Spartan Profiles: Flozell Adams
FRANCHISE HOTEL
At MSU, he was nicknamed “Hotel” and made All-American offensive lineman in 1997. Now it might be time to change the nickname to Marriott or Hyatt. Two years ago the Dallas Cowboys designated him as the team’s first “franchise” player. And with his reported five-year $25 million contract and $10 million signing bonus, left tackle Flozell Adams, ’98, could well buy his own franchise hotel.
At 6-feet-7, 357 pounds, he has emerged after seven professional seasons as one of the NFL’s top left tackles—a key position for quarterback protection. “MSU helped me a lot,” says Adams. “Coach (Nick) Saban prepared me to be the player that I am, and the person that I am.” He also credits former MSU assistant coach Pat Shurmur, now quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, with being a mentor. “He’s the guy who recruited me in Chicago and just recently at the Pro Bowl I hung out with him.”
Though he does not have the time to watch MSU games, he keeps track of the team. “I was disappointed about the Rutgers game,” says Flozell. “But they’ll be fine. It takes time to get going, especially the offensive line. You need to learn about each other and know what everyone is doing on each play. That takes time.” He raves about his current coach, Bill Parcells. “He’s a great coach,” says Flozell. “He’s a player’s coach. Everybody likes what he does. He’s straightforward, no secrets. If you want to know, he’ll tell you. If you don’t want to know, he’ll tell you.”
In his free time, Flozell has gone into business, opening a clothing store in Lansing called Brick City, and getting into real estate development. In July, he kicked off his new housing development in Runaway Bay, TX. His company, FR Adams Luxury Homes, is building homes in the $169,000-$386,000 range. “We sold six units before we even started,” he says. “Right now we’re putting up five more homes.”
