In the realm of trivial trivia, this one is good: Washington junior inside linebacker Lester Towns tells us his jersey number, his shoe size and his score on the ACT college entrance exam are all 17.
Who knows what that's worth, but to the Husky junior co-captian, its a good line. For the Husky coaches and fans, its a good number to watch.
Towns wore the jersey number 17 in high school, where he had a stellar career as a quarterback, tailback and linebacker at Pasadena High in Southern California. His shoe size expanded from 16 to 17 after he had foot surgery last April. The ACT score, well, that sealed his recruiting promise to the Huskies back in 1995.
Towns had narrowed his college choices to USC, Colorado, Oregon and Washington and took trips to each school. He eliminated Colorado for the distance and the cold weather. Oregon was out when he questioned its chances for post-Rose Bowl success. USC called a week before the signing date and told Towns they could no longer recruit him because he had not yet posted a qualifying score on the ACT.
Towns took an immediate liking to Washington, despite a few mishaps during his visit. He locked the keys in host Leon Neals running car when they stopped to chat with friends. And at the end of the night, current Husky senior Andre DeSaussure gave him a ride home, but headed in the wrong direction for 20 minutes.
"I liked the players here right away," Towns says. "I liked their attitude and that was the main thing I looked at.
"I committed to Washington two weeks before the signing date," he said. "About a week after I actually signed, I was on the phone with a reporter from Sports Washington. I was sorting through the mail when I saw the envelope and saw that I passed the ACT. That magazine got the whole story first."
After a redshirt season, Towns saw immediate time as a freshman in 1996, playing in all 11 games. As a sophomore, he took over as the starting inside linebacker and compiled 89 tackles for the season, tops on the Husky squad. In his words, Towns played "all game, every game."
Following that year, he had surgery on a foot in April for a previous abnormality which he further complicated by dropping two 45-pound weights from a squat bar on the same foot. Thanks to the recovery process, he did not take part in conditioning drills or in spring practice.
But his credentials had paved the way for his selection by his teammates as a team captain, along with fellow junior Brock Huard. The selection of a junior as team captain is unusual in the Husky camp but the role is familiar to Towns.
"It means a lot to me that my teammates think of me in that role," he says. "I was totally surprised. I got back to town the day of the spring game and I think they voted on captains two days before that.
"I hadnt even been around," he continues with a tone of awe in his voice. "When Coach Lambright told me that I was a captain, I was shocked.
"Being a linebacker, you naturally have to be a leader," he adds. "You have to take control and lead by example.
So it isnt really different from what I do now."
Being a young leader is also nothing new to Towns. He was the starting quarterback as a sophomore at Pasadena High.
"In high school, you just accept being a leader," he says. "When I was playing quarterback my sophomore year, I had seniors asking me Whats the play? You take control that way."
For the Huskies, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Towns is the defensive signalcaller on the field.
"You have to look to the sideline," he says. "Im waiting for the coaches to make the call while the offense is coming to the line getting set already. I have to make the call, make sure everybody gets the right call, get everyone set, then if theres any motion, I have to scan the field and get everyone readjusted. Then I have to get myself ready to play."
That role is something he misses tremendously this year. Stilled hobbled by a sore foot, Towns has seen limited action early in his junior year.
"Right now its hard," he says. "Last year I played the whole game. This year Im sharing reps, only getting 30 plays a game. Im not full speed. Im not making plays.
"I go crazy at home, always complaining because Im always sore," he continues. "I walk around the house like an old man."
Aside from his duties on the field, Towns is the liason between his teammates and the coaching staff.
"I have no problem talking to the coaches," he says. "I could have done that as freshman."
Was it coincidence when Towns requested the coaches forgo the nightly bedcheck following the final scrimmage of fall camp this year? The request was granted for that Friday night, which coincidently was Towns 21st birthday.
Though he has a fun-loving streak, Towns parents, Lester II and Betty, kept him in line as a youngster. His mother attended every home football game during high school, whether she was inside the stadium or out.
"My dad had to work during the day, so mom went to all my games," explains Towns. "It was $5 to get in the game, but I knew the security guard at the gate. Whenever we drove up in the bus, Id let him know my mom was going to be there and to let her in.
