When a great athlete leaves a school, he passes from the realm of the present to that of the whispers and tales of those who surround the place.

Everyone soon has a story about him that clarifies why they are still talked about years later.

He becomes a legend, a near-mythical figure who finds a niche in the lore of the school that extends beyond the team pictures and trophies in the glass case.

Former Warren Central running back Larry Warner is one of those athletes. The Viking great is set to finish a stellar college career at Southern Illinois this season.

One of those stories is from the 2004 Red Carpet Bowl, when the then-prep senior torched Southaven for 301 yards on eight carries and four touchdowns in a 33-7 win. For those keeping score at home, that’s 37.6 yards a carry.

Warner went 99 yards on one of those TDs, using his cutback ability and quick burst to run free.

When asked about how to stop the dimunitive back, Southaven coach Calvin Aldridge said simply, “build a fence.”

“He was a joy for the coaches, the players, the spectators, the teachers, the principals,” Warren Central coach Curtis Brewer said. “Everybody at this school loved Larry. People at our games were afraid to buy a hot dog, because they were afraid to miss him do something spectacular.”

Another is from the time when Warner, a gamer to the core, had an abscessed tooth that needed a dentist’s attention. But if he went to the dentist, he’d likely miss the Vicksburg game the next night.

Warner decided he’d try to take care of it himself.

“I tried pulling out that morning,” Warner said.

Needless to say, Warner was playing. The tooth was pulled before kickoff and Warner played the rest of the game with a jury-rigged pad on his jaw to protect it. According to Warner, it was experience he’d rather not repeat.

Adding to his legend is Warner’s small stature. Generously listed at 5-5 and 160 pounds, Warner has been dismissed as too small all his life. But he’s made a habit of turning doubters into believers at every stop in his career.

“He’s as quick as a hiccup,” WC assistant and former head coach Robert Morgan said. “When his chance finally came, we felt like fools. Once he got in, you couldn’t get him out.”

Warner feels that despite his slight build, he’s done a good job of using it to his advantage.

“I get hit a lot, but I’m small, low to the ground, so I don’t normally get hit hard unless it’s a blindside lick,” Warner said. “I’ve gotten pretty good at shifting my body to avoid that big hit. I always feel like every time I touch the football, I can score, but it’s not because of me, but because of the guys blocking for me. Any time I score, it is a total team effort.”

His size has been an asset, as he has set a school-record for kickoff return touchdowns this season (three) at SIU and is a candidate for the Walter Payton Award, which is awarded to the best overall player in the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision, the former NCAA Division I-AA) while leading the Salukis (9-2) to the FCS playoffs.

SIU will host New Hampshire (9-2) in the first round of the FCS playoffs in Carbondale on Saturday at 1 p.m.

“He’s just a very dynamic player,” first-year SIU coach Dale Lennon said. “He’s got a great deal of talent and he plays with every ounce of effort he has. He’s a very durable back and he’s got such a big heart.”

This season, Warner has been the catalyst for the Salukis on offense. He has rushed 192 times for 1,172 yards  for a 6.1 per carry average with 10 touchdowns, which ranks him 25th nationally in the FCS. Out of the backfield, Warner has caught 24 passes for 185 yards.

“We’ve really tried to make an effort to get him the football,” Lennon said. “We try to get him five to six catches a game because teams are really keying on him at tailback. We’re always thinking of ways to get him the ball in open space where he can utilize his special skills.

“He’s strong and quick and you can’t get a solid hit on him, but he’s tough enough to take them. That’s where all the hard work he puts into it has him at the top of his game.”

This year, Lennon decided to use Warner as the Salukis’ primary return man and Warner has come through in a big way. Warner has returned 17 punts for 189 yards, averaging 11.1 yards per return. On kickoffs, Warner has gained 643 yards on 23 returns with three touchdowns and averages 34.4 yards per return, third in the FCS. Last season, Warner only returned kickoffs and did not score.

