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University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Inside Look With Ernie Wheelwright
9/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Q: Who has been the biggest influence on your life?
A: My family. My older brother Michael Bell, my father Ernest Wheelwright III, my younger brother Robert Wheelwright and my mother Debra Wheelwright. They’ve mainly been the biggest influence of my life.
They’ve instilled in me to take action and no matter what I do to never quit, never give up, if I start something to finish it and things like that. From what they tell me, they’re proud of me.
Q: Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?
A: I try to think back about when I have had good games. I try and always wear my girdle inside out. I don’t know why I do it, I started doing it my freshman year. I like to out before warm-ups in my shorts and tights and things like that and toss the football around. I do that every game, no matter where we’re at.
Q: What is your favorite Minnesota football memory during your career?
A: When we won the Little Brown Jug. That was one of the best feelings that I’ve ever felt. It was a weight lifted off our shoulders. It was a great feeling.
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: My favorite kind of ice cream is cookies and cream. I just get a bowl of cookies and cream and sit in front of the TV and just watch TV and play the game.
Q: What’s playing in your IPOD right now?
A: I’m listening to Lil’ Wayne. He’s not my favorite artist, but he’s in my iPod. I normally listen to 50 Cent. I like his mentality about winning and things like that.
Q: What is your ultimate vacation destination?
A: Probably to a private island where its just me and whoever else I want to bring. Just free on the island just chillin’.
Q: Why do you like playing football?
A: Because I’m a competitor. I talked before about my brothers; we have always been competitive with each other, no matter what even if it’s the simplest thing like paper football on the table. I like going out there and playing in front of people. I set myself up so that every time I go out there, I feel like I’m playing in front of someone for the first time that’s never seen me play. Every game I try to play like that.
Q: What is your favorite movie of all-time?
A: I’ve got a lot of favorite movies, but I can narrow it down to three: Old School is my favorite comedy, Paid in Full, and Best Man.
Q: What is your favorite television show?
A: It would have to be Martin. I would sit in front of the TV and watch reruns all day. Either that or Flavor of Love or something like that.
Q: What do you like the most about playing for Coach Brewster?
A: Coach Brewster is a motivator. He makes you want to play. Even if you don’t feel like playing, even if you don’t feel like practicing, he motivates you to play because he gives you the same look that my dad gives me when he’s thinking, “You need to stop playing around and go out there and do it.” It’s that look he gives you, its that yell he gives you when he says, “Come on!” When you hear that, you know you’ve got to get on your horse. He instills that into everyone.
Q: What is the worst job you had?
A: Working with my dad at the moving company. Oh, man. I was 16 or 17 years old in the summertime. He had workers, and I’d be sitting around the house and he’d tell me that I needed to do something, so he’d bring me to work with him. My dad was my coach too, and he always used to play me less because I was his son and stuff. It was good though, and he made a positive out of it. He always brought me to work with him to show me that I should go to school so I wouldn’t have to work that hard. I still look back at that experience every time I feel like I’m trying to do something with school or do something on the field, I think about that. I don’t want to lift furniture for the rest of my life.
Q: What are your future plans?
A: I would love to be on TV. I would love to be an actor. My grandfather used to act. I’ve taken a couple acting classes, so I’d love to do that. I’d also like to own my own businesses like restaurants, beauty salons, landscaping and real estate and things like that. My dad and brother are both business owners, so they instilled that in me, too.
Q: What reality television show would you have the best chance of winning?
A: America’s Next Top Model. I’d definitely win that one. I kind of like survivor and stuff like that, too. My first choice would definitely be America’s Next Top Male Model.
Q: Who’s the funniest guy on the team?
A: R.J. Buckner cracks me up the most. He’s just himself all the time and he doesn’t care what other people think. He’s a character and I love him.
Q: Who are your closest friends on the team?
A: I’m good friends with a lot of guys. I feel like we’re all brothers. I feel like I can go to any one of my teammates, it doesn’t matter who it is.
I have so many teammates, that there are so many guys that are going through situations that I’ve never been through or I’m not going through that they can help me get through.
