Blair alumnus starts for Howard's football team

Former Blair football player Noam Dror is now the starting punter for the Division I-AA Howard Bisons football team. He is doing so well that a Buffalo Bills scout recently told him that he has potential to play in the NFL.

After graduating from Blair in 2004 Dror enrolled at Howard where he received a full-scholarship to play football. As a freshman during the 2004 season Dror became Howard's starting punter taking all the team's punts during their eleven games. On the season he averaged 37.2 yards per punt on 51 attempts and had a season-long punt of 61 yards. He also had 15 punts that landed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

Dror has been able to adjust to the faster college game and establish himself as a standout punter. He was named special teams player of the week for Nov. 3 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) following his outstanding performance against Norfolk State in which he averaged 42 yards on six punts, including a 61 yard boot and two others that pinned Norfolk inside their 20 yard line.

Playing at Howard has been a wonderful experience for Dror as he gets to continue his passion for football. "I love playing football and that's all that matters,” said Dror.

According to Dror the biggest change between the high school and college level is the speed of the game and the larger crowds. Howard's season opener was played at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, against Alabama State. Dror responded well to the pressure by dodging an on rushing defender and releasing a solid 43-yard punt deep into Alabama State territory.

Dror credits his success in college to the training he had during high school and the poise he developed playing for Blair. "I had a lot of confidence from my senior year and thought that I would do well at Howard,” said Dror.

However, adjusting to the new life of being a college-athlete was not always easy. Dror feels his grades could've been better and hopes to focus on academics when football season is over. Dror has found playing collegiate football to be much more demanding than high school as there are two to three hour practices everyday during the season in addition to team meetings and rigorous off-season workouts.

After a particularly good practice for Dror a Buffalo Bills scout told him that he has a very strong leg and if he works hard could make it into the NFL.

Playing professional football is a dream and goal the Dror has had for many years and he hopes to do so after college. "I plan to try my hardest to make it into the NFL, if not I will play in the CFL and NFL Europe,” said Dror.

For now Dror has three more years at Howard where he will look to establish himself as a premier collegiate punter and hopefully he will be punting in the NFL sometime in the future.