SEIBERT: Rocky Mount provides the foundation for FCS record holder

Jerry Rice is the greatest wide receiver ever to grace a football field.

His routes were crisp. His hands caught nearly every ball thrown his way. He made even the best cornerbacks in the NFL look foolish.

His name is about to move to second on the alltime career receiving yards list in FCS history, though.

Rice can thank the Twin Counties for producing the athlete who only needs 35 yards receiving Saturday to surpass Rice’s record.

Terrell Hudgins surely will gain those 35 yards against Western Carolina, and this area should be proud.

Hudgins played high school football at Rocky Mount High where he earned the 2004-05 NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year award. He led the Gryphons to several playoffs appearances as the team’s starting quarterback.

Hudgins committed to East Carolina, but he decided to transfer after the Pirates wanted him to play linebacker.

Think the Pirates are kicking themselves for missing out on Hudgins’ talent?

The senior wide receiver owns eight school records and eight Southern Conference records.

The final one — eclipsing Rice’s 25-year-old record — is the pinnacle.

NFLdraftscout.com has Hudgins ranked as the 32nd best wide receiver headed into the 2010 NFL Draft.

His value and his place on many draft boards continues to rise — and for good reason.

Hudgins is the alltime Division I career receptions leader (354) and owns the most 100-yard receiving games of any receiver in FCS history (24).

When Hudgins steps onto the football field at Western Carolina, he will be one big play away from making history Saturday, surpassing a great and turning himself into a legend.

He told Rocky Mount Telegram sports editor Jessie H. Nunery more than a month ago that his records are nice, but he wants them to match the success of the Phoenix football team.

Elon is ranked No. 6 in nearly every FCS poll, and a shot at a national championship is not out of reach.

The 6-foot-2, 236-pound receiver has brought a positive vibe to an area with a lot of negative attention.

Sure, he plays football 120 miles from his home, but the star’s roots remain in Rocky Mount.

This area has a right to be proud.

His parents should be commended.

The coaches who taught him the lessons he uses on and off the field should be thanked.

More importantly, the area that watched Hudgins grow into a record-setting phenom on Division I football fields across the country deserves recognition.

So think about Hudgins on Saturday and celebrate his success as one of the better wide receivers in FCS history.

Sports writer Trevor Seibert can be reached at 407-9952 or tseibert@coxnc.com