ALL SWEAT FOR SVITEK DEFENSIVE END WORKS HARD TO REALIZE DREAM OF PLAYING FOR STANFORD.Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer When he was 10 years old, Will Svitek Will Svitek (born January 8, 1982 in Prague, Czech Republic) is an American football player who currently plays tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs. He played in 38 games (18 starts) at Stanford University. He recorded 60 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2. strolled the lush campus and gazed at the old but charming football stadium. That was enough for him to fall in love with Stanford University Stanford University, at Stanford, Calif.; coeducational; chartered 1885, opened 1891 as Leland Stanford Junior Univ. (still the legal name). The original campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. David Starr Jordan was its first president. . Destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. to attend the prestigious school and start for the football team, Svitek received a bright, cardinal-colored sweatshirt, which he proudly wore around his Newbury Park neighborhood, from his parents, Milan and Eva. ``We went to the Bay Area for a trip, and I remember walking through the quad and seeing that 90,000-seat (Stanford Stadium History Built partly in competition with the University of California, Berkeley to see who could build a football stadium first, Stanford Stadium was built in four months and opened its gates on November 19, 1921. ),'' said Svitek, now a junior defensive end for the Cardinal. ``Even then, I wanted to go to school there.'' He began pretending he was Steve Stenstrom Steve Stenstrom (born December 23, 1971 in El Toro, California) is a former professional American football quarterback. College career Stenstrom was the starting quarterback at Stanford University from 1991 to 1994, and still holds most of Stanford's passing records: , a quarterback who led Stanford to two bowl games and the school's only season-ending top-10 finish - No. 9 in 1993 - since 1970. ``Stanford truly epitomizes what a student-athlete is,'' he said this week as the Cardinal prepared for today's game at ninth-ranked USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. . Svitek should know because he epitomizes the student-athlete. His parents are natives of the former Czechoslovakia and came to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. when Will was 2. Academics were always stressed at home. He excelled at football, basketball and track and field for Newbury Park but also was a star in the classroom. His ability to play tight end and defensive tackle attracted recruiting interest from Ohio State and virtually all the Pacific-10 Conference The Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I. Membership Full members schools. But Stanford was a different story. The Cardinal played competitive football. The challenge of making the cut academically fueled Svitek. His days are packed with priorities: Get up at 7 a.m. and lift weights, attend classes all morning, spend the afternoon practicing and then early evening in films and position meetings, study until 11:30 p.m. with a slight taste of a social life when time allows. His Newbury Park High football coach George Hurley George Hurley (born September 4 1958 in Brockton, Massachusetts) is a drummer noted for his work with The Minutemen and fIREHOSE. Hurley's powerful style brought a sense of musicianship to the genre, paving the way for new possibilities in underground music. equated Svitek's successful juggling act to his track and field experience for the Panthers. He developed into a two-time national decathlon decathlon (dĭkăth`lŏn), in modern Olympic games, a contest for men held over two days and composed of 10 track-and-field events. champion as a teenager. ``He was a big kid, but he wasn't huge. And in his younger days, he was kind of tall and awkward-looking. But he just did it with technique,'' Hurley Hurley has become the English version of at least three distinct original Irish names: the Ó hUirthile, part of the Dál gCais tribal group, based in Clare and North Tipperary; the Ó Muirthile, based around Kilbritain in west Cork; and the OhIarlatha, from the district of said. ``He became a good high jumper and pole vaulter. And that's so much like him, he wanted to find the toughest sport and be the best he can be at it. He wasn't happy with just being a shot putter.'' He's just one class from finishing a degree in political science. Next year when he'll have one year of football eligibility remaining, Svitek will start graduate school. And remember the sweatshirt Mom and Dad gave him on that very unofficial campus visit? ``When I went on a (recruiting trip to Stanford), I went to the bookstore and bought that exact same shirt,'' Svitek said. ``It was just a little bigger size.'' Chris Cocoles, (818) 713-3607 chris.cocoles(at)dailynews.com SVITEK FILE Name: Will Svitek School: Stanford Year: Junior Position: Defensive end Local tie: Newbury Park High Quote: ``I'm sure (Svitek's parents, Milan and Eva) had high expectations, and the background he came from it was expected. And he learned that's what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do that. But it wasn't like he had to do it because his parents made him.'' - Newbury Park coach George Hurley, on Svitek's commitment to both athletics and academics CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: When Will Svitek (85) was growing up, academics were always stressed at home, and the challenge of Stanford fuels the Newbury Park High graduate in football and the classroom. Box: SVITEK FILE (see text) |
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