COURTESY JASON HICKMAN / WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser, a St. Louis alumnus, says Cal Lee made him a quarterback in eighth grade.

Heisman watch
a Gesser game

The St. Louis alumnus has
a shot at the trophy, but isn't
letting that go to his head

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By Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.com

Heisman and Hawaii aren't used in the same sentence often, but Jason Gesser is changing that.

The happy-go-lucky Washington State senior quarterback is still in the running as the Heisman Trophy countdown enters its final stages.

Gesser, a St. Louis School alumnus, is rated fifth in ESPN.com's Heisman watch, but winning college football's most coveted trophy is nowhere near the top of his to-do list.

"I'm just a smart little white dude out there trying to have fun," Gesser said in a phone interview after practice Tuesday.

"All I'm thinking about is trying to beat Oregon this week, and our main goal is trying to get in the Rose Bowl."

Gesser is a huge hit in the Northwest, but he's far from the type to let it go to his head.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback's charm stems from his selflessness.

"I don't think Jason would ever let the Heisman hype go to his head," said Cougars defensive back Erik Coleman, Gesser's former roommate. "He's a funny guy, always telling jokes to loosen us up and always looking out for everyone else, high-fiving the defensive guys and stuff. He makes fun of the D-line, calls them 'the fat boys.' And he motivates everyone to match his intensity."

Gesser projects an others-first attitude, but he can't help notice that he's the center of attention almost everywhere he goes.

"If I have to take a blow or take punishment for the team to be successful, I'll do that," he said. "It's all about caring for others. Sure, winning the Heisman or being lucky enough to represent Washington State at the trophy presentation would be an individual treat, but it's not really an individual trophy any more. It's a team trophy and winning is what gets it. And teams win games, not individuals.

"Wherever I go, people stop and look, hush up and turn to listen to what I'm saying or doing. I try to tell them that I'm just like them, just like any person. But they treat you like you're something special."

Gesser broke school records for passing yardage and touchdown passes last week against Arizona State as the Cougars (8-1, 5-0 Pac-10) climbed to No. 5 in the Associated Press and coaches polls. And he's won over another former Cougar quarterback great -- Drew Bledsoe of the Buffalo Bills.

"I met him (Bledsoe) during a spring scrimmage, and he's a big dude," Gesser said. "I had talked to him a bunch of times on the phone before. He told me things like 'great job' and 'keep it going' and 'you're making the Cougar alumni proud.' To have someone like that tell you things like that, it's cool. I'm still amazed that he actually knows who I am, cares about what I'm doing and thinks it's good. That gives you a lot of confidence and makes you feel like you're doing something right."

The words flow easily for Gesser when talking to the many media outlets across the nation.

He learned to speak to reporters when he was starring for the Crusaders and leading them to Prep Bowl championships in 1996 and 1997. He credits St. Louis quarterbacks coach Vince Passas with guiding him in the finer points of representing his school in print and on camera.

And he's honed his interpersonal skills as a broadcast news and communications major at WSU. The field is his second choice for a career, after pro football, and he's well aware not all college standouts play on Sundays.

"I've edited film, carried the camera around and got quotes for stories, so I know what reporters are trying to do," Gesser said. "I can just talk story."

He recalls St. Louis coach Cal Lee asking him to play quarterback for the Crusaders' intermediate team when he was going into eighth grade, and Gesser has maintained a strong relationship with the school.

He visits his alma mater in the summers, talks with his old coaches and helps out with the quarterbacks or in whatever capacity he can. He believes it's important to give back.

Now, Gesser wants to finish delivering a season for Washington State to remember.

A year ago, he led the Cougars to a 10-2 mark and a 33-27 victory over Purdue in the Sun Bowl.

"This has been a ride you can't describe," Gesser said. "We've had back-to-back, solid winning seasons after coming so close to a bowl in my sophomore year."

Of course, Gesser would like the ride to include a stop to smell the roses.

The ride could also include the reality of pro football. Actually, the NFL is in his blood. His grandfather, Joseph "Red" Dunn, played for the Green Bay Packers from 1927-31.

But Gesser is living in the present.

"I'm enjoying myself right now, trying to continue with success at this level," he said.

"It's so hard to look at the next level, because I'm not even there yet. The NFL is so unpredictable. It's way too hard to tell if you're going to get drafted or go into free agency or how many quarterbacks are going to go in the draft or figuring out what teams are thinking."

"That will be a whole new area for me. I don't think about it too much now, but there are people saying I'll have the opportunity."

Heisman Watch ESPN.com's watch list polls 11 ESPN and ABC college football experts. Position, team, class and total points (first-place votes in parenthesis): 1. Byron Leftwich, QB, Marshall, Sr., 37 (2) 2. Ken Dorsey, QB, Miami, Sr., 34 (5) 3. Willis McGahee, RB, Miami, So., 28 (4) 4. Carson Palmer, QB, USC, Sr., 16 5. Jason Gesser, QB, Washington State, Sr., 11 Source: ESPN.com