STUDENT OF THE GAME The well-read de la Torre becomes major key to season By Rusty Burson

As an inquisitive and bright child growing up in Katy, Steve de la Torre would often settle into his bottom bunk bed, pull up the covers and read into the night, enthralled by the science fiction novels he devoured as a 10-year-old.

Occasionally, when his eyes needed a break, de la Torre would pry himself out of the pages of his sci-fi thriller and sneak a peek at the top bunk. There, he’d frequently see something about as bizarre as the fascinating fiction.

His younger brother, Michael, was only 6. But Michael had long since packed away Dr. Seuss and Mother Goose, turning his attention to more enlightening and informative reading material.

Michael de la Torre is never far from a good book.

"He’s been a bookworm forever," Steve de la Torre said of younger brother. "We shared a room growing up, and I would be reading some science fiction book or something of that nature, and he would be reading an encyclopedia. As a 6-year-old. How many kids that age do that? Even then, I figured he would be brilliant."

Steve’s reckoning was right. At 6-5, 245, Michael de la Torre appears to be the literal – and literary – definition of an intellectual giant.

An international finance major, de la Torre often spends his free time reading books – in different languages, no less. He speaks, writes and reads fluently in Spanish. He quotes Mark Twain, adores the works of Robert Jordan, lists Miguel de Cervates Saavedra’s Don Quixote as his favorite classic and was, at last glance, reading the Spanish translation of an Anne Rice novel.

Oh, and by the way, he also happens to be one of the best blocking tight ends in the Big 12 and one of the keys to Texas A&M’s season.

Dumb jock? Yeah, right.

"I haven’t always been into school, but I’ve always been into learning," de la Torre said. "I’ve found this quote by Mark Twain to be the most true regarding how I feel: ‘I never let my schooling get in the way of my education.’ I will get an education. I will learn things, no matter what. Now, that’s been somewhat of a detriment to my classes. I’d say my GPA should be higher here, and if I didn’t do all my outside reading, I’d have a much better GPA, much better.

"But it’s really good enough for me. It’s a 3.6 or 3.7. It’s OK, but I shouldn’t have made a B at this school. I’ll generally study enough to get that low A in a lot of classes and sometimes I’ve missed and gotten a B. In other classes that I love, I’ll try to get the highest grade I can. Like Spanish, I try to make a 103 if I can. I’m averaging a B a semester since I’ve been here and a lot of reading on the outside has led to a couple of those B’s. No big deal."

The occasional B he’s received in the classroom certainly does not bother him like the "incomplete" grade he gives himself thus far on the football field. de la Torre arrived at Texas A&M in 1998 after leading Katy to a Class 5A state title.

He meticulously observed as Dan Campbell and Derrick Spiller manned the tight end position during his redshirt season and appeared well on his way to mastering the position early in 1999. But about halfway through the ’99 season, the back problems began to arise.

A herniated disk caused him to miss the final six games of 1999 and seriously threatened his entire career. Back surgery followed by a lengthy rehabilitation process caused him to lose weight and strength.

de la Torre made it back to the field in time for the beginning of the 2000 season, but he was just a shell of the player he had once been. He played in eight games last year, catching two passes for 32 yards. But with back stiffness and other ailments hounding him, 2000 was filled with far more frustration than exhilaration.

"It wasn’t like the whole world was dark or anything, but from a football standpoint, it was very frustrating because every time I would get into it, something else would happen," de la Torre said. "Last year was an absolute nightmare because I had 10 months off, and I was completely out of shape and I was in no condition to be playing football.

"So, I had problems with my ankles, hamstrings, shoulders, you name it. When you haven’t been doing anything, when you come back, your body is going to break down. That’s what happened to me last year. Then I got into the offseason program and got into spring and stayed healthy through spring and all throughout two-a-days. Now, I feel great. I’m back strong, and I’ve got two more years."

de la Torre will have to stay healthy for the Aggies, who lost backup Lonnie Madison to a knee injury.

de la Torre certainly plans on making up for lost time in 2001. And rest assured, the Aggies need a steady diet of A+ performances from their cerebral tight end.

Senior Lonnie Madison was lost for the season with a knee injury during the first practice of two-a-days, leaving de la Torre as the only experienced tight end on the roster.

"I think he might be one of the big keys to the season," A&M quarterback Mark Farris said of de la Torre. "There’s no doubt he can do it physically. He can catch, and he’s probably one of the best blockers on the team, bar none, linemen or anybody. It’s a matter of staying healthy. He’s been banged up so much. He’s missed probably most of his time since he’s been here. But if he can stay healthy, he can be a big, big key for us."

