In the Huddle: Purdue receiver Mershawn Rice

Mershawn Rice earned a red belt in martial arts.

He started his football career as a defensive end.

And why is his dog named Ivy?

What’s your first football memory?

I played defensive end my first time, and I was running straight to the ball wherever the ball was. I wasn’t even doing what I was supposed to do. That was my first introduction to football. I had fun and continued to play that way.

How old were you?

I was five or six.

Did you just play defense?

The first year I did, but the second year I started to play offense and running back. I played quarterback in middle school.

When did you become a receiver?

Right before high school. I played running back, but I had a growth spurt. I was 6-foot, 6-foot-1, 150, 160 pounds and I’m going to try receiver. It’s worked out.

If you didn’t play football, what would you be doing?

I’m heavy into martial arts and Taekwondo. I’m a UFC fan. I did martial arts and Taekwondo growing up and I was a red belt. It would probably be something in MMA. I did some kickboxing in the offseason.

If the team needs a bodyguard, are you it?

Yeah.

If I need a bodyguard …

I got you too.

Where did that interest come from?

I went to a school where we did a lot of different things. We played tennis one week and played soccer the next week and then martial arts and we rotated that way.  I would be playing little league football after and it was an 8-4 school day, we go to the gym, and we do tennis, soccer, or martial arts and then from 6-8, I had football practice. It was like that every day. I really loved martial arts because the discipline part of it relates to football. Those are my No. 1 and No. 2 sports.

What’s the appeal of martial arts?

It’s the discipline. You learn you could really hurt somebody, but the way you have to go about it is you have to be focused at all times. You can’t let people get you out of your character to where you could hurt somebody and put yourself in a worse situation. It’s similar to football, where you’re playing offense, you catch the ball, and they throw you out of bounds, trying to get a reaction out of you. You have to stay disciplined.

Were you in martial arts competitions?

I did tournaments growing up. It was forms and fighting. I got medals in both over a couple of years.

What will you do with marital arts after you’re done playing football?

We will see. It could be a workout thing that I do similar to kickboxing with Abdur (Rahmaan Yaseen) in the offseason.

Why do you like those types of workouts?

Growing up, I had a lot of energy, and it was a way to focus my energy on something. It’s not the easiest to learn how to kick the right way. You have to kick a certain way with the ball of your foot so you don’t break your toes or bring it a certain way to protect your knee from twisting. All the little things, little details, is what I loved about it.

What would you be doing if you didn’t play sports or get involved in martial arts?

It would have to be fitness. I just love fitness. I love running around. I was running around as a kid before I got put into football. I love being in good shape and things like that.

Is there anything special about the name Mershawn? Did it come from another family member?

It’s my dad’s middle name, but we changed one letter. His is Marshawn and we changed the “a” to an “e” for my name.

What is something else your teammates don’t know about you?

I’m pretty much an open book. They know I love my dogs. I love to joke around a little bit. I’m a very positive person. There’s nothing they really don’t know.

How many dogs?

I have two – Ivy and Nyla.

Why those names?

My girlfriend’s dog is Nyla. My dog’s name is Ivy. It’s named after poison ivy. My mom got poison ivy before, and I just remembered when I was naming my dog. I like it and sometimes I call her poison.

Do the dogs get along?

Yeah, they do.

Just like you and your girlfriend.

Yeah, we’re all good. We’re all good.

Twenty years from now, you’ll be doing what?

Being here in college, I’ve gotten interested in being in front of the camera and reading off a teleprompter. Even working behind the camera and learning how to use a camera from my comms classes, I was able to get that experience. I think it was nice. I’m doing an internship at Levy Restaurants and I’m enjoying that as well.

What do you do for them?

I did a plate-up event, and also moved tables and chairs and helped set up different events. You get an insight into how the opposite side is because, as athletes, we walk in, and the dinner is already set up. This year, I got to set up the event and the next day, I got to eat at the event. It was interesting.

Did you serve your teammates?

No. I didn’t do that. I didn’t serve them, but I was eating next to them, and I knew the people helping us out.

Did it give you a better appreciation for what people do for the football players and athletes?

Yeah, and it’s nice to see everything that goes into it. When you’re not involved, you can just simplify things for other people and not really know everything they have to do. But there’s a lot of little details that people do and it’s nice to see a different perspective.

You’ve been injured a lot since you’ve been here and how have you coped with that?

Well, I’ve been praying. It’s the only thing I could do. After that, I tried to see what the lesson was that I had to learn. There’s a lot of things happening. The surgery, there were a lot of family things happening where I had to learn something. When I first got here with the hamstring, I had to learn something, and I just apply it to how I practice now and how I view everything. I just take it as a life lesson.

What is the No. 1 lesson you’ve learned here?

Don’t take it for granted. You cannot take it for granted. It’s easy to take things for granted when you get in a rhythm of doing things and you think it’s supposed to be this way or it’s supposed to be that way. When I got here, I had my own plan, but things didn’t work out. I had to learn I’ve got to practice harder when I get the chance because it can be taken away, like the foot injury against Notre Dame when I was in a rhythm with Aidan (O’Connell) and it gets taken away just like that.