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University of Minnesota Athletics
Football Player Profiles: Linebacker Ben West
9/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Then, mellow Ben walks into the football locker room. The guy who comes out wearing the number 59 jersey is physically the same person, but that's about it. On the field, West is emotional. He is loud and takes charge. Heck, he hits teammates in the face, and that's if you do something he likes.
Linebacker Ben West has been using the football field and sports in general as a way to release any and everything since he was a child. It is a way to burn off some energy as well as anything else that may have been building up during the day. "I've been doing that since I was little. Any sport has been a release of a lot of emotion since I was a kid," West explained. "It's definitely something where you can get mentally focused. Everyone should find something that gets them going. Something that makes them angry, makes them happy - whatever state of mind they need to be in to play."
For the aggressive sport of football, it helps to get all the emotions going. Everything that the easygoing West has been feeling during the week, good and bad, kicks in and fuels him for the coming Saturday. Game time rolls around and he lets everything loose. "Coaches always talk about enthusiasm being contagious and if one person is out there then hopefully it catches on. When we have everyone into it, that's when we play our best. Hopefully, that will happen a lot more this year," West said.
West's emotional way of playing helps his teammates get into the game. And as the leader of Minnesota's defense, he believes it helps bring the players together when they build on each others' excitement. West is good at getting the adrenaline following throughout the defense. "I guess I'm pretty intense," West remarked. "I try to stay as focused as possible. I get caught up in this moment sometimes where someone will make a good play and I want to celebrate, but I can't really do that when I have to call the play. By the time you're done celebrating, they could be lined up on the line. I get pretty emotional on the field."
As Asad Abdul-Khaliq calls the plays for the Gopher offense, West does the same for the defense. Although it is something that every middle linebacker does in the Minnesota defense, West takes pride that the duty of the position and trust from the coaches has been placed in his hands. "I like it. I like the responsibility. I think I can handle it," West said. "You have to know a lot more about everyone else's position. But, I'm a fifth-year senior, so it's something that I have to handle."
West does not shy away from responsibility on the field, taking charge of the defense and getting his teammates excited to play. His hardworking mentality may be the best example he sets for others on the team. West has worked his way from being a walk-on to playing the last 26 consecutive games, including starting in the last 14.
In the classroom, West has also found success being one of seven football players to graduate in four years last spring, with a degree in architecture. His hardworking ethic may be the only thing that connects on-the-street Ben West to on-the-field Ben West. "I just pretty much do whatever is asked of me. And try to do it as hard as I can," West commented. "Sometimes I maybe do a little more then [coaches] ask me to. But I'm not scared of working hard."
Seeing Ben West on the street is not exactly seeing Ben West on the field. Off the field, West is quiet. The kind of guy that just hangs out in the background. Easygoing.
Then, mellow Ben walks into the football locker room. The guy who comes out wearing the number 59 jersey is physically the same person, but that's about it. On the field, West is emotional. He is loud and takes charge. Heck, he hits teammates in the face, and that's if you do something he likes.
Linebacker Ben West has been using the football field and sports in general as a way to release any and everything since he was a child. It is a way to burn off some energy as well as anything else that may have been building up during the day. "I've been doing that since I was little. Any sport has been a release of a lot of emotion since I was a kid," West explained. "It's definitely something where you can get mentally focused. Everyone should find something that gets them going. Something that makes them angry, makes them happy - whatever state of mind they need to be in to play."
For the aggressive sport of football, it helps to get all the emotions going. Everything that the easygoing West has been feeling during the week, good and bad, kicks in and fuels him for the coming Saturday. Game time rolls around and he lets everything loose. "Coaches always talk about enthusiasm being contagious and if one person is out there then hopefully it catches on. When we have everyone into it, that's when we play our best. Hopefully, that will happen a lot more this year," West said.
West's emotional way of playing helps his teammates get into the game. And as the leader of Minnesota's defense, he believes it helps bring the players together when they build on each others' excitement. West is good at getting the adrenaline following throughout the defense. "I guess I'm pretty intense," West remarked. "I try to stay as focused as possible. I get caught up in this moment sometimes where someone will make a good play and I want to celebrate, but I can't really do that when I have to call the play. By the time you're done celebrating, they could be lined up on the line. I get pretty emotional on the field."
As Asad Abdul-Khaliq calls the plays for the Gopher offense, West does the same for the defense. Although it is something that every middle linebacker does in the Minnesota defense, West takes pride that the duty of the position and trust from the coaches has been placed in his hands. "I like it. I like the responsibility. I think I can handle it," West said. "You have to know a lot more about everyone else's position. But, I'm a fifth-year senior, so it's something that I have to handle."
West does not shy away from responsibility on the field, taking charge of the defense and getting his teammates excited to play. His hardworking mentality may be the best example he sets for others on the team. West has worked his way from being a walk-on to playing the last 26 consecutive games, including starting in the last 14.
In the classroom, West has also found success being one of seven football players to graduate in four years last spring, with a degree in architecture. His hardworking ethic may be the only thing that connects on-the-street Ben West to on-the-field Ben West. "I just pretty much do whatever is asked of me. And try to do it as hard as I can," West commented. "Sometimes I maybe do a little more then [coaches] ask me to. But I'm not scared of working hard."
