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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER> Anthony VanDeusen </H1>
<H2 ALIGN=CENTER>Defensive End</H2>
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If your house was on fire and your family was safe, what three items would you want to save?
<BR><I>"Old photos, my jersey and my helmet."</I>
<BR>What are your hobbies?
<BR><I> "Old car restoration, skydiving." </I>
<BR>What was your favorite thing to do on the playground?
<BR><I> "Playing hide-and-go-seek." </I>
<BR>What's your favorite book?
<BR><I> "The Hobbit, by Tolkien." </I>
<BR>If you happened to be on Jerry Springer, what would you want the topic to be?
<BR><I> "Why talk shows are a waste of people's time." </I>
<BR>Who was your childhood hero?
<BR><I> "My dad." </I>
<BR>What's your most prized possession?
<BR><I> "My girlfriend. Although she's not a possession, I really care about her." </I>

<P>
If you stayed for the aftermath of last year's celebration of the 18-17 win over Alabama, chances are you saw number 70 running around the stadium with the AU flag. That player, defensive lineman Anthony VanDeusen, has made one of the most improbable journeys into big-time college football.
<P>
Just two years earlier, from the student section, VanDeusen was watching another defensive lineman carry that same flag across the field to celebrate the 1995 victory over the Crimson Tide. The experience was so overwhelming for him that he decided that the only thing that would be better than watching the game, would be participating in it.
<P>
"I knew that there was no way to equal the kind of feeling I had sitting in the stands other than to be down on the field. And that's when I knew it was something I had to do," VanDeusen said.
<P>
So in the winter of 1996, the 6'0" lineman walked on to the Auburn team. The life of a walk-on is full of bruises, hard work and anonymity, making it a daunting prospect at best. But VanDeusen joined the team under even more difficult circumstances. He began his Auburn career without any football experience-no Pop Warner football, no high school football, nothing.
In his first days of practice, the Licking, Mo. native had to learn how to put pads on and how to get in a three and four point stance. But two short years later, he had fulfilled one of his dreams, taking part in the 18-17 victory over Alabama.
<P>
"I never played any sort of football in high school, and it was always kind of a dream to play in college," VanDeusen said. "There are rumors at my high school that back in the days of leather helmets and when the goal posts were moved up on the goal line, that a guy hit his head on the goal post, broke his neck, and it killed him. They decided to discontinue the program following that."
After high school, VanDeusen enrolled at the University of Missouri at Rolla. After a year, he decided he needed a change, but he did not want to sacrifice the quality of education. So after speaking to a classmate that recommended Auburn for its aerospace program, he made the switch.
<P>
"I came to Auburn, sight unseen, and I was coming in from Montgomery and saw football traffic signs. That just freaked me out completely," explained VanDeusen.
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He also recalls the first time he saw the map of the campus, and how the stadium "completely dwarfed everything. I thought 'it really can't be that big.'"
"I remember nights where I would either walk or jog around the stadium, thinking how neat it would be to be in there," VanDeusen added.
<P>
But it wasn't until the 1995 Auburn-Alabama game, that VanDeusen decided he was ready to give his dream a chance.
<P>
However, becoming an Auburn player didn't come easily. His parents were skeptical about their son playing football. His dad was worried about whether or not he could pick up the fundamentals while his mother was concerned about him getting hurt. Both were worried about whether their son would be disappointed.
But now, just like their son, they all enjoy the Auburn spirit and team.
<P>
As VanDeusen approaches graduation, he hopes to work in a competitive job in aerospace engineering, where "you are pitted up against someone who is trying to make the same goal as you do and seeing who is better."
<P>
By learning the skills of teamwork, discipline, patience and trust, VanDeusen can utilize his football skills to reach for a new dream.
<P>
And his new dream won't require him having to suit up in pads and get into a three-point stance.

