By Derrick Ow — Reporter
Kevin Cummings grew up as a Laker fan waiting outside of The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
He wanted to get a glimpse of his favorite Laker players. However, he knows that venue for a different reason.
“When I would get in trouble, my mom would make me run laps around the Forum,” Cummings said.
Cummings and his family would see Shaquille O’Neal stop and say hello to them. Kobe Bryant would occasionally wave but otherwise would drive straight into the venue.
Sharing memories of his idol made Cummings feel like a kid again.
While sports fans are still mourning the loss of the Laker Icon, Cummings remembers seeing the work ethic Bryant brought to the court.
“He set a standard for the mentality you have to have to be successful,” Cummings said. “He is the gold standard of hard work and focus.”
Cummings carried those traits to San Jose State.
He served four seasons as the wide receivers coach and helped the Spartans wide receiving core become one of the best in the country.
He has helped Bailey Gaither and Tre Walker climb the record books all-time Spartan receiving records. Both players will have futures playing on Sunday.
He assisted Isiah Hamiliton and Jermaine Braddock to become integral parts of the high-powered Spartan offense.
Before the 2020 championship season, 247 Sports named Cummings as one of the best assistant coaches under the age of 30 in college football.
Football has always been in Cummings DNA.
His dad played college football at Central State University in Ohio. He also played in the Candian Football League for the Toronto Argonauts.
Cummings fell in love with football at Crespi High School in Encino, Calif.
“I only played one year of pop warner,” Cummings said. “I was kinda of a late bloomer but it has been football my whole life.”
He played wide receiver and defensive back for the Celts. During his senior season, he made some noise on the football field. He caught 25 receptions for 520 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, he made 20 tackles with three interceptions and two touchdowns.
Cummings started to get recruited as a junior in high school and he attended a camp at UCLA where he met current San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan that same year.
Cummings ended up at Oregon State where the Beavers were in the process of finding a new receivers coach.
Their new receiving coach ended up being Coach Brennan.
“When I found out that it was Coach Brennan I was so happy,” Cummings said. “He pushed me to go to the next level and was a great teacher.
During his time as a Beaver, Cummings had six career receiving touchdowns. It was after his final collegiate game at the 2013 Hawai’i Bowl that his career path changed forever.
Cummings had a conversation with then Beavers head coach Mike Riley. Riley asked what his plans were after graduation.
“I told him that I want to keep playing football while I can,” Cummings said. “He told me to keep playing football but as soon as that stops you come and start coaching.”
Cummings would play in the CFL and then the Arena Football League in 2014. He came back to Oregon State to become a quality control coach for the wide recievers.
Cummings saw first hand what it meant to be a football coach.
His dad coached him throughout high school and saw the impact that he had on his teammates.
“I was able to see the relationship that he built with my teammates,” Cummings said. “Seeing that made me realize that I can impact lives just like he did.”
Brennan would end up getting hired to be the head coach of SJSU in 2017. He hired Cummings to become his wide receiving coach in Silicon Valley.
Cummings had to learn how to become an assistant coach on the fly. Brennan was there to guide him along the way.
“He had not been a full-time coach before,” Brennan said. “I had to spend a lot of time helping him in meetings.”
Brennan is proud of his pupil getting accustomed to being a full- time assistant coach.
“It is awesome to see that he is building a rapport with his players,” Brennan said. “He is a young coach but he is incredibly hungry to learn and improve.”
The results speak for themselves. In 2017, the Spartans were 87th in passing offense. In 2020, they finished 19th with 298 yards per game.
It has not been a typical season for the Spartans. They did not have spring ball or a usual training camp. Due to local COVID-19 restrictions, SJSU had to relocate to Humboldt State to start training camp. In December the team was once again on the move due to the Santa Clara County ban on contact sports.
The Spartans claimed the Mountain West Championship title in their temporary home in Las Vegas to cap off the historic season.
For Cummings and his wife it has been a blessing. They welcomed their first child Malia into the world during the offseason.
Cummings has had to adjust to being a father and an assistant coach during a pandemic. He wouldn’t change anything for the world.
“The quarantine has been a blessing in disguise because I was able to be with her all day long,” Cummings said, “We have been growing together and it has been awesome.”
Kevin Cummings grew up a kid from Inglewood looking to get a glimpse of his Laker idols. Now, he is inspiring young men to become champions on and off the field.
Now he will begin his next chapter as the wide receivers coach at Arizona.
Follow Derrick on Twitter @DerrickQ42