Monte & Jed: They have played football together (almost) forever

By John Dell, JOURNAL REPORTER

Monte & Jed: They have played football together through Pop Warner, Parkland and now WSSU

Quarterback Monte Purvis and running back Jed Bines of Winston-Salem State have been together so long it’s hard to imagine one without the other.

They met as eager 9-year-olds trying to learn football and wound up on the same team. They have been teammates ever since, together for 13 seasons.

“I was actually the quarterback,” Bines proudly announced, regarding their first team, “and Monte was a running back.”

Before Bines could finish his sentence, Purvis chimed in: “Yeah, but that didn’t last long because I was quarterback in the next game.”

Purvis and Bines, now 22 and fifth-year seniors, will start their last season together Saturday, when WSSU opens against N.C. A&T at Bowman Gray Stadium.

During their younger days, they teamed on two Pop Warner national-championship teams - triumphs documented in a scrapbook by Purvis’ parents, Darlene and Randolph.

As high-school juniors, they teamed to help Parkland win the Class 3-A state title, in 2001.

They have been separated at times. Purvis was a four-year starter at Parkland, and Bines spent much of his freshman season on the junior varsity before moving up. They also were apart during redshirt seasons at WSSU.

“It’s great that they have come this far,” Darlene Purvis said. “It’s rare to see two friends like that stay together for so long. And they’ve grown up now and will graduate. That’s something I’m thrilled about.”


Running back Jed Bines (1) and quarterback Monte Purvis (4) met as 9-year-olds. They won two Pop Warner national football championships together and went on to star at Parkland. Now they are both 22 and fifth-year seniors at WSSU. (Journal photo by Bruce Chapman / Photos courtesy of family)


Purvis and Bines come from different backgrounds. Purvis always had a stable home life. Bines, as a 5-year-old, saw his mother killed and was raised by his grandmother, Irene Williams. Without Williams, Bines said, he doesn’t know where he would be.

“I know she’ll be at all the home games, and she’s been so supportive of me,” Bines said of Williams, whom he calls Mama. “She was always with me when I was young and went through some tough times.”

Williams is a strong-willed person who taught Bines not only to respect people but also to always appreciate things in life. She also passed her strong faith on to Bines. “I always pray for Jed, more than he knows,” she said.

Williams said she wasn’t at all surprised that Bines did what he had to in the classroom last year after being academically ineligible.

“He’s always been determined, and he wanted to play football again, so he wasn’t going to be denied,” Williams said.

Williams said that Bines was a natural with a football from the age of 2 or 3.

“He used to carry that football everywhere he went,” she said. “It’s hard to believe he’s in his last year of college, especially when I look at some of the pictures of him playing Pop Warner.”

Williams said that there have always been doubters who thought that Bines would never amount to much. He is majoring in math, and she said that someday he wants to teach and maybe coach high-school football.

“Now he’s going to graduate from college,” Williams said. “I’ve always told him that just because folks are grinning at you doesn’t mean they are your friends. But he’s showed a lot of determination, and I can’t say enough about how proud I am of him.”

Darlene Purvis knows about the struggles Bines has endured.

“Jed was always like one of my boys,” Darlene said. “He and Monte would be here all the time when they were both at Parkland.”

The two nearly split up after graduating from Parkland in 2003.

Photo: Monte Purvis
Bigger colleges were recruiting Bines, mainly because of his gaudy statistics and ability to break tackles. Purvis wasn’t getting the same attention, in part because of his size (he was listed at 5-10 in high school).
If not for a coaching change at East Carolina in December 2002, Bines probably would have ended up there. But after Steve Logan was fired, the staff that stayed stopped recruiting Bines.

“It was a couple of days after signing day, and I called up Monte and we talked,” Bines said. “And I said, ‘What do you want to do?’ and we decided to bring our scholarship papers with us to school the next day, and we both signed to play with Winston-Salem State.”

It was one of Coach Kermit Blount’s best recruiting efforts, bringing in two local players who have excelled. Bines is No. 6 in school history in career rushing yards (2,675) and career touchdowns (28). Purvis has passed for nearly 1,800 yards.

“When they were being recruited in high school, Coach (Dee) Bell told them that there’s a chance they might not be able to go to the same school,” Darlene Purvis said. “Some schools weren’t looking at them together because Jed was a little more highly recruited, but Coach Blount wanted them to come, and they both decided to go there.”

Purvis said that seeing his friend stay in school and regain his eligibility has been inspiring.

“That says to me about the dedication he showed,” Purvis said. “It shows that he didn’t give up on school or the football team. That shows what kind of person he is, because quitting isn’t something he’s ever done.”

Parkland’s Bell called Purvis and Bines two of the toughest players he has coached. Bines is Parkland’s all-time leading rusher with 5,878 yards and 71 touchdowns, and Purvis set the school record for most starts in a career, going 40-11 over four years.

“I think of not only how good they were on the field for us but what great friends they are,” Bell said. “For four years they were as close as anybody I know, and you can ask anybody when they were here at Parkland, you never saw one without the other.”

Bell found it tough to pick a highlight from their high-school careers before settling on a play against Wilson Hunt during the state-championship season, when Purvis and Bines ran an option play that went for about an 80-yard touchdown.

“I swear I think all 11 guys missed,” Bell said. “I think one of their guys actually missed twice. It was just something else to watch those two run the option.”

Bell played for N.C. A&T and is a big Aggies’ fan, but he said that come Saturday, he’ll be rooting for Bines and Purvis.

“I’m going to get to all four of their home games,” Bell said. “Since it’s their last go-round, I want to watch as much as I can.”

Darlene Purvis said it’s great seeing how far the two have come. “I’m proud of both of them,” she said.