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Follow the leader
Tulsa quarterback James Kilian
has the respect of teammates
and coaches
ONE day each year, wide-eyed elementary and junior high school students tag along with James Kilian at the University of Tulsa on "Shadow a Student-Athlete Day."
The humble quarterback says it's no big deal. It's just something he does to give kids an idea of what a college student-athlete does during a typical day.
Tulsa at HawaiiWhen: Tomorrow, 6:05 p.m.Where: Aloha Stadium Tickets: $26 sideline, $23 south end zone, $17 north end zone (adult), $13 north end zone (senior citizens), $12 north end zone (students 4-18), $3 UH students. Available at Aloha Stadium, Stan Sheriff Center, UH Campus Center, RainBowtique at Ward Centre, and Windward Community College's OCET Office. Or call (808) 944-2697 or go to hawaiiathletics.com on the Internet. TV: KFVE (Channel 5), delay at 10 p.m., rebroadcast Sunday at 9 a.m. Also available live on Pay-Per-View. Call 625-8100 on Oahu or (808) 643-2337-7784 on neighbor islands. Radio: Live, KKEA, 1420-AM. Parking: Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Parking is $5. Alternate parking at Leeward Community College, Kam Drive-In and Radford High School. Traffic advisory: 1420-AM is the official traffic advisory station and provides updates before each home game. Bus: Roberts Hawaii School Bus will run shuttles to and from the stadium with pick-ups at several locations. Call 832-4886 for information and reservations.
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Mundane stuff for a college senior. A wild, new world for a 12-year-old.
"To them, it doesn't matter who you are, they look up to you because you play college sports," Kilian said.
Actually, every day is shadow day for Kilian. His Golden Hurricane teammates are always in his wake.
"He's our leader, No. 15; we follow him everywhere," defensive back Clint Rountree said. "He's not flashy, but he's charismatic, has an aura of a guy who leads by letting his action talk. He will throw his body around, get right back up and do it again. Hey, man, he lays it on the line for us, so we follow his lead. He's a big part of our success."
Kilian's tough-guy act paved the way for an 8-5 record last year after 1-10 and 1-11 the previous two seasons.
One of 2003's highlights was a 27-16 victory against visiting Hawaii. In that game, Kilian did it all, passing for 106 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 115 yards. He even caught two passes for 35 yards, and led Tulsa in passing, rushing and receiving yardage.
The Hurricane (1-3, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference) and Warriors (0-2, 0-1) meet tomorrow at Aloha Stadium.
"I just like to do what I can to help the team. If it's tuck it down and run, throw, I'll do whatever they ask me to do. It's a plus any time you have a quarterback with mobility who can get outside of the pocket and get some first downs and valuable yardage," he said. "I wouldn't say I'm a great runner, but I do just enough to elude some tackles."
UH players were impressed as much with his durability as his versatility.
"That was the toughest quarterback I've played against," Warriors linebacker Ikaika Curnan said. "I hit him hard and he got up. A couple times I thought he wasn't going to get up, but he got up. He showed good poise."
Kilian was named second-team All-WAC after completing 57 percent of his passes for 2,217 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also rushed for 605 yards and seven scores. In four games this year, Kilian has comparable numbers: 55 percent passing, 711 passing yards, five TD passes, 116 rushing yards (no rushing scores yet).
But he feels his best work is in the community. So does the American Football Coaches Association, which selected him to its Good Works Team of 11 players from around the nation -- an all-star team for which athletic ability is not a prerequisite.
Kilian's community involvement is as multi-dimensional as his football skills. In addition to regular hospital and school visits, he participates in Tulsa's Shop with a Cop Program.
"Around Christmas time we meet up at Wal-Mart with policemen and shop for underprivileged families," he said. "It's one of those things you just do -- you don't think you're going to get any award for it, you're not doing that looking for accolades."
Still, he considers the Good Works award a bigger honor than anything he's received for his playing ability.
"Coach (Steve) Kragthorpe talks about football preparing us for the game of life. Football has a lot of parallels with life lessons, and anytime you can give back, you've got to realize how blessed you are, and the vast majority don't get that opportunity to put on a uniform on a Saturday afternoon," he said. "Just showing up makes a big difference, and it doesn't matter to them if you're a good player. Things you do off the field are more important. It's a longer-lasting impression."
Kragthorpe is obviously a fan.
"He is a tremendous worker," the coach said. "He comes from a rural background where hard work and those things are part of his daily life. I have said it before -- I have three sons, but if I had a daughter, I would want him knocking on the door. He is that kind of guy. He is a tremendous person and takes care of his business academically, as well."
