Junior’s Heart : Samano’s Goals Are to Win Games for Bell Gardens--and the Support of His Father

Running back Francisco (Junior) Samano is the area’s leading rusher. The Bell Gardens senior has won the praise of his coaches, the respect of teammates and opposing players, and recognition on campus. But one important person is missing from his fan club.

“Every game, I look into the stands for my father, but he’s not there,” he said softly. “I hope one day my father will back me up by going to one game.”

His father, Francisco, strongly believed his youngest son should find an after-school job in 1990 to help support the family instead of playing football. Francisco, who worked in his native Acapulco when he was only 7, was furious when Junior decided to don shoulder pads his freshman year. Francisco has not watched one full game since Junior’s sophomore year.

When asked why he has gone to so few games, Francisco would only say that he is usually busy in the evenings.

Junior, a 5-foot-8, 180-pounder, led the area in rushing with 604 yards and eight touchdowns five weeks into the season. He also starts on defense at safety. His coach, David Newell, says Junior is the hardest-working, hardest-hitting player on the team. Ten colleges, including Arizona, Hawaii and Utah, have called Newell, interested in his standout rusher.

Junior, the youngest of six children, receives emotional support from his 27-year-old brother, Edward, and a cousin, Tony Samano. Both men have nurtured Junior’s football career to compensate for his father’s anger.

“Our dad is very strict,” said Edward, “and he sees football as just a game. He really doesn’t understand the sport. To him, it’s a bunch of people running around on a field.”

Edward, an ironworker, introduced football to his brother when Junior was 8. He remembers Junior as a scrappy little mischief-maker. But Junior quickly grew fond of football, showing above-average talent.

His 24-year-old cousin, Tony, a former running back at Bell Gardens, is a brother, father and coach all in one. On Wednesday nights, Tony and Junior examine game films at Tony’s apartment, analyzing what improvements Junior needs to make. And on Saturday mornings, Junior goes to Tony’s apartment to watch college football games on television.

The Saturday morning after Bell Gardens defeated Salesian, 24-6, Junior’s scratched-and-bruised legs were propped on a couch at Tony’s apartment. Those same sturdy legs ran for 177 yards in only three quarters against an undermanned Salesian team. As usual, Junior and Tony were talking football.

“Last night, they were going for my knees,” Junior said.

“Remember, when they do that, just jump over them and you’ll be OK,” Tony said.

Junior nodded back.

On top of a tall dresser in Tony’s living room were two scuffed football helmets. One was Junior’s from last season; the other belonged to Rosco, Tony’s younger brother, a sophomore running back at Fontana High.

“Football is Junior’s life,” Tony said. “He has called me a couple times very upset because his father wants him to quit and get a job. I try to explain to my uncle that football is good for Junior. It keeps him off the streets.”

Tony said that Francisco is “very old-fashioned” and believes that working hard is essential for a good life. But Tony hopes Francisco will see that football could open college doors for Junior. Junior’s two older sisters are both in college.

Francisco, who works at a screen-door factory in the morning and as a gardener in the evening, said he just wants his son to understand responsibility: “I never wanted him to work for me. I wanted him to work for himself so that he could learn how things are done and how people better themselves.

“My parents were very poor and I had to work,” he said.

On the few occasions he has seen Junior on the football field, Francisco said he was pleased to see his son play with a lot of heart.

And heart, Newell said, is Junior’s most valuable trait.

“On the field, he won’t go down,” said the coach. “You’ll never see one guy tackle Junior. He is what you call an aggressive runner. Even in practice, he never lets up. If all my players practiced like Junior, we’d never lose a game.”

Newell said many people do not realize that football is work. “They don’t understand that what we do on the field will help these kids later in life no matter what they do. On the field, they learn discipline and determination.”

Amid the impressive rushing yards and the hard hits on defense, Junior’s successes come less from raw talent and more from dedication.

“I am not as gifted as some athletes,” he said. “I wasn’t naturally born with talent. I’ve been lifting weights since I was little. I study the game films.”

In his own way, Junior has learned the meaning of work.