Nguyen Gives Auburn A Rush -- Top Spsl Running Back Leads Surprising Trojans

Linh Nguyen didn't play football for Auburn High School. No student-body lefts or student-body rights.

But as a senior in 1986, he ran the student body as the school's first Asian president, setting high standards for his 10 brothers and sisters.

If the unbeaten Trojan football team lands its first state playoff berth in 14 years by defeating Kentwood Friday night, Linh Nguyen will be one of many behind the scenes deserving credit.

Linh is the older brother of Nguyen Nguyen (pronounced ``win win''), a junior running back who has keyed Auburn's 6-0 start, the school's best in recent history. A hard worker in school and a hard runner on the football field, Nguyen credits Linh with encouraging him to try organized football as a seventh-grader at Olympic Junior High.

``My brother is a big part of my life,'' Nguyen said. ``He's really helped me. He's been a role model. He just told me to try out, and if it doesn't work out, just try your hardest.''

It has worked out wonderfully for Auburn, which went into the 1990 season with big hopes but a big hole at running back after graduating two of the league's best in Bobby Skoor and Keith Howard.

Bob Jones, who moved up to head coach after nine seasons as an assistant, figured he might rotate three players - including Nguyen - into his one-back offense.

``I really didn't know coming into this year how successful he'd be,'' Jones said.

Nguyen had enjoyed a successful season with the junior varsity as a sophomore, and even got some good gains when inserted late in a few varsity games. But Jones wasn't sure whether that was because of Nguyen's talent, or the fact he was playing against second- and third-team defenses. Plus, he'd suffered some ankle problems and Jones was concerned about Nguyen's durability.

``But he's really shouldered the load,'' Jones said. ``He's had at least 18 carries in every game, and against Bethel he had 28.''

Nguyen has a chance to win the South Puget Sound League rushing title and set the school record this season. Through six games, he has 809 yards on 132 carries to lead runner-up Juan Spencer of Lakes by 41 yards.

Kentwood's Richard Thomas, third in the league in rushing last year, is closing in on the leaders after injuries slowed him early this season. He has 758 yards, to rank third, 51 behind Nguyen.

Auburn's school record for rushing in a season is 1,044, set by Brian Lockhart (on only 139 carries) in 1983. Nguyen said he'd like to break the record but is more interested in victories.

``Big stats wouldn't mean anything to me if we were losing,'' he said. ``We win as a team. There's no such thing as one person carrying a team.''

Nguyen believed he could be successful in the SPSL after watching some of the top junior backs last year.

``I idolized some of those guys - Sheridan May (Spanaway Lake), Richard Thomas, Juan Spencer, Singor Mobley (Curtis),'' he said. ``I'd seen them run and what they could do, th numbers they put up. In my mind, I pictured myself playing with them and I felt if I ran hard every week, I could put up those same numbers.''

Nguyen isn't one of the league's biggest backs at 5 feet 7, 180 pounds, nor is he one of the fastest. That doesn't seem to matter.

``He has the ability to see people and make them miss, and away he goes,'' Jones said. ``People think he's going to go down, and he doesn't go down. They really keyed on him last week, but he still had a 65-yard punt return that set up a field goal. He just finds a way to get some yards.''

Like all smart running backs, Nguyen credits his offensive line for much of his success, particularly big Shane Peterson (6-5, 230). Peterson said he knows Nguyen will gain yardage if given a little room.

``If there's a hole, that's where he's going,'' Peterson said. ``It's just like magnetic force.''

Nguyen admitted he was frustrated last year by not getting more playing time with the varsity, playing behind Skoor and Howard.

``Everybody gets frustrated, but you just figure you've got to pay your dues,'' he said. ``They had to go through it, too. You stand on the sidelines and say, `I might have done this differently,' but you can't look at it that way. When my (waiting) time was up, I had to make the most of the opportunity I had.''

Nguyen's opportunities in life changed when his family moved from Vietnam in 1978. He was 5 years old.

``My parents wanted to leave,'' he said. ``It had gotten pretty bad over there. I remember the day we left. It was quick. We had planned to leave a lot earlier, but it didn't work out.

``I was sleeping, and my parents came in my room and said we were leaving. We got everyone in the family packed up and we left. We talked to my grandparents about leaving, but they decided they wanted to stay and die in the country they were born in.''

The Nguyens came to the United States and moved a couple times before settling in Auburn in 1980. Nguyen speaks excellent English, again thanks largely to his older brother, who received an academic scholarship to the University of Washington and will graduate this year in international business.

``I feel it's important to have perfect English,'' he said. ``My brother always said that as you get older, your clarity shows people how you are as a person.''

School is important to Nguyen - more important, he says, than sports. He made the varsity wrestling team last year but had to quit when his grades began to slip. He said anything below a ``B'' is not acceptable in his family.

``School comes first,'' Nguyen said. ``Sports, to me, are just an outlet for all of the stress in a day.''

--------------------------------------

SPSL'S GROUND ASSAULT

-- Auburn's Nguyen Nguyen leads the South Puget Sound League in rushing yardage with three regular-season games left. Here are the league's top five:

No. Player, school No. Yds. Avg. TDs

1. Nguyen Nguyen, Auburn 132 809 6.1 7

2. Juan Spencer, Lakes 107 768 7.2 10

3. Richard Thomas, Kentwood 95 758 8.0 12 (1)

4. Singor Mobley, Curtis 116 676 5.8 4

5. Sheridan May, Spanaway Lake 75 674 9.0 11 (2)

(1) Does not include one receiving TD.

(2) Does not include two nonrushing TDs.