Sept. 2, 2001
By Megan Watson
MU Media Relations Office
Junior Ben Fredrickson is nowhere near the beaches he might be used to, but the 100 yards of Midwest dirt and grass inside Memorial Stadium were just what he was looking for.
Fredrickson hails from Westminster, Calif., - a town just south of Long Beach. One might wonder what it would take to attract Fredrickson to the mid-Missouri. The decision was not too hard for him to make.
"Actually, I like it here," said Fredrickson, 6-foot-4, 255-pound tight end. "I like the surroundings, I like the campus, and I like playing football so I'm here.
"I came to Missouri based on people, the coaching staff and the surroundings," he continued. "I really like the surroundings here at Missouri."
Although his home is farther away than the majority of his teammates, his parents, Jeff and Theresa, and his 8-year-old sister Katie made a trip to see their son during the week of practices in Mexico, Mo.
"They drove all the way here - it took them two days," said Fredrickson of the estimated 1,750-mile trek. "They came to see a couple of practices and see how everything was going."
A change of culture and scenery were not the only adjustments Fredrickson would make.
An Orange Coast College All-American, Fredrickson was his team's most valuable player last season after catching 38 passes for 472 yards and four touchdowns. In his brief time in a Tiger uniform, Fredrickson has learned there is a lot more focus on the "little things" like stepping with the proper foot at Mizzou than in junior college.
"In 'juco' it's kind of weird how the system works," Fredrickson said. "It's more like you go out Saturday and just perform up to your talent level. Here it's really organized, structured and disciplined. It's a difference - a big, big difference."
What is most exciting for Fredrickson is the "whole football atmosphere."
"We have a lot of backing here, which you don't have at junior college," he said.
Despite the distance from his family and the new atmosphere, Fredrickson still has a small link to home in his tight end coach, Bruce Walker. Walker, who is from Washington, already has a nickname for the California native.
"(Walker) gives me "Lefty Gomez," because I broke my right hand and because I my good hand was my left hand," said Fredrickson, who just got his cast off Aug. 20.
As for the "Gomez" part, he is still not sure of the reasoning behind that.
"I don't know," he said. "That's probably a West Coast thing. We're the only West Coast guys out of the tight end bunch, and we get along really well."
And Fredrickson, like the rest of the Tigers, hope the friendships on the field can pay off in wins this season.