads the Illini with 476 rushing yards on 125 carries (a 3.8 average), and has shown great versatility as a receiving threat, posting 257 yards on 32 catches. Standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing 185 pounds, Halsey has demonstrated an uncanny ability to make bigger defenders miss, sparking comparisons to his childhood idol, Detroit Lions’ great Barry Sanders.
Halsey sprained his knee on Oct. 18 in a game against Michigan, sidelining him for the next three weeks. Although he was frustrated that he couldn’t contribute on the field, Halsey embraced his role as an enthusiastic supporter on the sideline. Consequently, he has earned great respect from teammates and coaches for both his ability and his attitude.
“He’s been tremendous this year as a freshman coming in,” Turner said. “Sometimes when he was healthy and playing we would ask him to do things mentally and physically that we usually don’t ask someone to do until their second or third year in the system. He’s got such great poise and great football intelligence, he’s just a joy to be around. He’s a great, great kid with natural enthusiasm.”