Said tight ends coach Tam Hollingshead: "We feel very good about Michael. He’s really responded well to his back injury. He’s a very intelligent guy and very athletic. So we feel very good about Michael, and we need him to stay healthy and make a major contribution to our offense."

de la Torre embraces the role of being a go-to player much like he would a good book. Each practice is a new page; each game a new chapter. His objective isn’t just to get through it, but rather, to enjoy every minute of it.

And, much like his extensive literary knowledge, de la Torre is well-versed in the heroic characters of Texas A&M’s past. He lists former standout tight ends at A&M as if he were recalling the names of family members, quickly reciting names such as Greg Schorp, Hayward Clay, Campbell and Spiller.

de la Torre aspires to be the next in line among the best tight ends in Texas A&M history. But he quickly points out that his role model is, without a doubt, Campbell – the outspoken leader if the 1998 Big 12 championship team.

"I got the chance to watch Dan and Derrick kind of from afar as a redshirt freshman," de la Torre said. "Anybody that saw Derrick Spiller play would say that’s the most talented guy we’ve ever had. But Derrick didn’t have Dan’s heart. He’d be an All-Pro if he did. But I watched Dan, and I was like, ‘I want to be like him.’ I want to have his heart, I want to have his toughness."

At least in part, de la Torre owes his toughness to his older brother, who went on to play center at Southwest Texas State. Steve de la Torre is three and a half years older than Michael and as a child was called, from time to time, to put his younger sibling in his place.

"He’s always been ornery," said Steve, who now lives in Tulsa and is the body shop manager of the largest dealership of Peterbilt in the nation. "And most of the beatings he got as a kid from me were because he loved being ornery. I’d be watching TV or something, and he would come up and smack me in the head. I guess he just loved the challenge. He’d irritate me to the point where I had to beat him. We’ve always had a competitive relationship, but it’s always been a healthy one.

"And the bottom line is I love that guy like no one else. He is one of the most genuine young men I know. He’s highly intelligent, he’s outspoken, and you always know exactly where you stand with him."

No doubt about that. de la Torre speaks his mind, often circumventing political correctness for the hard truth. Just like Campbell.

When the subject of Texas’ preseason hype is mentioned, de la Torre doesn’t mince words, especially regarding quarterback Chris Simms.

"Texas has gotten all this press and some of it’s like, ‘Who came up with this stuff?" de la Torre said. "Simms had one good game against us, one decent game against a horrendously mutilated secondary. Simms has gone from an interception waiting to happen to a Heisman candidate. Did anybody watch his other games? Let’s put it this way: They’re not as good of a team with Simms in there as they are with Major Applewhite. I want him in there, actually."

And regarding the subject of the last two seasons at A&M, de la Torre is equally as blunt, recalling blown opportunities.

"That's why our mottoe this year is no excuses, get the job done, make the plays. Nobody is going to make them for you, you have to do it. Myself included. No more near misses. Just make the stinkin' play." –Michael de la Torre

"You look back at some of the losses, and you just want to slap yourself in the face," he said. "We’re talking ridiculous losses here. That’s why our motto this year is no excuses, get the job done, make the plays. Nobody is going to make them for you, you have to do it. Myself included. No more near misses. Just make the stinkin’ play."

de la Torre can do much more than merely speak two languages. Like Campbell and other previous A&M leaders, he has the unique ability to truly communicate with others at their level.

He can be intellectual. He can be demonstrative. But he can also be quite engaging, which was quite apparent during the preseason picture and autograph day. Children of all ages flocked to de la Torre, who provided entertainment for the kids along with autographs and photo opportunities.

"Hopefully, I more than just some recluse who can’t relate to other people," he said. "Hopefully, I’ve developed some good people skills, because I love dealing with people, especially little kids.

"In high school, people made fun of me for being a nerd, because I would walk down the halls between classes reading books. But hopefully, I’ve developed some. Looking back, though, it’s amazing that I managed to meet my wife in high school, back in those nerdy days."

de la Torre and his high school sweetheart, Brittney, were married this past summer. She’s currently enrolled at Blinn and is taking Spanish classes in anticipation of the couple’s future moves.

"A whole a new world opens to you when you can speak another language," de la Torre said. "You can know millions of other people who don’t speak English. After I’m through at A&M, we’d eventually like to live in Spain or maybe Argentina or Mexico for a couple years. My wife says she’ll go for that for a couple years, but she doesn’t want to raise kids in a foreign country.

"But the opportunities are endless. And, of course, I’m not thinking about it right now, but I would not rule out a pro career."

With de la Torre, nothing should be ruled out, especially a pro career. Pro football, pro-fessor, pro-tagonist, pro-vost … the possibilities do, indeed, seem unlimited.