"We played one game where we had a police escort because they were expecting some gang activity," he continues. "They had the gates all locked up so I couldnt get to the guard and she couldnt get in. She stood outside and listened to the entire game outside the fence. She heard me score a touchdown but couldnt see it."
Although she cant make it to every Husky game, Towns says his mother remains a fan and now grills him after every contest, asking for explanations of every play. His father, whom Lester claims has never played football in his life, coaches him after every game.
"I just laugh," says the younger Towns with a chuckle.
He also grew up in the care of his maternal grandmother, Marie Atkins, whom his parents often left him with during the day while they were at work. A foster parent and the neighborhood babysitter, Atkins had anywhere from five to seven kids at her house at any one time. But Towns, her first grandson, certainly received a little favored attention.
"Oh yeah, I was spoiled," he says. "I was spoiled, but she also kicked my butt when I needed it. I was real close to my grandmother. Growing up, my dad says I used to confuse her with my mother, because I was around her so much. There were always tons of kids around and I would stay at her house and play all day."
Atkins passed away during Towns senior year of high school.
"December 17," he says. "I remember that date. She went into the hospital during the football season and then passed away while I was gone at USC. I think that is when I decided I didnt really want to go to school there."
The date is another 17 in Towns life, along with his jersey number, his shoe size and his test score. And that jersey number is one that Husky fans are glad is on their side of the ball.
In the realm of trivial trivia, this one is good: Washington junior inside linebacker Lester Towns tells us his jersey number, his shoe size and his score on the ACT college entrance exam are all 17.
Who knows what that's worth, but to the Husky junior co-captian, its a good line. For the Husky coaches and fans, its a good number to watch.
Towns wore the jersey number 17 in high school, where he had a stellar career as a quarterback, tailback and linebacker at Pasadena High in Southern California. His shoe size expanded from 16 to 17 after he had foot surgery last April. The ACT score, well, that sealed his recruiting promise to the Huskies back in 1995.
Towns had narrowed his college choices to USC, Colorado, Oregon and Washington and took trips to each school. He eliminated Colorado for the distance and the cold weather. Oregon was out when he questioned its chances for post-Rose Bowl success. USC called a week before the signing date and told Towns they could no longer recruit him because he had not yet posted a qualifying score on the ACT.
Towns took an immediate liking to Washington, despite a few mishaps during his visit. He locked the keys in host Leon Neals running car when they stopped to chat with friends. And at the end of the night, current Husky senior Andre DeSaussure gave him a ride home, but headed in the wrong direction for 20 minutes.
"I liked the players here right away," Towns says. "I liked their attitude and that was the main thing I looked at.
"I committed to Washington two weeks before the signing date," he said. "About a week after I actually signed, I was on the phone with a reporter from Sports Washington. I was sorting through the mail when I saw the envelope and saw that I passed the ACT. That magazine got the whole story first."
After a redshirt season, Towns saw immediate time as a freshman in 1996, playing in all 11 games. As a sophomore, he took over as the starting inside linebacker and compiled 89 tackles for the season, tops on the Husky squad. In his words, Towns played "all game, every game."
Following that year, he had surgery on a foot in April for a previous abnormality which he further complicated by dropping two 45-pound weights from a squat bar on the same foot. Thanks to the recovery process, he did not take part in conditioning drills or in spring practice.
But his credentials had paved the way for his selection by his teammates as a team captain, along with fellow junior Brock Huard. The selection of a junior as team captain is unusual in the Husky camp but the role is familiar to Towns.
"It means a lot to me that my teammates think of me in that role," he says. "I was totally surprised. I got back to town the day of the spring game and I think they voted on captains two days before that.
"I hadnt even been around," he continues with a tone of awe in his voice. "When Coach Lambright told me that I was a captain, I was shocked.
"Being a linebacker, you naturally have to be a leader," he adds. "You have to take control and lead by example.
So it isnt really different from what I do now."
Being a young leader is also nothing new to Towns. He was the starting quarterback as a sophomore at Pasadena High.
"In high school, you just accept being a leader," he says. "When I was playing quarterback my sophomore year, I had seniors asking me Whats the play? You take control that way."
