THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 24, 1997 TAG: 9701230117
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 58 lines
His 2-year-old college football career may still be a season away from really taking off, but check out Lowell Faison's burgeoning body of work as a bodybuilder at Ball State.
Best male poser at the 1996 Mr. and Mrs. Ball State Bodybuilding Contest.
Champion of the 1996 Delta Best Body Contest.
``The Sexiest Man on Campus'' award from another show.
``It's just a hobby,'' said Faison, a 5-10, 180-pound sophomore from Norfolk who became addicted to the weights at age 12 after his father purchased a Soloflex workout machine. ``I've always wanted to be involved in something that shows how hard I work on my body.''
But while Faison's abdominals - his best bodybuilding feature, he says - are familiar throughout the Muncie, Ind., university, his ability in pads, a helmet and No. 42 across his chest is basically a secret to all but his coaches and teammates so far. After prepping for a year at Fork Union Military Academy, Faison, who graduated from Catholic High as the leading rusher in school history, redshirted last season while being converted from a running back to a defensive back.
``I never played defense in high school, but most of the defensive backs at Ball State came out of high school as running backs,'' Faison said. ``It's interesting because I used to try to avoid hits. Now I make the hits.''
This season, Faison, 20, played so sparingly he said his best moment came when he came close to making a tackle on the punt team. But Faison realized he was merely waiting his turn - this year's Ball State team had two senior starting cornerbacks, a senior starting safety and 14 other players in their final year of eligibility.
So Faison concentrated on lending morale and support to a team that rebounded from an 0-3 start to win eight in a row, the Mid-American Conference title and a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Should Faison win a starting berth next season, he would inject a lot of speed into the Ball State lineup. Faison said he runs a 4.4 40, second-fastest on the team.
It's the same kind of speed Faison displayed at Catholic, where he was a two-time MVP of the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools track meet. His performance in the 1994 conference championship included victories in the 100, 200, 400, a leg on the winning 4x100 relay team and a second-place finish in the triple jump.
Virginia Tech liked him enough to offer a track scholarship. Faison said he also considered a full football grant from East Carolina before deciding on Ball State because ``I liked the campus.''
Last year, Faison ran the 55-meter in addition to competing in the long jump and triple jump for the Ball State indoor track team and the 100 and triple jump outdoors.
He plans to eliminate the jumping events this year, but will continue to sandwich the indoor and outdoor sprints around spring football practice.
``I very seldom give myself a break,'' he said.
Nor is he content with merely playing defense. He said the coaches are already kicking around the idea of spotting him at wide receiver.
``I think I can play more roles than just one,'' Faison said.
KEYWORDS: BODY BUILDING