A: My family. My older brother Michael Bell, my father Ernest Wheelwright III, my younger brother Robert Wheelwright and my mother Debra Wheelwright. They’ve mainly been the biggest influence of my life.
They’ve instilled in me to take action and no matter what I do to never quit, never give up, if I start something to finish it and things like that. From what they tell me, they’re proud of me.
Q: Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?
A: I try to think back about when I have had good games. I try and always wear my girdle inside out. I don’t know why I do it, I started doing it my freshman year. I like to out before warm-ups in my shorts and tights and things like that and toss the football around. I do that every game, no matter where we’re at.
Q: What is your favorite Minnesota football memory during your career?
A: When we won the Little Brown Jug. That was one of the best feelings that I’ve ever felt. It was a weight lifted off our shoulders. It was a great feeling.
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: My favorite kind of ice cream is cookies and cream. I just get a bowl of cookies and cream and sit in front of the TV and just watch TV and play the game.
Q: What’s playing in your IPOD right now?
A: I’m listening to Lil’ Wayne. He’s not my favorite artist, but he’s in my iPod. I normally listen to 50 Cent. I like his mentality about winning and things like that.
Q: What is your ultimate vacation destination?
A: Probably to a private island where its just me and whoever else I want to bring. Just free on the island just chillin’.
Q: Why do you like playing football?
A: Because I’m a competitor. I talked before about my brothers; we have always been competitive with each other, no matter what even if it’s the simplest thing like paper football on the table. I like going out there and playing in front of people. I set myself up so that every time I go out there, I feel like I’m playing in front of someone for the first time that’s never seen me play. Every game I try to play like that.
Q: What is your favorite movie of all-time?
A: I’ve got a lot of favorite movies, but I can narrow it down to three: Old School is my favorite comedy, Paid in Full, and Best Man.
Q: What is your favorite television show?
A: It would have to be Martin. I would sit in front of the TV and watch reruns all day. Either that or Flavor of Love or something like that.
Q: What do you like the most about playing for Coach Brewster?
A: Coach Brewster is a motivator. He makes you want to play. Even if you don’t feel like playing, even if you don’t feel like practicing, he motivates you to play because he gives you the same look that my dad gives me when he’s thinking, “You need to stop playing around and go out there and do it.” It’s that look he gives you, its that yell he gives you when he says, “Come on!” When you hear that, you know you’ve got to get on your horse. He instills that into everyone.
Q: What is the worst job you had?
A: Working with my dad at the moving company. Oh, man. I was 16 or 17 years old in the summertime. He had workers, and I’d be sitting around the house and he’d tell me that I needed to do something, so he’d bring me to work with him. My dad was my coach too, and he always used to play me less because I was his son and stuff. It was good though, and he made a positive out of it. He always brought me to work with him to show me that I should go to school so I wouldn’t have to work that hard. I still look back at that experience every time I feel like I’m trying to do something with school or do something on the field, I think about that. I don’t want to lift furniture for the rest of my life.
Q: What are your future plans?
A: I would love to be on TV. I would love to be an actor. My grandfather used to act. I’ve taken a couple acting classes, so I’d love to do that. I’d also like to own my own businesses like restaurants, beauty salons, landscaping and real estate and things like that. My dad and brother are both business owners, so they instilled that in me, too.
Q: What reality television show would you have the best chance of winning?
A: America’s Next Top Model. I’d definitely win that one. I kind of like survivor and stuff like that, too. My first choice would definitely be America’s Next Top Male Model.
Q: Who’s the funniest guy on the team?
A: R.J. Buckner cracks me up the most. He’s just himself all the time and he doesn’t care what other people think. He’s a character and I love him.
Q: Who are your closest friends on the team?
A: I’m good friends with a lot of guys. I feel like we’re all brothers. I feel like I can go to any one of my teammates, it doesn’t matter who it is.
I have so many teammates, that there are so many guys that are going through situations that I’ve never been through or I’m not going through that they can help me get through.
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