[Tampa Bay Buccaneers News]

HUNTINGTON -- Somehow, "John Wade" and "10-year NFL veteran" just don't seem to fit.

Yes, Wade is long removed from his Marshall University football career, but 10 years? It's like that high school reunion that sneaks up in a cruel way, reminding you that your run as a twentysomething is about done.

Life in the NFL is rough enough, let alone as an offensive lineman. Still the Tampa Bay Buccaneers center, a 1998 draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, doesn't look or carry the part. There's no hitch in Wade's stride, and he frankly looks much like the Thundering Herd senior who led the program into Division I-A football in 1997.

"Thanks," Wade recently said with a laugh. "It goes by pretty fast. People told me that when I was a rookie coming in. And now I'm going on my 10th year. It has gone by fast, looking back.

"I don't feel like (a 10-year veteran). I still feel like I'm 21. I'm not sure if my body still does what it did at 21, but I feel pretty good. I can't complain.

"Football has been good to me and I've enjoyed it."

MU Football: A decade and more for Wade <span class="story_bodycopy"> <p>HUNTINGTON -- Somehow, "John Wade" and "10-year NFL veteran" just don't seem to fit.</p><p>Yes, Wade is long removed from his Marshall University football career, but 10 years?