The Utah State football roster for 2002 listed five players at 300 pounds or greater. Three of those five were listed as freshman. Recently the Aggies signed a 6-3, 330-pound offensive lineman. There are surely more to come. Is this a good thing?

by Craig J. Peterson
January 17, 2003 (c) TrueAggies.com

Logan, UT - I have a weight problem. I realize that. It is something I face every day. I can beat it, I know that. I was well on my way to beating it two years ago, but something got in my way - bad habits. They are hard to shake. What kind of bad habits are our football players going to leave Utah State with? I am referring to bad dietary habits.

Bigger is better in the world of football. Linemen today are pushing the limits of what was thought to be "huge." I can still remember 1985; William "The Refrigerator" Perry was drafted by Chicago. The entire world watched as the NFL changed. Perry was estimated to weigh around 350 pounds. He was enormous in those days. Today, it is a completely different story. The five first round offensive linemen in the 2002 NFL draft averaged 329 pounds, led by 6-6, 375-pound Texas tackle Mike Williams. Take a "bigger" example of size - The Dallas Cowboys, whose offensive line boasted a 332-pound opening day average in 2002 and, until a cut September 18, featured the league's heaviest player, 410-pound Aaron Gibson (Gibson has admitted that he was usually around 422 instead of the listed 410). Perry is lucky; he is still active at 380 pounds. He admits he has occasionally exceeded 400 pounds. He is much luckier than former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Frank Warren.

Frank Warren was interviewed as part of a feature on Real Sports January 14, 2003. He was interviewed in December of 2002, just days before he died after suffering a heart attack at his home in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 43 years old. Warren attributed his prior heart surgery to poor dietary habits. In the interview he even stated that he would not have changed things because the money and glory were so great. He went to bed each night knowing that he might not wake because of his choices he made so that he could continue playing football. At what price do young aspiring linemen today seek the college and then the professional ranks in football?

The Utah State football roster for 2002 listed five players at 300 pounds or greater. Three of those five were listed as freshman. Recently the Aggies signed a 6-3, 330-pound offensive lineman. There are surely more to come. Utah State played the University of New Mexico this past year in football. New Mexico has seven players listed on their 2002 roster over 300 pounds with four players listed at 330 or heavier (three of which are freshman). Brigham Young University, another opponent this past season, listed 11 players at 300 pounds or greater. Some would argue that the only way Utah State University can possibly compete with these teams is to get bigger. More and more high school football players are tipping the scales over 300 pounds and many of them will start finding their way to Utah State. Is this good?

From a purely football wins and loses perspective this is great. From a long-term, and possible short-term, health issue is can't be too good. Utah State is not forcing these players to eat. This is something the players ultimately decide themselves. Do they feel pressure to put the weight on? I am sure they do to some extent. Again, it is their choice however. The bigger question is whether Utah State is giving these players the information necessary to understand the consequences of their actions. At this time I can not answer that question. This whole sticky mess about not being allowed media credentials denies me from asking the question of the athletic department (if that changes I will write a follow-up to this article detailing what is being done at Utah State to help these athletes). I do hope for the athlete's sake that there is some information being provided. I am an avid football fan, but this issue does beg the question of how safe is this sport for our youth?