Northwood football star Tobais Palmer stands on the track, stretching and preparing to run the 40-yard dash. The whistle blows, and he takes off, sprinting as hard as he can.
“I timed him in class running a 4.21 second 40-yard dash; you can’t teach that,” former football coach Bill Hall said.
The top speed ever run at the NFL Combine, an event where NFL draft prospects show off their athleticism and skills prior to draft day, is 4.24 seconds, ran by East Carolina’s Chris Johnson in 2008.
“[Palmer] was in elite company when it comes to speed,” Hall said. “That was his main asset.”
Palmer graduated from Northwood in 2008 and recently signed to play football with the Pittsburgh Steelers, his fifth NFL team in three seasons. Palmer was recently back at Northwood as an Online Coordinator. He left March 23 to go to training camp. Palmer played college football at Georgia Military College and N.C. State. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars and has had additional stints with the San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills, along with the Steelers.
“It’s a blessing to able to play in the NFL,” Palmer said. “It’s a great opportunity to go out there and play with some of the best athletes in the world.”
An athlete Palmer played with that stood out to him was Phillip Rivers. Rivers is the quarterback of the San Diego Chargers and also attended N.C. State.
“He has helped me out throughout my career and gave me some tips and pointers on what I needed to do to tighten up my game,” Palmer said.
Palmer graduated from N.C. State in 2013.
“My proudest moment for Tobais was the day he got that degree,” Hall said. “I’m glad he’s at Northwood, and I’m glad he’s part of the family.”
Palmer says playing football in the NFL is different than playing in college and in high school.
“In the NFL, everybody is fast on the field; even the refs are fast,” Palmer said. “You have to be smarter and understand the system.”
Palmer’s professional career has had its ups and downs. In a preseason game during his first season with Jacksonville, Palmer muffed a punt.
“I still remember it,” Palmer said. “I felt I could have made a huge impact in that organization, and not being able to catch that punt when I needed to bothered me and still does to this day.”
Despite facing adversity throughout his career, Palmer says he plans to continue to play until his body says he can not do it anymore.
“There is always a time in life where you hit rock bottom, and it feels like you want to give up,” Palmer said. “But there is always that competitiveness inside of me that keeps telling me to keep going and to not give up on whatever I am working for or working towards.”
As a member of the Buffalo Bills, Palmer caught his first touchdown since arriving in the NFL this past preseason.
“It felt good,” Palmer said. “After experiencing quite a letdown in my first couple seasons, to see I still have the capability to get back in the end zone felt great.”
When his playing career ends, Palmer still expects to be involved in the game.
“I could possibly be coaching football here or just coaching football in general,” Palmer said. “I might not be able to play, but I can still have ties to the game and be able to take the knowledge and years of experience I have and provide it to others.”
When Palmer was at Northwood as a student, he accomplished many things in the world of athletics. He was two-time Offensive Player of the Year in the conference and also won the Chatham County Male Athlete of the Year award. For track, Palmer won the men’s 2A 100 meter state championship as a senior and set a 2A new record in the event with the time of 10.58 seconds. The record has since been broken.
Palmer’s football jersey is retired at Northwood, which means no other Northwood football player can wear his number.
“It means a lot,” Palmer said. “Being the first the person out of Northwood to make it to the NFL is a blessing, and just to have my name in the rafters here is truly an honor.”
Palmer used his family, friends and religion to stay motivated in high school.
“In high school, I was a firm believer in being very religious, keeping God first and just staying faithful to who I am,” Palmer said. “I surrounded myself with positive people to make sure I kept focus on where I wanted to be in life.”
Others at Northwood say Palmer was great on and off the field.
“He was a great teammate,” Hall said. “He was team captain; the kids loved him; he was well respected by the faculty, just a good kid.”
Palmer developed and matured throughout his high school career, according to Hall.
“He learned he had to get in the weight room, and his overall maturity as far as working in the classroom improved,” Hall said.
The most important thing Palmer learned from Northwood was to not forget who you are or where you come from.
“Coming from Northwood, it’s a very small town, and just being able to say that I made it out of Pittsboro, North Carolina has been a blessing,” Palmer said.
– By Davis Palermo