[Buckskin86]

Archdeacon: White toils in shadows, shares dad's OSU success
By Tom Archdeacon
Staff Writer
Sunday, October 29, 2006

COLUMBUS ? Every night the little boy got a reminder.

"Growing up, he had a picture on his bedroom wall signed by Archie Griffin," Stan White Sr. said of his son, Stan. Jr. "It said: 'To Stan ... A Future Buckeye ... Archie.' He saw that every night just before he went to sleep."

It didn't stop there, Stan Jr. said: "I remember seeing baby pictures of me in my little Ohio State uniform."

His dad remembers bringing him to annual OSU functions: "There are pictures of him half the size of Coach (John) Cooper and the others, and then there are later pictures of him a lot bigger than all of them. That's just part of the whole menagerie of his Buckeyes pictures."

And through it all, there were the stories and comparisons to his dad. Before Stan Sr.'s 13 years in the pros ? several with the Baltimore Colts ? he was an All-American linebacker with the Buckeyes, who won two national titles ?1968 and 1970 ? while he was here.

So it's no wonder Stan Jr. ended up at Ohio State. He's been a Buckeye five years ? he's played three different positions and now is the starting fullback ? and yet he's never matched his dad or many current teammates in on-the-field recognition.

His two catches in OSU's 44-0 victory over Minnesota on Saturday were a career high. And while the Bucks rushed 46 times for 266 yards, he never once carried the ball.

Yet afterward, one player after another sang his praises, especially tailback Antonio Pittman, who ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns and talked about how "Stan made me look good."

That's White's job. He's the blocking back who gives Pittman his openings. He did it several times Saturday, same as he did for Chris Wells, who ran for 90 yards.

Last year it was White's block that enabled Pittman to slip into the end zone against Michigan in the waning seconds for a 25-21 Bucks' win. In the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame, White threw the key block on the 60-yard Pittman TD that sealed the victory.

Saturday was the sixth time this season Pittman's rushed for more than 100 yards. Much of that real estate has come off White blocks.

"I'm very happy being the unsung hero," White said. "There's a bond between us. The better he does, the more I get to play. And the better I do out there, the more big gains he gets. It doesn't matter if people aren't calling my name."

Yet he's served that well-known name perfectly, Stan Sr. said, especially in the classroom.

Stan Jr. was a semifinalist this year for the academic Heisman, the Draddy Trophy, and in the spring he'll get his masters degree in business administration to go with a bachelor's in corporate finance.

As for the football field, he's built a special kinship with his father, who missed Saturday's game, a rarity.

Stan Sr. does the Baltimore Ravens radio broadcasts, and he had to fly to New Orleans for today's game with the Saints.

"I've tried calling Stan twice, but he hasn't picked up yet," Stan Sr. said by phone. "We'll talk in a few minutes, I'm sure. I love being a part of all this with him. When your kid does it, it's always more exciting than when you did it.

"The first time he came out of the tunnel reminded me of my first time. The first time he came onto the field, his first start ? it's all just tremendous fulfillment for me and I think it is for him too."

Quarterback Troy Smith agreed: "Stan White ... he's a Buckeye through and through."

http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/con...02906arch.html