Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 10, 1995 TAG: 9511100057
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Long
Eating habits explain a lot about Robert Hull.
Washington and Lee's All-America football player peels the cheese off his pizza before he eats it. The senior defensive tackle won't touch the greasy stromboli in the school cafeteria. None of his meals is complete without a stack of tuna salad sandwiches. And the only spirit he drinks in is that of his deceased former coach, Gary Fallon, the man who kept this man-child at home.
``He finally ate a hamburger,'' said John Tweardy, Hull's friend and fellow defensive lineman. ``But he still takes the cheese off his pizza. And we still haven't gotten him to drink.''
A visit to Hull's dorm room, where he serves as a hall counselor for W&L underclassmen, tells more. Books in perfect stacks. CDs stacked and arranged alphabetically. Clothes so perfectly maintained, you'd think Hull had a future in dry cleaning.
``It's pretty sick,'' Tweardy said. ``Every time I go over there, I mess something up.
``But that meticulousness has helped make him a good player.''
Some would use the word ``great.''
Hull is a two-time second-team Division III All-American with a first-team nod all but assured after this season. The Sporting News chose him as its preseason Division III defensive player of the year. He has a team-leading 13 sacks, which ranks fifth on the Old Dominion Athletic Conference single-season list. He is second on the team in tackles, with 84, and first in tackles for losses (14).
Hull's 30 career sacks shattered the old W&L record of 20 by John McCallum. Of course, Hull would be glad to have a life after football like McCallum. The 1991 W&L graduates works on Speaker Newt Gingrich's staff and dates Miss America, Heather Whitestone.
The ODAC career sacks record is 38. To meet that, Hull would have to have the best pass-rushing day of his life Saturday against Swarthmore. His previous single-game best was five this year against Centre College.
Although persnickety in daily life, Hull used to be the opposite on the football field. At 6 feet 2, 225 pounds and with a bench press of 400-plus pounds, he stands out from typical Division III players.
Hull always has been fastidious in the weight room, but it made him an undisciplined brute on the field early in his college career. Although he was seeing results in his statistics, he wasn't fitting into the Generals' defensive scheme. It drove his position coach, Gavin Colliton, crazy. But Colliton, who had coached All-Americans at Princeton and Salisbury (Md.) State, eventually got through to the player he calls ``Head.''
``He really showed me there's more to this game than physical strength,'' Hull said. ``He showed me how to play technique. My game improved when I stopped to listen.''
At times, however, Hull has suggestions for his coaches. Because of his talent and experience, the Rockbridge County High School graduate has the freedom to roam in W&L's scheme. He shifts around until he sees a tendency or a crack in the opponent's front. Then, he'll tell head coach Frank Miriello about it.
``I don't know if he likes that - he probably doesn't - but I always say, `Look, I'm not trying to tell you anything, but that play's open,''' Hull said. ``Then he finally runs it and it works.''
The Generals' coaches may be reluctant to admit it, but Hull's most spectacular plays have come when he casts the technique concerns aside and lets his power take over.
``Whether it's luck or it's fate, he's the guy,'' Miriello said. ``It's happened so many times.''
The last time was Saturday against Guilford. The Quakers returned a kickoff to the Generals' 40-yard line and quickly drove to the W&L 1. The quick progress led Guilford's tight end, Kip Hicks, to tell Hull, ``You're no All-American,'' Hull said.
That made Hull angry. On the next play, Hull lined up in a gap and barged unscathed into the Quakers' backfield, dropping All-ODAC tailback David Heggie for a 3-yard loss. The Generals held Guilford to a field goal, and the lost points proved to be the difference in W&L's 13-9 victory.
The physical dominance extends to one of Hull's other sports, wrestling.
During a match last season, Hull was in control when his opponent tried to squirm out of bounds. Hull rode him for a few feet, but just as they were going to go off the mat, Hull grabbed an ankle and wrist and tossed the guy back to the middle.
Hull's mother, Karen, was there for both moves, although she couldn't tell you about the match. She had her eyes closed. ``She missed my state championship matches both years in high school,'' Hull said.
Karen Hull said she worries her son is going to get hurt on the mat.
``I usually just turn around and pray,'' she said. ``I watch all of his football, all the lacrosse. I don't ever worry about him getting hurt in them, although I've seen him hurt other people.''
Hull doesn't set out to hurt other people. He just wants to win ... and terrorize quarterbacks. He usually gets what he wants.
After his final game Saturday, Hull will have to decide what he wants next. It could be a career in dentistry. With a few more pounds, it might be a career in some professional football league. If he picks football, though, there may be strings attached.
``If he's going to do it, he should go all-out,'' Tweardy said. ``That means he's going to have to eat three Big Macs a night.''
by CNB