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Like a moth to the flame

Track star Routt loves Houston, experiencing life in big city

By Tom Carpenter
The Daily Cougar

Stanford Routt walked with careless ease as he wound his way through Yeoman Field House toward the Tom Tellez Track at the Carl Lewis Complex; a prince in a palace built to honor the kings of track and field.

The affable kinesiology junior made numerous stops along the way, chatting with anyone who crossed his path ? athletes, trainers and visitors.

As the laughter bubbling in his wake attested, Routt's easy demeanor disarmed and charmed everyone he met as he slowly made his way to the track.

Routt was a unanimous First Team All-District selection in football at Connally High School in Pflugerville, where he also earned All-American honors in track.

The 6-1, 180-pound athlete ran the ninth fastest time in the 200 meters nationally as a junior. He qualified for the state meet in both the 200 meters and 4-by-400-meter relay team.

Born in Austin, Routt shunned burnt orange for the chance to play cornerback at UH.

"I never liked UT, since I was a kid," Routt said. "I wanted to get out on my own and see different parts of the world. UT was never an option for me."

Texas A&M, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Washington and Louisiana State were some of the major colleges that pursued Routt, but none of those schools could offer Routt what he wanted most.

"I've always wanted to live in a big city, coming from Austin." Routt said. "If I went to Texas I'd probably have stayed and lived in Austin all my life. When I saw the chance to go to UH, a chance to go there and re-start the tradition, I jumped on that."

Routt said he expected to play football when he came to UH, but he wasn't certain he'd run track.

"Another thing that sold me on UH was that if I did decide to run track, I'd have a good coach in coach Burrell," Routt said. "If you want to be a good sprinter, there's nobody who can help you more than Leroy Burrell.

"I didn't expect to run track and field in college, but in the back of my mind, I knew I probably would sooner or later," Routt said. "I like track. It's a form of stress relief for me and it's relaxing. In my heart, football is No. 1. Track is just a little side dish."

Routt's "little side dish" earned him All-American honors in the 200.

"The (NCAA Tournament) was a bittersweet experience for me," Routt said. "I got third. But a part of me was actually a little more disappointed than I was happy.

"After all, I did go into the finals with the fastest time and I was leading the race after 180 meters. I just basically got caught in the last 20 meters. So for a couple days after that I was disappointed, but once I realized what an accomplishment getting third is, that's when I accepted it. I was really just mad at myself when I didn't win."

Routt came dangerously close to losing his awesome speed and athletic prowess in a car accident during his freshman year at UH while riding with his roommate.

"I guess my roommate thought I was already in the car because he started driving off with my leg still outside the car," Routt said as he displayed an ugly, quarter-sized scar on his left ankle. "My foot got caught up under the tire and my roommate rode over my foot a couple of times. I had to play in the spring game the next day. It hurt, but I run on my toes so my heel doesn't really touch the ground. I can't repeat what I said to my roommate at the time."

Like most college students, Routt hangs with his friends at his apartment or takes advantage of the entertainment available in the fourth-largest city in the nation.

"Houston's a lot of fun," Routt said. "The weather is good most of the time. It's the type of city with a lot of attractions. We just had the Super Bowl. The baseball All-Star Game is coming here. You never really get bored in the big city."

If he doesn't make it to the professional level as a football player, Routt said he wants to coach football or track at a high school or middle school.

"Another goal I've been thinking about is going to law school after I graduate and become a lawyer," Routt said. "I like to argue, and I always get my point across."

Routt said he views life after college the same way he sees the 200-meter dash.

"The only person that's going to beat me is me."

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