As NFL training camps open across the nation this week and most of the state’s attention turns towards the New Orleans Saints camp at their training facility in Metairie, one former Teche Area athlete heads west to another training camp and another season of pursuing his NFL dream.

Former Jeanerette Senior High standout Hiram Eugene has played for the Oakland Raiders for the past five seasons, two on the team’s practice squad during his first years in the NFL and the last three on the active roster, splitting time as a starter in the defensive secondary.

“It’s been great,” said Eugene. “I’ve been out there in Oakland kind of doing my thing. It gets better and better for me every year.”

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Eugene, who played his college ball at Louisiana Tech, was signed by the Raiders to a free agent contract in 2004 and spent time on the team’s practice squad before making the roster in 2006 and has progressed with the team since then.

“I started four games two years ago,” said Eugene, who also added that he was dealing with injury problems at the start of last season and ended up splitting time with Michael Huff in the secondary.

The former JSH standout’s original contract with the team expired in the spring but signed a one-year deal for this season to stay a Raider.

“It’s been all that I thought it would be and a little more,” said Eugene. “I might not have started out where I was hoping to start out a, but by starting where I started, it made me become a little more humble about the whole situation.

“I haven’t been able to take advantage of the situation like some people have but I’ve been worling hard and working my way up.”

When he started with the Raiders organization, Eugene said he was expected to feel his way along as an NFL player since he joined the team about two weeks into the season. In his second year, he was able to go to camp with the team and it didn’t pan out, he was activated for one game and then deactivated and put back on the practice squad.

“Primarily because of a numbers situation,” said Eugene, who admitted that he wasn’t happy with the situation that second year but was still satisfied because he still had a job with an NFL team. “I just waited for that one opportunity where I could prove myself, I knew that I could do something for the team.”

When his third season with the Raiders started, Eugene finally earned his way into the starting lineup and played in several games.

In his career so far, Eugene has had several memorable moments.

He deflected a last minute pass against Pittsburgh that won a game, he also had a similar play against Tampa Bay in another game. In fact Eugene said that he has had a few memorable plays in his brief career.

As he begins another training camp, he knows that there will be a competition for jobs in the defensive secondary and he will be in the mix.

“Coach Tom Cable always makes everything competitive among everybody,” said Eugene. “Me and Mike will be in competition for the starting job and who ever has the better camp and the better preseason is the one that is going to get the job.

We’re going to have to compete for it, even though we’ve both been starters.”

Over the past few seasons, the Raiders have had their struggles record-wise. But Eugene comes quickly to defense of the team when he says that the team has had chances to win, it just couldn’t pull it out in the end. But that hasn’t stopped the team from playing hard every week and it hasn’t stopped other players from picking everyone else up and keep trying.

“I think that this year we’re going to be in contention for a lot of things,” said Eugene. “I think that we can compete for an AFC Championship and the Super Bowl and have players in line for a shot at the Pro Bowl.”

With the average life expectency of an NFL player around five years, Eugene feels that he can still play and still produce for many years to come.

“I’m going to play as long as my body allows me to play and someone gives me a chance to play,” he said. “I still say I have about six or seven more years in me. Anything after that would be a bonus.”

And he has nothing but good things to say about the Raiders long-time owner, Al Davis.

“He’s a very smart guy who’s motivated to winning,” said Eugene. “He’s going to put the best guys he can to get those wins.”