By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

NFL players often talk about overcoming adversity during a game. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Alex Bannister knows about overcoming adversity in life.

Even Bannister's pro homecoming - the former Kennedy Heights resident played high school ball at Hughes - is being over-shadowed by the homecoming of teammate Shaun Alexander.

But Bannister, the Seahawks' best special teams player and fourth receiver, said he doesn't begrudge Alexander his due.

In fact, Bannister and Alexander - the star tailback who played at Boone County High School - are trying to organize a meal where their teammates can sample Cincinnati-style chili.

"Maybe some Grippo's (potato chips), too," Bannister said in a telephone interview this week. "We don't get Grippo's out here."

But there's a serious side to Bannister's homecoming. He wants to set an example for other athletes now attending Cincinnati Public Schools to show that they, too, can make their dreams come true.

"I ran track for a school without a track," he said.

Hughes' Big Red runners trained on Straight Street, the steepest incline in the city. They ran over foam hurdles in the school gym. Yet Bannister made the state meet as a senior after winning the 300-meter hurdles in the 1997 Division I regional meet.

"We didn't have a football field," Bannister said. "I didn't have good stats in high school. I walked on at a small college."

At Eastern Kentucky, Bannister didn't have a wide receivers coach until his senior season, yet he finished his college career with 144 receptions and 22 touchdowns. The Seahawks drafted Bannister, now 24, in the fifth round in 2001.

He made the I-AA All-America team after catching 71 passes for 1,122 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior.

Bannister had to learn about maturity and hard work at a young age.

He lived on his own as a high school senior with his infant son and the baby's mother. He worked as a manager of a fast food restaurant to support his family while finishing school and playing sports.

"I just wanted the best life I could," he said. "It was hard for me not to work hard. You can never underestimate somebody with a big heart who works hard."

It's the attitude Bannister has carried into his NFL career.

He has just four career receptions for 50 yards in 38 games, but he has emerged as a key special teams player. As a rookie, he blocked a Denver punt and ran it 9 yards for a touchdown. Last year, he was second with 13 special teams tackles and recovered a fumble, one of two in his career.

He has six special teams tackles this season and has made one start at wide receiver, though he has no receptions.

Bannister has played in all 38 games since entering the league.

"It's just a matter of time before I get on the field as a receiver," said Bannister, who is 6-foot-5, 207 pounds "I try to be ready. I practice hard."

He is the team's fourth receiver - behind Koren Robinson, Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram.

Bannister would love nothing more - besides a victory that would move the Seahawks to 6-1 - to get his first reception Sunday.

He has bought 40-50 tickets for the game, and people from both sides of his family will attend.

"People will be there who haven't seen me since I was 4," Bannister said. "I want people to know who I am. I'm not where I'm going to be yet. I'm learning a lot."

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com