“It’s very exciting,” Warner said. “I just love having the football in my hands and playing on special teams has been fun. I think it’s really added to my game and made me a better player.”

Lennon feels that Warner’s best shot in the professional ranks, be it the NFL, arena football or even the Canadian Football League, will be as a return specialist.

“He’s one of the top returners in the country at any level,” Lennon said. “It’s gotten to the point where they nearly always kick away from him. I think he’ll have his best shot as a return specialist at the next level.”

While Warner has become a fan favorite in Carbondale, he is still talked about at Warren Central, where praise of him is a growth industry. Nearly everyone at the Viking football complex has a story about Warner.

The WC coaching staff wanted to play him, just not in the backfield. But Warner stuck to his guns despite their concerns over his ability to take the pounding an every-down back takes.

“I always wanted to play running back,” Warner said. “They wanted to play me at slot receiver, but I wanted to stay at running back. I always felt that I could be a running back. Then a few injuries happened and Coach (Morgan) told me I wasn’t going anywhere.”

As a junior in 2003, Warner began a meteoric rise from buried in the four-deep to starting tailback. Fred Payne, the Vikings’ starter, went down and Warner made the most of his opportunity. His first two carries as a starter against Forest Hill were fumbles, but after that, he burst onto the state scene. Against Forest Hill, he gained 43 yards, then 64 against Greenville. He scorched Madison Central for 204 yards, Murrah for 263 and Grenada for 216. In 2003, despite not starting every contest, Warner rushed 149 times for 1,062 yards and nine touchdowns. He caught eight passes for 78 yards.

In 2004, he fought through a slow-healing high ankle sprain. When it was re-aggravated, sending him to the sidelines in a playoff game against Tupelo, Warner refused to call it a day despite not being able to put weight on the joint.

“They had to carry me off,” Warner said. “At halftime, it (the ankle) hurt so bad. But at that moment, I didn’t want that to be the last time for me out with our guys. I was in the locker room tearing up about it.

“Coach (Brewer) told me I was done. But I just got it taped up, got the adrenaline flowing. I wanted that game.”

Despite the ankle injury, he finished 2004 with numbers that would be the envy of any back. He ran for 1,852 yards on 168 carries with 18 touchdowns, an amazing 11-yard per carry average. He also caught eight balls for 129 yards and a score and returned a punt 40 yards for another TD.

Despite those gaudy stats, Warner would then have to weather the sting of not receiving an offer from any of the Big Three (Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss) schools. But then, the ultimate slight was delivered as Hinds Community College did not protect him, thus allowing him to sign at Gulf Coast in Perkinston.

He spent a year behind Dantrell Savage, who played at Oklahoma State and then Warner exploded onto the national scene as a NJCAA All-American in his sophomore season. Warner ran for 1,237 yards and 12 touchdowns on 169 carries, but the only nibbles he got were from Louisiana Tech, ULM and Southern Illinois.

Only one wanted Warner as their primary tailback. Warner was headed to Carbondale.

“I think it’s put a chip on my shoulder,” Warner said. “I’m thankful that some schools have taken a chance on me and given me an opportunity. But when you’re my size, you have to work twice as hard.”

In 2007, Warner split time in the backfield, but still rushed for 525 yards on 85 carries with five touchdowns.

With the Salukis headed for the postseason for a second consecutive year, Warner still has some football in front of him. He feels that he’s proven at every level, despite his stature, that he can be a productive player.

“I really think that a player of Larry’s size could be very successful in the CFL,” Lennon said. “He would be a great fit in the CFL, where it is a very wide-open game and they play on a larger field.”

If football doesn’t work out, the recreation major is headed to grad school in Carbondale.

And he just wants a chance to again do what he’s done best all of his career, prove the doubters wrong.

“I just want the opportunity to help the team,” Warner said.

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Contact Steve Wilson at swilson@vicksburgpost.com