Bowling ‘em over

Alex Leon

Vardan Mkhitarian looks in the mirror and likes what he sees.

A junior offensive tackle at Bowling Green State University in

Ohio, the 21-year-old former Burbank High standout is getting more

playing time with the Falcons, and is enjoying football more than

ever.

But it wasn’t always that way. Mkhitarian has taken a curious

route to get to this point in his life, and is surprised he is

playing Division I football, taking into consideration his beginnings

at Burbank when he knew nothing about the sport, and even less when

it came to playing it.

“I played basketball as a freshman at Burbank High, but I guess

because I was big, a few people suggested I go out for football so I

gave it a shot,” said Mkhitarian, who graduated from Burbank in

1998. “I didn’t know a thing about the game or the rules. I made

mistakes but I had some size and I was eager to learn and I just kept

working at it and working at it.

“Now four years later, I’m playing at my third college. I feel

better and better about what I contribute to the team and to the

school, and I’m looking forward to graduating and getting on with my

life.”

Heading into today’s home game against Ball State, Bowling Green

is undefeated at 6-0 and is scoring points in bunches, including a

72-21 win Oct. 5 against Ohio University and a 51-28 win Sept. 14

against Missouri. The Falcons are ranked No. 22 in the USA Today/

ESPN Coaches Poll and No. 24 in the Associated Press Poll.

Mkhitarian -- 6 foot 3, 295 pounds -- as well as the other Falcon

offensive linemen, take pride in those lopsided scores because it

means the group is doing its job and helping the skill players get

into the end zone.

That was never more evident than in last week’s dramatic 48-45

overtime win against Western Michigan.

“One of the reasons why I wanted to come to Bowling Green is that

I felt that it was a school that really supported football, and we

had a chance to be as successful and score a lot of points like we

did at Pasadena [City College] the past two years,” he said.

“Playing on a team that was ranked among the top teams in the nation

and won a bowl game, that was the highlight of my life as far as

football was concerned.”

Mkhitarian earned J.C. Grid-Wire All-American honors as a

student-athlete last year for the 10-1 Lancers. He helped them win

their first Mission Conference Northern Division title as well as the

South County Bowl -- a 38-17 win against El Cajon Grossmont College.

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At his off-campus apartment near the university, Mkhitarian likes

to throw some pork and vegetables on his barbecue, and before he

knows it, his teammates are lining up at the door following the aroma

of his homemade kabobs.

Mkhitarian calls his cooking a little bit of California that he

has brought to Bowling Green. However, even though he might be in

Ohio, he also said the school, coaches and players have made him feel

at home, even if Burbank is 2,260 miles from current home-away

-from-home.

“I have been to enough schools to know that you can’t just call

yourself a team and become successful. It takes a lot more, like how

the coaches relate to the players and how the players relate to each

other and how they bond together,” he said.

“The great thing that has happened at Bowling Green is that I am

playing with two of my teammates from Pasadena and the offensive line

coach Greg Studrawa, [who] has really gone out of his way to bring us

together as a unit. He has had us over to his home for dinner a few

times and as a Bowling Green grad, he reminds us how important it is

for us to do our best as student-athletes.”

Mkhitarian earned the right to live off campus by making the

Dean’s List with a 3.6 grade- point average during his first semester

at Bowling Green. He is continuing on the same academic path he set

for himself at Pasadena last year, when he earned All-American honors

as a student-athlete.

Pasadena City College Coach Tom Maher said the standard Mkhitarian

set as a student-athlete is something he doesn’t often see at the

community-college level.

“He was as good a person as he was a student and a football

player. I love the fact that Vardan came to play every day despite

the fact that he only started playing football in high school,”

Maher said.

“He improved dramatically from his freshman to sophomore year and

was one of the main reasons why we were so successful last year on

offense. [He was] just a great guy to have on the team and to know as

a person.”

Gregarious off the field and intense when game-time rolls around

-- whether he is starting or playing just parts of the game for the

Falcons -- Mkhitarian has tried to make the most out of his college

football experience and has found a second home at Bowling Green.

That’s why he can look in the mirror and be proud of the person

starring back at him.