Sept. 16, 2008
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -
By Aaron Weinberg, WWU sports information office
Western Washington University freshman linebacker Adrian Milsap has two passions. The obvious one is delivering bruising tackles on the football field, something he did 102 times as a senior last fall at Ferris High School in Spokane.
His other passion doesn't quite fit into the typical hard-nosed linebacker stereotype. Since high school, where he earned first-team all-Greater Spokane League honors in helping the Saxons to the 2007 Class 4A state semifinals, Milsap has painted about 35 pairs of athletic shoes for as much as $200 a pair. What might be even more surprising is what he paints.
"I do a lot of cartoony and jovial stuff," Milsap said. "Goofy stuff. Stuff you wouldn't expect people to see. That's why people want them. It's real personalized."
Some of his Western teammates have asked Milsap to paint their shoes, but he hasn't gotten the chance to work on any yet because he's still working on several shoes from home. Each pair takes approximately two hours to finish.
Milsap sees parallels between the sport he loves and his artwork. "The way I play football is you see me on the field and you say that's Adrian," Milsap said. "You know who I am. You have your own individual presence. You don't carry yourself the same way.
"The swagger is the same with a pencil. I can be cocky if I want to be with my artwork or my tackles. It's me. People like it. That's why I play football and that why I do art."
Some of Milsap's work includes video game characters and other customized works such as bubbly red, orange and yellow figures or other bright and colorful designs. Milsap said people often tell him exactly what they want, but sometimes leave the decision up to him.
Milsap got the idea to paint shoes from an article he read when he was a sophomore. The first pair of shoes he customized was his brother's, using sharpies.
Since then, Milsap has refined his techniques, using acrylic paints in a secret recipe, and word spread quickly throughout his high school.
"It got to the point where I couldn't really have a 9 to 5 because I was painting a lot of shoes for people," Milsap said.
Milsap is hopeful to let that swagger show on the field this year. But, he is admittedly excited just to be able to have a number and see his name on the roster.
"It looks like I could have some minutes this year," Milsap said. "But I'll be playing it by ear."
Through training camp, Milsap has been refining his skills, focusing on getting low and running through his tackles.
"If you can run, hit and hustle and you're going at 1,000 miles an hour every play, even if you're going the wrong way, that has a bigger impact than thinking slow and playing slow," Milsap said.
In addition to football, Milsap said he might also try out for Western's track and field team, but he said he'd wait to see how football goes. He was a three-year letter winner in track as a prep.
Milsap plans to major in art at Western and hopefully take football to the pro level after college. As for his art when school's over?
"I love my art," Milsap said. "That's not going anywhere."
