Post Falls Walk-On A Hit With Vandals

REPLAY: August 20, 1996 Crosby Tajan’s hometown is Sandpoint. A headline in Sunday’s sports section incorrectly stated Tajan is from Post Falls.

Summarizing Crosby Tajan’s football career at the University of Idaho is pretty easy: Walk-on, walked on, walking tall.

Tajan came to the Vandals in 1993, fresh from two wins in two years at Sandpoint High School. He broke his hand and missed half of his senior season. College recruiters pay little attention to losing programs, but Tajan’s rangy 6-foot-5 frame caught the eye of UI assistant coach Nick Holt.

“I came down for one of the Vandal (football) camps and met coach Holt,” said Tajan, a strapping 283 pounds these days, but just 220

when he first met Holt. “My senior year he kept the letters and phone calls coming. He made it clear he wanted me to come here, which meant walking on, of course.”

Tajan readily obliged. Walk-ons often become scout team fodder and Tajan was no exception. He was trampled daily in practice by ex-Vandals such as Mat Groshong and Jody Schnug, two former All-American linemen.

Normally, walk-ons take the poundings for a day or a week, maybe even a season. Tajan, too, tired of being “a punching bag,” as he put it. But he didn’t quit.

“I’d always ask myself whether it was worth the physical punishment I was taking,” Tajan said. “Now, it’s worth it.

Back in ‘93, he wasn’t so sure. “I remember going into coach Holt’s office after practice and telling him how I felt, how bad things were going,” Tajan said. “He said, ‘Look at this sign.’ It said, ‘Your attitude determines your altitude.’ “

Tajan’s presently soaring. He survived his freshman year and earned a partial scholarship. As a junior this fall, he was awarded a full scholarship. And he’s earned the starting nod at offensive left tackle, the closest thing to a glory position for a Vandal lineman.

It’s no surprise to Idaho coach Chris Tormey.

“I just think he has a burning desire,” Tormey said. “He’s got great work habits and it’s great to see that. You’d like to think you had something to do with it, but this guy is just a kid who was going to get there.”

Though Tajan’s played in just a handful of meaningful plays, he’s already something of a success story. He’s a weight room mainstay with the numbers to prove it (405-pound bench press, 700 squat). His vertical jump is 28 inches, more than respectable for a 283-pounder. He’s a Dean’s list student.

And he’s not done.

“He doesn’t have much game experience, you have to get that at some point,” Tormey said. “But he’s certainly prepared himself physically for the role.”

Tajan’s role is making sure quarterback Ryan Fien doesn’t get hit by a runaway defensive end. The left tackle protects the so-called blind spot of a right-handed quarterback. An end who gets around the tackle usually has a clear shot at an unknowing quarterback. Additionally, the left tackle doesn’t have the benefit of lining up next to the tight end for blocking help.

“Anything coming from the left side Ryan’s not going to see, so the pressure is right there for me,” Tajan said. 1995 left tackle Jim “Mills always told me you have to know the program so when you get up on the ball you can play physically without thinking all the time.”

Tajan’s aware that there is skepticism concerning the offensive line. Four starters graduated last year, leaving a crop of untested replacements. The unit’s success is crucial if the Vandals want to keep the scoreboard turning.

“We know we’ve got the tools, we’re just honing in on the mental part,” Tajan said. “That’s what we’re trying to do, remove any questions about the O-line.”

In keeping with UI tradition, Tajan is wearing the celebrated - and fairly ugly - white practice pants passed on from former left tackle Jody Schnug to Mills to Tajan.

They fit fine. Three or four years ago, who would of believed it.

“You just gotta get through it (tough times),” he said. “Other guys are getting through it. You see guys who have scholarships who can’t make it. You just say to yourself I can keep going and it’s all going to work out…

“From my freshman year to now, I didn’t really consider myself part of the team until I got a full scholarship,” he said. “That, to me, made you a real player here. You gotta get paid for what you do.”

He should know. He paid his dues.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo