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Vladimir Ducasse was focused on his workouts for the Senior Bowl - maybe the most important game of his football career - when the earthquake struck his native Haiti.
It was two days before he learned that his family was safe. The home he grew up in suffered only minor damage. He knows his relatives are the lucky ones in an impoverished nation devastated by the Jan. 12 disaster.
Now the offensive tackle from the University of Massachusetts is especially determined to impress pro scouts as he takes the last few steps in an unusual journey toward the NFL.
``That's the only way I can help like I want to help,'' Ducasse said Friday. ``I'm going to the Senior Bowl, combine, NFL draft. Now people are not going to see just me, they're going to see the whole country. I'm representing the whole country.''
That's just the latest twist in a life that took him from Port-au-Prince to Stamford, Conn., at age 14 to live with an aunt and uncle, to a state university that never will be confused with a football factory.
The last player from the school who was drafted was linebacker Khari Samuel in 1999 by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round. Ducasse, an agile 6-foot-5, 330-pounder, could be drafted higher than any player from that Football Championship Series school since 1968, when quarterback Greg Landry was chosen in the first round by the Detroit Lions.
Several draft predictions have him going in the top three rounds. Bob Otrando, the team's strength and conditioning coach, said, ``I've got a buddy of mine with an NFL team, who runs the scouting department. He said if he was making the calls, (Ducasse) would go in the first round.''
Ducasse was scheduled to leave Saturday for Mobile, Ala., where the Senior Bowl will be played the following Saturday. It's a showcase for seniors to try and improve their draft prospects in front of pro scouts and coaches.
``It's a blessing to come from Haiti and be here right now,'' Ducasse said. ``I never thought it could have been possible.''
When he was 5, his mother died. He was about 6 when he first heard what would become a frequent nighttime sound - shooting outside his home. He was 8 or 9 when a man put a gun to his father's head and stole the family's new car and money.
Delinois Ducasse is an accountant with the Banque de la Republique d'Haiti. He sent Vladimir and his other son, MacArthur, to Connecticut to get a good education. Vladimir hasn't been back since. He had never heard of football before the move.
``He was just so raw,'' said Stamford High football coach Kevin Jones, who praised Ducasse as a very hard worker. ``Everything was at ground zero when he started.''
But Ducasse had played soccer and basketball and had taken tennis lessons in Haiti. He had the size and athleticism that Jones liked. Still, he didn't start for the varsity until his junior season.
He eventually developed into an FCS All-American and appears headed for a lucrative NFL contract.
``He probably wishes the draft were right now so he could get money and send it right away to Haiti,'' Jones said. ``Everything about the kid says he's a quality human being.''
Otrando doesn't expect a much bigger bank account to go to Ducasse's head or change his dedication.
``When you've come this far,'' Otrando said, ``why change?''
Soft-spoken and quick to smile, Ducasse has a serenity about him even with all the death and destruction in his homeland.
``I know what happened is a real tragedy back there,'' he said. ``I know that making the NFL pretty much is the only way for me to help them. So I'm really calm. I'm just waiting for everything to come my way and make everything happen and, hopefully, when everything settles down, I'll be able to help.''
Ducasse and teammate Jeromy Miles, who is from New Jersey, were spending time there working out during the semester break when the earthquake struck. Ducasse was in his bed, about to go to sleep, when he received a text message with the news. He turned on the television and saw video of what should have looked familiar.
``From the pictures, I was able to tell where some of the streets were, but others you couldn't tell,'' he said.
He called his brother in Stamford who eventually talked with their father, who is still in Haiti. Ducasse's stepmother, stepbrother and stepsister left later for Miami.
Ducasse still hasn't talked with his father, the man who taught his children independence.
``He tried to do everything for us to be comfortable enough, but not too comfortable,'' Ducasse said. ``He trusted us to do the right thing.''
Once he knew his family was safe, Ducasse could continue to dedicate himself with minimal distraction to preparing for the Senior Bowl practices and game.
``I still look at the news sometime and see what's going on and it hurts me,'' he said, ``but you've just got to stay focused.''
