DE Assistant Sports Editor

He’s a phone booth linebacker if you come into his territory, you’re going to get your lunch, because he’s gonna turn your lights out if he can. He’s a throwback to the old middle linebackers. He’s a tough kid.

The he Saluki football head coach Shawn Watson is referring to is senior tri-captain middle linebacker Brian Tranchitella. For the past three and a half seasons Tranchitella has been a pillar of consistency on a sometimes drifting Dawgs’ defense.

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In 1993, Tranchitella was second on the team in total tackles with 72, and last season almost doubled that total, making 140 tackles including 10 for losses both good for second on the squad behind senior linebacker Tony Seman.

Watson said the improvement in Tranchitella’s performance over the past two seasons is desire for the game.

Brian is a man who has a great amount of tenacity. He cares about his performance, and his performance is important to him, he said. He wants to make sure that in everything he does, he does his very best at it.

Tranchitella said football was always his favorite sport, and playing it in college is a dream come true.

Ever since grade school, I wanted to play football, he said. I was blessed by being able to get a scholarship to play and I’m taking advantage of it and it’s my dream … basically it’s what I want to do.

In his three previous seasons, Tranchitella has played for two different coaches Bob Smith , and current Saluki coach, Shawn Watson.

Watson said when he came to the Salukis as the team’s new head coach last season, he wasn’t quite sure what to think about Tranchitella.

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When I first saw Brian, he had long hair down to here (just below his shirt collar), and I didn’t quite know what to think about him, to be honest, he said. But then I saw him move around some athletically in our station workouts.

I also saw his work ethic in the weight room and in those various stations, and that’s when I knew we had ourselves a linebacker.

At 6’4 and 230 pounds, it might be surprising to some that Tranchitella is not a very vocal player. Watson said he lets his play on the field do the talking for him.

He is a good leader because he has a lot of that tenacity, which I think falls over into his leadership because he refuses to die, he refuses to give up, he said. He leads by example. He’s more likely out of the three captains to be the follow me and my example’ type of guy. He’s really a pretty special person all the way around, to be honest.

Although he is a tri-captian, along with senior safety Darnell Hendricks and senior center Larry Mullins, Tranchitella downplays his leadership role, and takes everything in stride.

I think my role as a leader is just the same as anybdy else’s on the team who isn’t a captain, he said. I don’t picture myself above anybody else on the team. I just go out and influence the team and get them fired up in my own way.

Tranchitlella said he thinks he is more of a teacher more than he is a leader.

The first thing I try to teach them is to win. That’s been a big problem here at SIU the last few years, he said. That’s the first thing as a senior class we have to do teach the young guys to win.

And after that, it’s how to be a man. Football is just like the game of life … and being a man it’s just a matter of growing up.

Tranchitella said his on and off the field influences are at different ends of the spectrum.

On the field, anybody on the (Pittsburgh) Steelers, he said. I like the style of play of the Steelers. I like their defense.

As for off the field, my parents back me 100 percent. My family, my wife, my mom and dad everybody’s been to every single game I’ve played at and they’re my biggest fans. You can’t ask for more than that.

Is the NFL the next stop for Tranchitella? Is he ready to carry on the tradition of other phone booth linebacklers such as Dick Butkis? Smiling, he said he wasn’t too sure about a possible career in the pros.

No … I’m not really thinking anything about that, Tranchitella said. I don’t know what the odds are of that, but I’m not thinking at all about that.

Despite the fact he is uncertain of an NFL career, Tranchitella does know what he wants from his final season wearing the SIUC maroon and white.

I just want to win. Period. That’s all there is too it, he said. I want the team to be successful and I want myself to be successful.