Auburn Football Player Keeps Game In Perspective -- Star Back Has Eye On Future

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AUBURN

On a recent school holiday, a photographer followed Nguyen Nguyen toward the empty bleachers adorning Auburn High School's stadium.

The intent was for Nguyen to pose against the backdrop of the football field, except the star running back couldn't. The stadium gates were locked and neither Nguyen's keys nor the school janitor could be found. A lone runner on the track couldn't be persuaded to open the gates. The woman, apparently, didn't recognize Nguyen.

But it's a safe bet others at school would.

Charismatic and confident, off the field and on, junior running back Nguyen Nguyen is on a roll. Teammates credit him with keying the Auburn Trojans' 6-0 start, capping the football season with an 8-2 record, the school's best since 1976. Most recently Nguyen was unanimously voted First Team All-League running back for the South Puget Sound league.

Now, two weeks into post-season, Nguyen isn't satisfied with sitting on the sidelines.

Daily he heads for the weight room, pumping iron to build upper-body strength. Nightly, he hits the books to keep up a 3.5 grade-point average. Nguyen, who was raised to believe in the work ethic, says he tries to keep sports in perspective.

``You go further with an education than you can with a football,'' Linh Nguyen, his older brother and role model, counsels. Nguyen listens.

He lavishes time on football hoping to get a college scholarship. As much as he loves the sport, Nguyen is set on studying business. He has a passion for his U.S. history class, but his practical side is convinced that learning Japanese will be crucial in order to become a successful corporate executive.

``With sports you get instant gratification. You score a touchdown, the crowd's gonna cheer and go wild,'' Nguyen said. ``With school it's personal gratification. The payoff may be later, but it's better.''

For Nguyen, success comes from an age-old formula: Nothing beats hard work.

Says Bob Jones, Auburn's football coach: ``Just about every team in the league underestimated him and he took advantage of that. He practiced, he worked and he showed everyone, including us. His future success in football will be dependent on the kind of work he does now.''

And what work.

The fourth of nine children, Nguyen, 16, understands his responsibilities. His family emigrated from Vietnam in 1978. Many of his summers were spent picking raspberries at a farm in Puyallup, and then selling them to help the family. Nguyen tries to spend time with his younger brothers and sisters, telling them to work hard for what they want to achieve.

Nguyen's example has already drawn followers.

His younger sister, Tramcq, is going out for the gymnastics team. Nguyen encourages classmates, particularly those from traditional Asian families, to become more active on campus. Around school, Jones says students look up to Nguyen.

Many boys dream of the elusive football scholarship, but Jones said, ``If that's any indication of what Nguyen's capable of, he certainly has a chance.''