Enter the shoulders of Daniel Withrow. If anyone has the broad physique to handle the situation, it would be a 6-foot-3, 300-pound senior offensive lineman.
Withrow — one of five upperclassmen who have helped the Hilltoppers rank ninth in the nation in rushing and 14th in scoring through eight games this season — was born in Joliet, Ill., but moved to Bowling Green at age two and has called the town home since. He began coming to Western football games when he was nine, roaming the sidelines as a ball boy. Since then, he only has fond memories of the WKU program.
“I don’t remember who they played that day, but I recall they gave me a t-shirt and a pair of shorts,” he says. “It was a lot of fun to be there when I was young. I can still remember being in the locker room that day.
“When I got older, my friends and I would continue coming to the games and hanging out on Saturday nights.
“It was a long time ago, but it was always fun.”
In between visits to L.T. Smith Stadium/Jimmy Feix Field, Withrow was able to build his own career in football. His first year of organized football came in the seventh grade. “Everyone was telling me that I should come out and play, and I always wanted to but never had the chance until then.”
One of the reasons that Withrow enjoys the sport so much comes from his recollections of that initial contest. “We won our first game, I remember how happy I was to finally be out there.”
Soon he was starring at Bowling Green High. He was a South Region All-America pick by both Prep Star and Pigskin Prep magazines, was selected first-team all-state as a senior and twice garnered all-district honors.
Withrow was recruited by several other schools and initially thought that he wasn’t going to play at Western. But in the end he headed to the Hill in the fall of 1999.
“I remember watching Daniel on film and liking his athleticism. He was a little bit undersized, so he was a guy who you had to project to be able to play on the offensive line,” says Hilltopper head coach David Elson. “The recruiting process is so different for every potential student-athlete. But, we knew that he was a good kid and that we wanted him to play for us.”
Withrow earned a spot on the travel roster his first year, but never saw action in a game. He was the backup center on the depth chart behind former All-American Patrick Goodman, and got plenty of snaps in practice throughout the year.
“I just soaked in everything. It was a good experience for me to travel,” Withrow says. “I was learning a new position and I got to know the other players, so it really helped me out.”
Ever since then, Withrow has been a fixture in the Toppers starting lineup. He was one of only two players to start all 13 games as WKU claimed the Ohio Valley Conference championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. Withrow opened his sophomore campaign with a bang, earning Gateway Football Conference Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week honors following the Hilltoppers’ first-ever game in the league at Western Illinois, and would go on to be named second-team all-league after WKU qualified for the NCAA playoffs for the second year in a row.
Last season, Withrow started all 15 contests, helping Western to its first-ever NCAA national championship. For the second straight year he was the Gateway Conference’s Offensive Lineman of the Week following the Toppers’ opening game and concluded the season as a second-team all-league selection.
“I feel like it’s an honor to receive any award, but there are a lot of good players around me and that has helped me out,” he says. “We all make each other better. If they are playing good, they are going to make me look better.”
“Daniel gets the most out of his talent. He is consistent, he does everything right,” says offensive line coach Walter Wells, who is in his first year working with Withrow. “Mentally, he is always at 100 percent on his assignments — he knows his techniques and what he needs to do.
“Physically he may not be as gifted as some of his teammates on the line, although he is a good athlete, but Daniel knows what to do with his body to get in front of the defender and block him.”
Although he may not be the largest of the five men up front for the Hilltoppers, Withrow takes the same demeanor to the field in his quest for success. “I just like dominating my man. And, helping our team get first downs against good defenses and winning games. That’s what makes the game fun.”
Withrow shares the same sentiments that each of his fellow linemen do, although he may not stand out vocallly amongst a group that used to feature All-American Chris Price and now is led by captain Joe Washington. The coaching staff warns that Withrow is not as shy as the public may perceive him to be.
“For the most part what you see is what you get, but I think there is a lot more personality in there than meets the eye,” says Elson. “He’s like a lot of people — the more comfortable he has gotten around here, the more he has opened up.
“This year he’s made some sarcastic remarks to me in passing that have made me stop and say, ‘Whoa! Wait a minute. Was that Daniel being funny?’ I think he has a very good sense of humor and he fits in well with the guys.”
Adds Wells, “He is reserved, but he is not laid back. If you’ve ever seen him play he is among our leaders in pancake blocks. Daniel is quiet and goes about doing his job, but he’ll throw a jab in there every now and again. He’s not just going to sit back and let the other guys jump on him.
“Daniel’s not one to start it like Joe or Buster (Ashley) is, but he will definitely step up when he needs to.”
So far this season, his efforts have helped the Toppers to a 6-2 start, including a 3-1 Gateway record. Now comes the hard part. Following this week’s game against Southern Illinois, WKU will play host to No. 6 Northern Iowa on Senior Day before travelling to Youngstown State, one of the toughest places in the league to play.
“Homecoming is a time when a lot of former players come in and watch us play. We get to showcase what we can do to them and continue the tradition that they built,” says Withrow. “It’s a time to catch up with guys you played with and also meet older players, people that have pictures up on the wall that you haven’t seen play.
Everyone comes home to where they started at.”
Of course, Homecoming is nothing new to a local player who has a large support group come out and cheer him on each and every home game. “The atmosphere is nothing new for our local guys, they get such good support throughout the year from their families,” says Elson. “It’s about the program seeing former players come back.”
What Homecoming means, of course, is that the careers of Western’s senior class are winding down. For Withrow, who posted a grade-point-average above a 3.0 last semester, it entails looking at furthering his education. He will graduate in May with a degree in business economics.
“After football, I plan on going to graduate school,” Withrow says. “I really haven’t thought about it much, but it’s starting to sneak up on me now.”
Before he can worry about continuing his education, though, Withrow will be one of the Toppers’ many seniors bearing the burden of defending Western’s program on Homecoming Day.