For the Huskies, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Towns is the defensive signalcaller on the field.
"You have to look to the sideline," he says. "Im waiting for the coaches to make the call while the offense is coming to the line getting set already. I have to make the call, make sure everybody gets the right call, get everyone set, then if theres any motion, I have to scan the field and get everyone readjusted. Then I have to get myself ready to play."
That role is something he misses tremendously this year. Stilled hobbled by a sore foot, Towns has seen limited action early in his junior year.
"Right now its hard," he says. "Last year I played the whole game. This year Im sharing reps, only getting 30 plays a game. Im not full speed. Im not making plays.
"I go crazy at home, always complaining because Im always sore," he continues. "I walk around the house like an old man."
Aside from his duties on the field, Towns is the liason between his teammates and the coaching staff.
"I have no problem talking to the coaches," he says. "I could have done that as freshman."
Was it coincidence when Towns requested the coaches forgo the nightly bedcheck following the final scrimmage of fall camp this year? The request was granted for that Friday night, which coincidently was Towns 21st birthday.
Though he has a fun-loving streak, Towns parents, Lester II and Betty, kept him in line as a youngster. His mother attended every home football game during high school, whether she was inside the stadium or out.
"My dad had to work during the day, so mom went to all my games," explains Towns. "It was $5 to get in the game, but I knew the security guard at the gate. Whenever we drove up in the bus, Id let him know my mom was going to be there and to let her in.
"We played one game where we had a police escort because they were expecting some gang activity," he continues. "They had the gates all locked up so I couldnt get to the guard and she couldnt get in. She stood outside and listened to the entire game outside the fence. She heard me score a touchdown but couldnt see it."
Although she cant make it to every Husky game, Towns says his mother remains a fan and now grills him after every contest, asking for explanations of every play. His father, whom Lester claims has never played football in his life, coaches him after every game.
"I just laugh," says the younger Towns with a chuckle.
He also grew up in the care of his maternal grandmother, Marie Atkins, whom his parents often left him with during the day while they were at work. A foster parent and the neighborhood babysitter, Atkins had anywhere from five to seven kids at her house at any one time. But Towns, her first grandson, certainly received a little favored attention.
"Oh yeah, I was spoiled," he says. "I was spoiled, but she also kicked my butt when I needed it. I was real close to my grandmother. Growing up, my dad says I used to confuse her with my mother, because I was around her so much. There were always tons of kids around and I would stay at her house and play all day."
Atkins passed away during Towns senior year of high school.
"December 17," he says. "I remember that date. She went into the hospital during the football season and then passed away while I was gone at USC. I think that is when I decided I didnt really want to go to school there."
The date is another 17 in Towns life, along with his jersey number, his shoe size and his test score. And that jersey number is one that Husky fans are glad is on their side of the ball.
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A much better read or homework: The Husky Hitman
Who knows what that's worth, but to the Husky junior co-captian, its a good line. For the Husky coaches and fans, its a good number to watch.
Towns wore the jersey number 17 in high school, where he had a stellar career as a quarterback, tailback and linebacker at Pasadena High in Southern California. His shoe size expanded from 16 to 17 after he had foot surgery last April. The ACT score, well, that sealed his recruiting promise to the Huskies back in 1995.
Towns had narrowed his college choices to USC, Colorado, Oregon and Washington and took trips to each school. He eliminated Colorado for the distance and the cold weather. Oregon was out when he questioned its chances for post-Rose Bowl success. USC called a week before the signing date and told Towns they could no longer recruit him because he had not yet posted a qualifying score on the ACT.
Towns took an immediate liking to Washington, despite a few mishaps during his visit. He locked the keys in host Leon Neals running car when they stopped to chat with friends. And at the end of the night, current Husky senior Andre DeSaussure gave him a ride home, but headed in the wrong direction for 20 minutes.
"I liked the players here right away," Towns says. "I liked their attitude and that was the main thing I looked at.
"I committed to Washington two weeks before the signing date," he said. "About a week after I actually signed, I was on the phone with a reporter from Sports Washington. I was sorting through the mail when I saw the envelope and saw that I passed the ACT. That magazine got the whole story first."
