July 28, 2004

By Jim Carberry BELLINGHAM, Wash. --- Rob White has always been smart on the football field. But it took the most difficult episode in his life to make him realize that it was more important to be smart in the classroom. The Western Washington University strong safety learned his lesson well. Coming into his senior year, the biology major carried a 3.78 grade point average. For his efforts last year, he was named not only the WWU Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, but earned the same honor for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Pretty impressive for someone who admits to being a "troubled kid" in middle and high school. "I just didn't care (about academics)," said White of his early years at Bothell's Inglemoor High School. But then his life was changed. His mother, Diana Skiles, was diagnosed with cancer and in his junior year at Inglemoor, she passed away. "She was my driving force," White remembered. "She wanted me to excel." So before she died, she made a bet with him -- that he couldn't top her high school grade point average. With his mother's memory spurring him on, the kid who couldn't care ended up graduating with a 3.85 to win the bet. "I'm not that smart of a person," said White, "but I work hard. I'm happy when I get a good grade because I earned it." Western football coach Rob Smith would disagree with White's assessment of his intelligence but agree with just about every other decision White makes. "He is very smart," said Smith. "And that's important for a safety. He's not flashy, but he's always at the right spot, and that's what you want." White knew right away that the right spot for him was at Western, but it took a while for Smith to figure out where the right spot for White was on the field. After leading Inglemoor to the Class 4A state quarterfinals, White was recruited by Central, Eastern and Idaho as well as Western. But one trip to Bellingham was all he needed. "I went to the other schools, and the atmosphere wasn't right," he said. "I came here and met the players and coaches, and it just clicked. I felt it was more like family. "I hate the stereotypical football image -- and they weren't like that," White said of the Vikings. "They were smart and had a lot of class." White showed immediately that he would be a standout in the classroom, but it took a little while for the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder to show how good he could be on the field. First, it took a while for him to find his place -- Smith tried him first at linebacker and then at fullback his freshman year. But once he settled in at safety, White became a key of the Vikings' defense. He led the team in tackles his sophomore year and earned second-team all-GNAC honors. His junior season, he again led the team in tackles ranking No.14 nationally in solo tackles per game (6.1 average), intercepting two passes and recovering a fumble. This time he was a unanimous first-team all-GNAC choice. Both White and Smith attribute much of White's physical stardom to his mental brightness. Perhaps more than any other defensive position, the safety must make important decisions. On each play, he must be able to cover two distinctly different offensive players doing two distinctly different actions -- a fast running back carrying the ball at the line of scrimmage or a big tight end catching the ball downfield. An incorrect decision can quickly result in an opponent's score. "Being smart on the field helps at safety," said White. "The safety is the quarterback of the defense. I can watch the entire play unfold in front of me." Of course, with the offense trying to disguise its plays, it is not as easy as it sounds. White watches hours of film to determine team's tendencies or spot a telltale sign that a player might be giving away the play. White also attributed his success to his coaches and teammates, particularly former all-star safeties Erik Totten and Andy Linscott, who as seniors mentored White his sophomore season as he learned the position. "The coach would try to explain something, but Eric would show me and Andy would answer all my questions," said White. "I was lucky to come in behind them. Eric and Andy gave me someone to be like." And now White is giving the younger players someone to be like. He has been named one of the team's co-captains for his senior season, and he takes the appointment seriously. "I thought it was an honor," said White, who along with Andy Olson, Steve Nichols and Rick Carte was chosen by his teammates. "I always picked guys that I looked up to." White's leadership will be even more important this season. He is the only returning senior starter on defense, and Smith said, "We'll depend on him a lot." Yet White not only accepts the responsibility, but said he was excited about his senior season, which he hopes will bring him his first college playoff experience. "I want to get to the playoffs," he said with only a hint of frustration. "We're tired of this `haven't been.' We'll be a young team, but we'll be hungry, and we will be working hard." And when it comes to working hard, the young Vikings won't have far to look to see a good role model. If they are smart that is.