Eagle finds wings

The memory drew smiles. A year ago the Eastern Washington University football coaches were afraid their depleted defensive line would be lucky to get more than one season out of junior transfer Keith Grennan.

This year, they’re expecting an all-conference type of season for the imposing, 6-foot-4, 290-pound tackle.

The smiles come when they think about Grennan’s transformation.

“He’s done a heck of a job growing up in the last year,” Eagles coach Paul Wulff said. “He’s a lot more mature. It’s helped him as a student and an athlete.

“I think, personally, he has finally found a position that fits his athletic ability. … There are still a lot of technique inconsistencies that he has to work on. When he gets consistent, he has the potential to be dominant.”

Defensive tackle coach Malik Roberson agrees.

“Because his attitude has changed, he’s picking things up faster than a freshman or sophomore would who was new to the position,” he said. “In games is where he has to figure it out, how to transfer it from practice to games. When he does it will be lights out for the offensive line.”

That’s quite a change for Grennan, who has always been big but focused on basketball, baseball, soccer and swimming growing up.

“Every since he was little, that’s what drove him,” his mother Lori said. “He played all sports, except football. I was afraid he would get hurt. … I know it’s silly.”

But when he discovered football through a coach’s persistence his junior year at Edmonds-Woodway, everything changed.

“I’ve never seen anything so crazy” she said. “Once he started football he was a totally different kid. He loves practice. He loves every minute of it. He never complains.”

Grennan immersed himself in football and everything that went with it like running and weightlifting.

“I tried it and since that day I loved it – the contact, the speed of the game, the teamwork,” he said.

Notice school work isn’t mentioned.

Grennan became an all-league tight end and drew attention from colleges, including Eastern, but he chose Central Washington because he was told he would stay at tight end. Also, EWU wanted him to grayshirt, which means starting school a quarter late and paying for his first year, which a divorced mom couldn’t afford for her only child.

His best game for the Wildcats, who play at Woodward Field on Saturday night, came against Eastern in 2003. He caught a career-high five passes in 2003 as Central led 22-21 before falling 48-29. One of the most vivid pictures from that game was five EWU players trying to tackle Grennan after a reception.

Other than football, however, things didn’t go well at Central.

“Keith was having problems,” Lori said. “He struggled off the field. He’s easily sidetracked.”

He decided to transfer to Eastern, partly because his mom was working in Spokane at the time, though she has since moved back to Mountlake Terrace.

“They recruited me in high school and I liked it,” he explained. “I feel comfortable, it’s a family atmosphere. They treat everybody equal. It’s just a great environment. You don’t have to worry about outside factors.

He didn’t mind that he was slated to play offensive tackle after sitting out a year.

Just before the season started, Grennan was pressed into duty on the defensive line.

“It was a crazy experience,” he said. “Last year was the first year ever playing defense in my life. It was a good experience. I like going out there, running around and making plays.”

The coaches just didn’t know if Grennan, who had four starts and three sacks, would make it through the academic year.

“I try not to read too much into it, but I saw a lot of things in him that I saw in myself when I was in WSU when I had off the field problems,” said Roberson, who played football at Washington State before transferring to Central. “I sat down with him and connected with him in regards to those things. It seems like everything seemed to make sense to him and he’s really committed to this team.”

It’s a matter of knowing what to do and doing it, according to Roberson.

“His decision-making process has improved dramatically,” he said. “He’s a tough kid and a smart kid, but working hard doesn’t mean anything if you don’t make the right decisions. He finally realizes that. It’s starting to payoff for him.”

No one is happier than Lori Grennan.

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate coach Wulff and the Eastern football program,” she said. “Coach Roberson got him on the right track and taught him some valuable life lessons. I will always be grateful to him. I’m just thrilled how things turned out. If nothing else, Keith is on track to graduate.

“He’s really happy and that makes me happy.”

“This is my fifth or sixth season of playing football,” her son said. “I learn every day and love it. It’s hard to believe I’m a senior already, it just went by so fast.”