Breland Likes Cleaning Clocks, Not Plates : College football: After a job washing dishes, Fullerton linebacker decides college will give him more opportunities.

Just in case Stan Breland had any second thoughts about returning to college, a seven-month stint washing dishes, mopping floors and busing tables in Las Vegas kept him on the educational track.

Breland, a community college transfer who is expected to be one of Cal State Fullerton’s top defensive players this season, had dropped out of the College of Eastern Utah in late 1987 after the school dropped its football program.

A Proposition 48 casualty out of Clark High School in Las Vegas, Breland wanted to return to school but had to choose between a four-year college, where he would have to sit out a season, or a community college, where he could play immediately.

With his bank account near nil, though, Breland decided to put school on hold and take a job in the Bally’s Grand Hotel kitchen, working the graveyard shift in hopes of saving some money. The work was tedious, the wages were minimal, but the job was enlightening.

“Going in there every night at 11 and doing that work really gave me a sense of reality,” said Breland, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound outside linebacker. “It was one of those jobs that makes you feel bad about yourself. It gave me incentive to go back to college and to really do it, really try to be better than the rest.”

Breland, who didn’t play at Eastern Utah because of an ankle injury, enrolled at San Bernardino Valley College in the fall of 1988 and quickly discovered that cleaning clocks sure beats cleaning plates.

Breland developed a reputation as a hard-hitter, making more than 100 tackles in each of his two community college seasons and twice earning all-state honors. Titan coaches expect him to have an immediate impact this season, which begins with a Sept. 1 home game against Sonoma State.

“He looked great in spring practice, and we think he can be an all- conference performer,” Fullerton defensive coordinator Kirk Harmon said. “His biggest attribute is he’s a real strong, real physical hitter. Some guys have a natural ability to strike a blow, and he’s one of those guys.”

Several San Bernardino Valley athletes got a glimpse of Breland’s power last year--on the basketball court. Getting in shape for an upcoming Las Vegas slam-dunk competition, Breland went up for a two-handed slam and shattered the backboard.

He tore down the rim and, in front of about 30 stunned onlookers, stood amid a storm of debris as some broken glass cut his shoulders. But Breland, a cousin of professional boxer Mark Breland, still thought it was awesome, saying it gave him the same sense of invincibility he feels on the football field.

“To be able to come up and hit a person, take his manhood away from him, is great,” Breland said. “But you also have to be a good enough person to help that guy up.”

For all his bravado, Breland is not a maniacal, Dick Butkus-type of linebacker. He’s just a hard-nosed hitter who hopes his aggressiveness will rub off on teammates.

“When you make a good hit, other players see that and get pumped up,” Breland said. “Like in practice the other day, I saw Clarence Siler knock a guy on his butt, I looked at him and got excited. That’s what you need to win championships--the ability to affect people.”

Breland hopes his ability affects more than his teammates. The oldest of nine children, Breland, a physical education major who said he has a 2.9 grade-point average going into his junior year, feels responsible for setting an example for his younger brothers and sisters.

“I want to do something positive so they can have something to strive for,” he said. “I’m the first person in my family to go to college, and that’s something I’m proud of.”

Breland was recruited by several bigger football schools, such as Louisiana State and Washington State, but said he chose Fullerton because it’s closer to home and because Titan coaches offered him the chance to play right away.

“They told me I’m their guy (at right outside linebacker),” Breland said. “They’re confident that I can provide an extra punch on defense, make the big plays. Here, I feel like Lawrence Taylor on the end because they just turn you loose. If I mess up, I know they won’t get down on me.”

It’s not often Fullerton goes head-to-head with LSU and wins a recruiting battle, but this time, the Titans had what the Tigers couldn’t offer.

“My personal opinion is we got a steal,” Harmon said. “We’re very lucky to have him.”

Harmon compares Breland to ex-Titan and present Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman A.J. Jenkins, not necessarily because they have similar styles but because of their sudden impact at Fullerton after transferring from a community college.

Jenkins didn’t practice until the week before the 1987 season, but the Merced College product stepped in and started the season opener against Hawaii and was a standout for two seasons.

Breland would love to follow Jenkins’ path to the NFL, but he tempers his professional aspirations with a strong dose of reality: Very few college football players jump right to the NFL.

“Last year, I thought it would be great to play in the NFL because I’d make a lot of money and drive a fancy car,” Breland said. “But somewhere down the line, I realized there’s life beyond football, and if I tear up a knee, what’s left?

“It’s still my goal to get to the NFL, but I have to be ready to move on if I don’t make it. There’s so many players and only 28 teams. Everyone wants a piece of the pie, but there’s only one pie.”

And if Breland doesn’t get a piece of it, he certainly doesn’t want to spend his life cleaning the dish.

“A lot of people don’t have a chance to get an education,” he said. “I figure I have a great chance to move ahead in life by getting a diploma and a good job--something I like.”