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| From top left, Chad Johnson directs the Pacific Lutheran offense, Rowan's defense tries to bring down PLU running back Anthony Hicks, PLU linebacker Tim Lax sacks Rowan quarterback Mike Warker, the Salem HS band has a great time on national television, and Every Man a Lute guru Frosty Westering draws things up on the sidelines at Stagg Bowl XXVII. Photos by Patrick Coleman, D3sports.com |
By Mark Simon
D3football.com Emeritus
Twenty-four years later, former Pacific Lutheran quarterback Chad Johnson still remembers the vast size differential between his team and the Rowan players when they met up at the Stagg Bowl banquet before the 1999 national championship game.
He remembers signing The 12 Days of Christmas on the bus ride on the way to the game the next day and how in pre-game chapel, wide receiver Todd McDevitt told the David versus Goliath story to PLU, which – by its understanding – was the 28th team among the 28 that made the tournament (the Lutes didn’t win their conference title, and were seeded seventh in their seven-team bracket). And how in the team picture head coach Frosty Westering (Johnson’s grandfather) included a group of about 30 parents and fans who made the trip, because hey, they were there for it too.
Fun with Frosty"I will think until my dying days that Frosty Westering had an in with God," says Carey Harveycutter, Director of Tourism for the City of Salem and the tournament director of essentially all of Salem's 102 NCAA championships. Harveycutter says this because of the power the Pacific Lutheran head football coach seemingly wielded over nature. In the early days of the football championships in Salem, teams practiced at nearby Salem High School, in order to preserve the stadium's grass field for game day. And when it came time to take the team's group photo, they were always taken in a specific direction, to make best use of the low, late-afternoon December sunlight. Westering, however, looked at the photo setup and declared it unfit. Turning the setup around 180 degrees would get the scenic mountains in the background of the team photo. However, it would also get the sun right in the camera lens, which is not highly recommended. When the time came to take the shot, however, one cloud showed up to cover the sun and make the team photo work. A year later, Westering returned with Chad Johnson, his grandson and starting quarterback, to accept the Gagliardi Trophy. The ceremony included a video of Johnson's higlights to be shown to the audience, but the Salem staff could not get the VCR to play. As Harveycutter tells it, Frosty walked into the room, and as if he were the IT guy looking over your shoulder, the video immediately started playing. — Patrick Coleman |
The first play he recalls is one on which he got drilled in the second quarter, hard enough to pop out a contact lens, without which he could barely see, only to somehow find the lens on the grass moments later.
Point being, there was a lot to the journey that ended with the best possible destination, a 42-13 win in one of the biggest upsets in Stagg Bowl history.
“It really showed the power of a team coming together and playing together and guys believing in each other,” Johnson said.
As for the plays themselves, the first big one was Johnson’s touchdown pass to Todd McDevitt for the game’s first score a couple of minutes into the game.
“After that touchdown, we felt like we had an advantage,” Johnson said.
That play came immediately after safety Jonathan Carlson forced a Rowan turnover with a bit hit. Yes, Pacific Lutheran put up 42 points, but the Lutes defense played a huge role in holding Rowan to 13.
“Those guys – John Eussen, Luke Jacobson, Jonthan Carlson – they kept the pressure on and really made things happen,” Johnson said. “They never let (Rowan freshman quarterback Mike Warker) get comfortable and when he started getting frustrated, that worked right into our game plan.”
As someone who broadcast that game, it seemed like the Lutes’ offense spent the entire game moving one way while the Rowan defense was going in the other direction.
The play that epitomized that was an option pitch to Kevin Lint on which the Lutes had stacked all their receivers on the right side. But Lint went left and did a little hop and spin to avoid a tackler at the goal line for the 5-yard score. That made it 21-7 with 10:14 left in the second quarter.
Rowan, having not seen an offense that ran plays and executed them like that, was unable to keep up.
“I think there was an advantage in playing a team that was gonna come really hard to the ball,” Johnson said. “The tough thing was in playing a team you never played before to know their speed and their athleticism.”
The Lutes, who did finish 13-1 that season, figured it out quickly. Johnson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. Running back Anthony Hicks scored twice, giving him 11 touchdowns in the postseason tournament.
Another aspect of this was that this was a team that completely bought into Westering’s approach of team before self. And In addition to singing, the Lutes did a lot of other things that some might consider odd. For example, they held hands in a human chain as they came back to the sideline and told their opponents when they made a nice tackle.
I asked Johnson a question similar to one I asked him and his teammates at the postgame news conference 24 years ago. How long does it take for the players to become believers in the ‘Every Man a Lute’ approach?
“It doesn’t come naturally,” Johnson said. “A great high school football player, there’s a level of ego they have that makes them great. And when the message is about letting go of your ego, it can feel vulnerable.”
But when it works to the fullest level as it did that championship day?
“There’s an extreme level of joy when we played that was just unique,” Johnson said.
The Westering mindset carries over for some post-graduation. Zach Abraham was a freshman scout team linebacker when Johnson was a senior. Now, Abraham owns Bulwark Capital Management in Tacoma where Johnson, married with four children, is one of his financial advisors.
“When Zach started his company, he really wanted it to be built on a similar philosophy,” Johnson said. “The foundation of it is caring for people and really valuing each other more than the results, and focusing on what you can control, the journey versus the destination. It’s been a nice litmus test of seeing what it was about that (football) experience, what did we learn and how do we carry that on?”