Senior Feature: Tyler Luellen
9/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 25, 2007
Tyler Luellen is finally getting the season he's been waiting for. A season free of injury.
“It feels good,” Luellen says of being able to prepare for his senior campaign.
“It feels great not having to worry about whether there's something wrong with me.”
Being free of injury also means Luellen, one of Mizzou's most dominant offensive linemen, will be able to contribute even more than he has in the 29-consecutive games he had played entering the matchup with Illinois State. Already standing tall at 6-7 and weighing 295 pounds, Luellen will be an even larger barrier protecting quarterback Chase Daniel with no knee pain and a full range of motion in his left shoulder.
“I'm not going to let Chase get hit,” is his mantra every time Luellen steps on the field.
During a game against Iowa State in 2004, Luellen hurt his left shoulder and was forced to undergo rotator-cuff surgery in the off-season. He sat out of spring drills in 2005, but was able to rejoin the team in time to play every game of the 2005 season. His 2006 spring was cut short by a knee injury that he again recovered from to play in each of the 2006 contests. In his final season as a Tiger, Luellen has had the opportunity to participate fully in both spring and summer workouts, looking to improve even more on an already impressive career at Mizzou.
Even through his injuries, Luellen's focus has never wavered from his commitment to the Tigers. His study of his own technique, through video and practice, his scouting of opponents, and his determination to give the Tiger offense time to run its plays has always made him a leader among his teammates.
“You step up and take the role of leader, and I've tried to do that for the offensive line. I like to spread the knowledge I have to the younger guys to help them get ready for their careers at Mizzou. I work with the younger guys on film and on the field. Hopefully from what I can help with and from what they learn from the coaches, they can become better than me,” Luellen said.
A major factor in his determination to make the players, and the Tigers, better is Luellen's deep-seated Missouri pride.
“It feels really good to play at an in-state school. It feels good to represent the state of Missouri and the little town of Bethany. Having people like Ryan [Madison, also from Beathany] and me at Mizzou is a big step for small towns. I came to Missouri because of my family and wanting to be close to home. I wanted them to see as many games as they could,” Luellen said.
Luellen is not willing to put much weight in the outside expectations of a Big 12 North title. He feels the Tigers have always put pressure on themselves to perform well and believes the performance of the team during his career at Mizzou has prepared the team for success, not only this season, but in the future.
With a team full of players all recruited by Head Coach Gary Pinkel, updates to the facilities, and consistent bowl appearances, Luellen has seen better players come to Mizzou during the last couple seasons and thinks the trend will continue.
After graduating in December, Luellen plans to train and “pursue the NFL if I have a chance,” he says. “If it doesn't work out, I'll just go from there.”
Although he does not know what area he would look into, Luellen points to his hotel and restaurant management degree as what he will fall back on if he doesn't enter the NFL.
“I'm not too worried about that right now,” he says.
What Luellen will miss most about playing for Mizzou is not actually the thrill of a bowl game or competing in the Big 12, instead it's his teammates.
“I'm going to miss the locker room atmosphere. I'll miss hanging out with my friends all the time. I'm used to seeing them basically everyday for a full year, and the bonds I've formed with them throughout my career will be hard to replace.”
However, Luellen will also miss the many supporters he's had during his time at Mizzou.
“I think it's fun,” he says about playing in from of the Missouri fans. “The fans are huge when it comes to momentum, especially when there are 60,000 of them screaming and yelling and cheering you on. Just playing on Faurot is amazing, and the fans make it better. That's one thing I'm definitely going to miss.”
No doubt the fans will miss him too.
-- Meaghan Hayden
