Moon Township, Pa. – In his first collegiate football game, James Noel put on a virtuoso performance: Two sacks, an interception and 12 tackles.
It would serve as a preview to one of the great defensive careers in the rich history of the Robert Morris program.
A punishing linebacker from 2002-2005, this four-time All-American still owns school records in tackles (437), solo stops (179) and tackles for a loss (40.5, which is tied with former defensive lineman Matt Grayson).
Noel is fourth all-time with 16.5 sacks and claims honors such as the 2002 Northeast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2004 NEC Defensive Player of the Year.
In celebration of its 20th season of football last October, the NEC unveiled a list of the "27 Greatest Players in NEC Football History." Noel was one of the selections.
"It was a great ride at Robert Morris," Noel said recently. "I loved my time there."
Amazing part is, Noel played football for only two years at North Miami High School prior to his arrival at RMU. His parents, who migrated from Haiti, did not prioritize the game.
"Even though football was pretty new, I adjusted quickly because they instilled a strong work ethic in me," said Noel, who was 6'0", 225 pounds in his playing days. "They came here with nothing, so it was instilled in us to push ourselves hard. Me and Clifton Jean-Jacques (teammate and roommate) were undersized in high school and college, so we always had to prove ourselves to everyone.
"I remember coming in my freshman year and being stronger than the seniors. I was thinking, 'What's going on here? This is ridiculous.' It was because I worked so hard. That's all I knew."
These days, Noel is back in Miami, working as a systems engineer at an insurance company. He and his wife, high school sweetheart Heather, welcomed their first child, daughter Mia, two months ago.
Noel, 33, gets his competitive fix these days by way of intense cross-training workouts at a gym owned by former Robert Morris player Moises Hernandez (2003-06). He also plays flag football, with an emphasis on "flag."
"Non-contact, for sure," said Noel, who earned an undergraduate degree in health service administration and a master's in communication information systems. "It's something I like doing. It doesn't pay the bills, so it's for fun. My competitive genes start to kick in once I start playing, but now I get to play offense. I don't have to be a punisher anymore."
After leaving Robert Morris, Noel attempted a professional football career with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Quarterback Quincy Carter, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys, was the Alouttes' marquee attraction.
Noel was released prior to the season, which effectively ended his football career. He considered trying out for other teams, but life took a turn when he received word that his father, Jean-Claude, had been diagnosed with cancer. The younger Noel felt it was imperative that he be by his father's side.
"My agent said to me, 'Football is a business and you have to separate business and personal life,'" Noel said. "I said, 'The personal side is too important to me. I'm going to walk away and take care of my father.'"
Jean-Claude Noel died three years later.
"I don't regret for a second being with him," Noel said. "I know it was the right decision."
As a player, Noel was a unique talent and unique personality. He would lead dances at the 50-yard line prior to games. He also made an impression on his coaches and teammates in that career-opening game against Buffalo State.
After every tackle, Noel would help Buffalo State players up, shake their hands, then say: "Let me introduce myself. I'm number 48 and I'm going to punish you. You're going to see me all day."
Noel laughs when re-living such moments.
"Football was just fun for me," he said. "It was pure. It was a game. I loved playing in college. But once it was over, I lost some of my interest. I coached Pop Warner for three or four years when my wife's little brothers were playing. I enjoyed teaching them, but some of the things around the game I didn't like anymore. People were looking at it as a job instead of a game. Football should be at its purest form when kids are young, but I kept noticing that it wasn't that way. I'd see adults betting on little league games. It wasn't fun. I walked away."
Still, when Noel was between the white lines, few did it better. Current RMU defensive coordinator
Scott Farison witnessed the latter's greatness first-hand as a Colonials linebackers coach.
"He was a true middle linebacker," Farison said. "He wasn't the fastest guy, but he got to the football. He was an unbelievably hard hitter. He was one of those guys who didn't need a lot of space to create an impact. I haven't been here since the start of the program, but if he's not the best, he's definitely in the discussion, for sure."
When Noel won the NEC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, he played much of the season with a torn meniscus. He was forced to wear a brace and had to have the knee drained after every game. Despite great pain and discomfort, Noel was able to prosper.
He credited his daily workout regimen for helping him through.
"After every game, I'd get up in the morning the next day and go to the gym," Noel said. "In Miami, I worked out with (former NFL star running back) Willis McGahee and his Godfather in the offseason. They stressed working out just as hard during the season as in the offseason. A lot of people don't do that, but we always felt that the body needed to have that strength year-round. You don't want to get weak. That really helped me in the fourth quarter of games because I had that extra reserve in my tank. I was doing squats after games. That's why I didn't have to get surgery. Those workouts were the difference for me."
So was playing for legendary defensive coordinator Dan Radakovich. It was Radakovich who kept Noel humble, while also pushing him to be his best.
"I couldn't have done it without him," Noel said. "At first, I thought he was crazy. I thought he was senile. I was thinking, 'What is this guy talking about?' After that first game, I thought he'd praise me. But he pointed out all the things that I did wrong. In time, I learned that the more he yelled, the more he liked you. Then, in my junior and senior years, he didn't even call my name. I said to him, 'I miss you yelling at me.' And he said, 'You're OK. I don't have to anymore.'"
All these years later, Noel still keeps up with many of his teammates. Sometimes they travel together or visit via cyberspace. It is that crew that he misses more than anything else when reflecting on his days at RMU.
"I remember being in our rooms and blasting reggae music or playing dominoes or eating pizza together," Noel said. "That's what it was all about, that camaraderie. I got so much from my time there. I went into college barely able to type a paper. The teachers really worked with me and understood where I came from. Being there really broadened my horizons and opened up my mind. I feel fortunate to have gone to school there."
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