By ERIK R. RASMUSSEN
With the opening of the 1997 football season Cougar faithful will get a closer look at this year’s team. They will see is a team that is unified, and that off the grid-iron are just like any other students.
“I’ve been very impressed with this team,” said Head Coach LaVell Edwards. “I like the way they handle themselves on and off the field.”
Fifteen of the starters are returning from last year. That’s fifteen men who have spent countless hours on plane rides, bus rides, and rooming together. They played through the longest season in NCAA football history, 15 games, and though they did not receive the respect they felt they deserved at the end of last year, they gutted it out to a victorious end.
“We have real good team unity, we had it last year too,” said back-up quarterback Kevin Feterik. “Usually on a team the offense and defense don’t like each other, but we get along.”
“Here it’s like a family, everybody’s pulling for you,” running back Brian McKenzie said. “Everybody is fighting for a job, but together as a team. I have the attitude that if I can’t do it I want someone else to do it.”
In practice there is a balance between supporting fellow teammates and egging each other on to perform in the best way possible. Players yell their approval of an impressive catch, shout for everyone to run hard during sprints, and have even dived onto a slip-and-slide with coaches at practice.
“The team unity seems to be good, all the outward appearances are positive,” Edwards said. “But sometimes you never know until you get into an adverse situation how people are going to react.”
Off the field the players have to juggle their studies and personal lives around the rigors of football. Many players live together, and form their own social circles, but their activities are typical of Provo.
“We go to the dollar movies, just chill out, hang out in the lobby and play spades or twenty-one, whatever,” McKenzie said of life in Provo. “It’s different from home, but everybody is different. In some ways it’s a restricting environment, but you have to deal with things in life. If I can deal with it here, I can deal with it anywhere.”
“I’m just happy to be here at the Y,” said sophomore fullback Kalani Sitake. “A pro career in football is not on my mind. I have three good years and I want to have fun.”
A major difference players have to deal with in contrast to non-athletes is the celebrity status on campus. Everyone deals with that in a different way.
“To me I haven’t felt that high-profile, I just go to class,” Feterik said. “I’m a real low-key guy, and I hope to stay that way.”
“I’m used to it now, it’s an everyday thing,” McKenzie said. “The least I can do is sign autographs and shake hands. I really like people.”
The football team practices on the field west of the RB. Practices are not closed and are held at 3:45 weekdays.