<P>

ALIGN=CENTER><A HREF="./" target="_top">TABLE OF CONTENTS</A> | <A HREF="../" target="_top">PROGRAM INDEX</A> | <A HREF="../../index.html" target="_top">HOME</A></P>

<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>&copy; 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>


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	<H1 ALIGN=CENTER> Anthony VanDeusen </H1>
	<H2 ALIGN=CENTER>Defensive End</H2>
	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT BORDER=0>
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	<IMG ALT=" Anthony VanDeusen " BORDER=2 SRC="pic/vandeusen1_bw.jpg">
	<HR>
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	If your house was on fire and your family was safe, what three items would you want to save?
	<BR><I>"Old photos, my jersey and my helmet."</I>
	<BR>What are your hobbies?
	<BR><I> "Old car restoration, skydiving." </I>
	<BR>What was your favorite thing to do on the playground?
	<BR><I> "Playing hide-and-go-seek." </I>
	<BR>What's your favorite book?
	<BR><I> "The Hobbit, by Tolkien." </I>
	<BR>If you happened to be on Jerry Springer, what would you want the topic to be?
	<BR><I> "Why talk shows are a waste of people's time." </I>
	<BR>Who was your childhood hero?
	<BR><I> "My dad." </I>
	<BR>What's your most prized possession?
	<BR><I> "My girlfriend. Although she's not a possession, I really care about her." </I>

	<P>
	If you stayed for the aftermath of last year's celebration of the 18-17 win over Alabama, chances are you saw number 70 running around the stadium with the AU flag. That player, defensive lineman Anthony VanDeusen, has made one of the most improbable journeys into big-time college football.
	<P>
	Just two years earlier, from the student section, VanDeusen was watching another defensive lineman carry that same flag across the field to celebrate the 1995 victory over the Crimson Tide. The experience was so overwhelming for him that he decided that the only thing that would be better than watching the game, would be participating in it.
	<P>
	"I knew that there was no way to equal the kind of feeling I had sitting in the stands other than to be down on the field. And that's when I knew it was something I had to do," VanDeusen said.
	<P>
	So in the winter of 1996, the 6'0" lineman walked on to the Auburn team. The life of a walk-on is full of bruises, hard work and anonymity, making it a daunting prospect at best. But VanDeusen joined the team under even more difficult circumstances. He began his Auburn career without any football experience-no Pop Warner football, no high school football, nothing.
	In his first days of practice, the Licking, Mo. native had to learn how to put pads on and how to get in a three and four point stance. But two short years later, he had fulfilled one of his dreams, taking part in the 18-17 victory over Alabama.
	<P>
	"I never played any sort of football in high school, and it was always kind of a dream to play in college," VanDeusen said. "There are rumors at my high school that back in the days of leather helmets and when the goal posts were moved up on the goal line, that a guy hit his head on the goal post, broke his neck, and it killed him. They decided to discontinue the program following that."
	After high school, VanDeusen enrolled at the University of Missouri at Rolla. After a year, he decided he needed a change, but he did not want to sacrifice the quality of education. So after speaking to a classmate that recommended Auburn for its aerospace program, he made the switch.
	<P>
	"I came to Auburn, sight unseen, and I was coming in from Montgomery and saw football traffic signs. That just freaked me out completely," explained VanDeusen.
	<P>

	<TABLE ALIGN=LEFT>
	<TD>
	<IMG ALT=" Anthony VanDeusen " BORDER=2 SRC="pic/vandeusen2_bw.jpg">
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TABLE>

	He also recalls the first time he saw the map of the campus, and how the stadium "completely dwarfed everything. I thought 'it really can't be that big.'"
	"I remember nights where I would either walk or jog around the stadium, thinking how neat it would be to be in there," VanDeusen added.
	<P>
	But it wasn't until the 1995 Auburn-Alabama game, that VanDeusen decided he was ready to give his dream a chance.
	<P>
	However, becoming an Auburn player didn't come easily. His parents were skeptical about their son playing football. His dad was worried about whether or not he could pick up the fundamentals while his mother was concerned about him getting hurt. Both were worried about whether their son would be disappointed.
	But now, just like their son, they all enjoy the Auburn spirit and team.
	<P>
	As VanDeusen approaches graduation, he hopes to work in a competitive job in aerospace engineering, where "you are pitted up against someone who is trying to make the same goal as you do and seeing who is better."
	<P>
	By learning the skills of teamwork, discipline, patience and trust, VanDeusen can utilize his football skills to reach for a new dream.
	<P>
	And his new dream won't require him having to suit up in pads and get into a three-point stance.

	<P>

	ALIGN=CENTER><A HREF="./" target="_top">TABLE OF CONTENTS</A> \| <A HREF="../" target="_top">PROGRAM INDEX</A> \| <A HREF="../../index.html" target="_top">HOME</A></P>

	<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>© 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>


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