After a redshirt season, Towns saw immediate time as a freshman in 1996, playing in all 11 games. As a sophomore, he took over as the starting inside linebacker and compiled 89 tackles for the season, tops on the Husky squad. In his words, Towns played "all game, every game."
Following that year, he had surgery on a foot in April for a previous abnormality which he further complicated by dropping two 45-pound weights from a squat bar on the same foot. Thanks to the recovery process, he did not take part in conditioning drills or in spring practice.
But his credentials had paved the way for his selection by his teammates as a team captain, along with fellow junior Brock Huard. The selection of a junior as team captain is unusual in the Husky camp but the role is familiar to Towns.
"It means a lot to me that my teammates think of me in that role," he says. "I was totally surprised. I got back to town the day of the spring game and I think they voted on captains two days before that.
"I hadnt even been around," he continues with a tone of awe in his voice. "When Coach Lambright told me that I was a captain, I was shocked.
"Being a linebacker, you naturally have to be a leader," he adds. "You have to take control and lead by example.
So it isnt really different from what I do now."
Being a young leader is also nothing new to Towns. He was the starting quarterback as a sophomore at Pasadena High.
"In high school, you just accept being a leader," he says. "When I was playing quarterback my sophomore year, I had seniors asking me Whats the play? You take control that way."
For the Huskies, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Towns is the defensive signalcaller on the field.
"You have to look to the sideline," he says. "Im waiting for the coaches to make the call while the offense is coming to the line getting set already. I have to make the call, make sure everybody gets the right call, get everyone set, then if theres any motion, I have to scan the field and get everyone readjusted. Then I have to get myself ready to play."
That role is something he misses tremendously this year. Stilled hobbled by a sore foot, Towns has seen limited action early in his junior year.
"Right now its hard," he says. "Last year I played the whole game. This year Im sharing reps, only getting 30 plays a game. Im not full speed. Im not making plays.
"I go crazy at home, always complaining because Im always sore," he continues. "I walk around the house like an old man."
Aside from his duties on the field, Towns is the liason between his teammates and the coaching staff.
"I have no problem talking to the coaches," he says. "I could have done that as freshman."
Was it coincidence when Towns requested the coaches forgo the nightly bedcheck following the final scrimmage of fall camp this year? The request was granted for that Friday night, which coincidently was Towns 21st birthday.
Though he has a fun-loving streak, Towns parents, Lester II and Betty, kept him in line as a youngster. His mother attended every home football game during high school, whether she was inside the stadium or out.
"My dad had to work during the day, so mom went to all my games," explains Towns. "It was $5 to get in the game, but I knew the security guard at the gate. Whenever we drove up in the bus, Id let him know my mom was going to be there and to let her in.
"We played one game where we had a police escort because they were expecting some gang activity," he continues. "They had the gates all locked up so I couldnt get to the guard and she couldnt get in. She stood outside and listened to the entire game outside the fence. She heard me score a touchdown but couldnt see it."
Although she cant make it to every Husky game, Towns says his mother remains a fan and now grills him after every contest, asking for explanations of every play. His father, whom Lester claims has never played football in his life, coaches him after every game.
"I just laugh," says the younger Towns with a chuckle.
He also grew up in the care of his maternal grandmother, Marie Atkins, whom his parents often left him with during the day while they were at work. A foster parent and the neighborhood babysitter, Atkins had anywhere from five to seven kids at her house at any one time. But Towns, her first grandson, certainly received a little favored attention.
"Oh yeah, I was spoiled," he says. "I was spoiled, but she also kicked my butt when I needed it. I was real close to my grandmother. Growing up, my dad says I used to confuse her with my mother, because I was around her so much. There were always tons of kids around and I would stay at her house and play all day."
Atkins passed away during Towns senior year of high school.
"December 17," he says. "I remember that date. She went into the hospital during the football season and then passed away while I was gone at USC. I think that is when I decided I didnt really want to go to school there."
The date is another 17 in Towns life, along with his jersey number, his shoe size and his test score. And that jersey number is one that Husky fans are glad is on their side of the ball.
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