MADISON (WITI) -- Iowa Coach Kirk Ferenz, whose team hosts the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, November 22nd, says he hasn't seen anybody like running back Melvin Gordon in the past 15 years. Then again, he hasn't met Gordon's mom!
With last Saturday's record-shattering 408-yard performance against Nebraska, Gordon proved to the nation what Badgers fans already knew. But did you know that by his own admission, Melvin Gordon is a Mama's boy?
"I am, I am. I love my mom," Melvin Gordon said.
"He is. He's always been. It's cool," Carmelita Gordon said.
"But I love my pops too. But my mom -- she tries to be here for everything. She don't miss a game. She don't miss a beat. Since I've been little, she never missed one. Even in college, you know -- to take off from work and I know it's expensive to travel. She made it work. So I'm happy. I'm a proud son," Melvin Gordon said.
"I mean, there's no secrets. We have a good relationship. I love him, and he loves me. We have an open relationship. We talk about everything. We do a lot of things together," Carmelita Gordon said.
That's because from the time Melvin was a little boy, Carmelita Gordon made a promise to herself.
"When I grew up, I didn't have the support from my mom. Even though I wasn't in sports, I made a thing with myself that I was always gonna be there for Melvin, no matter what. Whatever he did, I was gonna be there. I wasn't gonna miss out on anything," Carmelita Gordon said.
The first time then-Coach Jed Kennedy laid eyes on Gordon Melvin at Kenosha's Bradford High School, he told Melvin's father he wasn't going to have to pay for his son's college education.
Mom offers a perspective that pre-dates high school!
"I didn't think that he was a special football player, but he didn't want to do housework, so I figured he was gonna do something special in life -- because I didn't get him to do any housework. Once he started maybe playing Little League, then his dad and I kinda knew that he was something special," Carmelita Gordon said.
So what is it like for a mom to have a son who's so very gifted, and has a chance to be great in the NFL?
"It's a privilege, of course. I mean, he's worked hard. I'm happy for him. I'm proud as a mom. I hope he continues on the same path, you know, because sometimes things happen and kids get off track -- but I'm going to be there to the end," Carmelita Gordon said.
Heisman Trophy, Doak Walker, Walter Camp -- Melvin Gordon's up for all the national awards. That's heady stuff -- but Carmelita Gordon says she doesn't ever expect her son to get a big head.
"Because I taught him you can lose everything in a minute, so always be appreciative of where you're at and what you're doing and hard work. He's very humble, and I've taught him that coming up -- he's a big football fan, but at home, he's my son. If I need the grass cut, you're going to cut the grass," Carmelita Gordon said.
Running on the grass or mowing it - MGIII is a cut above!
Melvin Gordon could have gone to the NFL last year, but based on what he's accomplished so far this season, staying at Wisconsin for one more season turned out to be the best decision for the best running back in college football.