HOUSTON (AP) -Nobody would ever think to lump diminutive Texans running back Steve Slaton on the same list with Tedy Bruschi or Roman Gabriel.
He belongs with them, though – the latest of a very short group of players with Filipino heritage to make it in the NFL.
Most people aren’t aware of Slaton’s roots, but he’s hoping to change that.
“It’s just something that I’m very proud of and something that is a great heritage,” Slaton told The Associated Press. “It’s a little unknown, but I appreciate it 100 percent.”
His maternal grandmother, Rosalina Billingsley, was born in the Philippines and came to the United States after meeting his grandfather, William, while selling vegetables when he was stationed there in the Army during World War II.
er over here.”
Slaton’s mother, Juanita Tiggett-Slaton, said Rosalina would spend hours talking about her culture and life in the Philippines with her grandchildren and that she has always shared a special bond with Steve.
“My kids are always curious about her life before she came here and love the story of how they met,” Juanita said in a phone interview. “She would talk about those things and the struggle that she went through and the hard times and coming to America and having to face adversity. It was a struggle, especially with the language barrier.”
Slaton’s so proud of his heritage that he has a tattoo of the outline of a Philippines flag emblazoned on the left side of his chest. Slaton’s flag isn’t in color; but an actual Philippines’ flag features horizontal bands of red and blue with a white triangle that holds a yellow sun and a trio of matching stars.
The red in the flag represents courage, a quality many would agree Slaton possesses in abundance.
Drafted in the third round in 2008, some doubted the undersized Slaton could be an every-down back in the NFL despite rushing for almost 4,000 yards in three seasons at West Virginia. Houston already had a starter in Ahman Green when and planned to use Slaton as a third-down back.
irst start in Week 2. He was doing so well when Green got healthy that he kept the job.
His performance was key in Houston’s offensive improvement. Slaton led all rookies with 1,284 yards rushing and became the team’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2004.
Slaton’s grandmother will turn 88 this week and though she doesn’t understand a thing about football, she loves to hear his name announced when someone turns on the television for one of his games.
“She doesn’t know what football is at all,” Juanita said. “But I’ll call her after a long run and I’ll say: ‘Did you see it Mommy?’ and she’ll say: ‘They called his name. I heard his name.’ “
Juanita didn’t know that her son had started sharing his family history.
“I think it’s neat because it is a rare thing for people to know that he has that heritage,” she said. “For him to bring it up it says that he’s proud of himself and his family.”
There have been a handful of players with Filipino roots in the NFL. Along with Bruschi, the Patriots’ star linebacker, and Gabriel, the outstanding quarterback for the Rams and Eagles in the 1960s and 70s, there’s Tennessee’s Eugene Amano, who was born in Manila.
eone far removed from football.
“Me and Manny Pacquiao are holding it down for the Philippines,” Slaton said, referring to the Filipino boxing champ considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. “I’m happy to go out there and see him do his thing, too.”
Slaton is hoping to build on last year’s success by fine-tuning his game, improving his pass-protection and helping the Texans fare better in the red zone.
The Texans are pressuring him in that area.
“Steve exceeded expectations last year,” offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. “He did a (heck) of a job making it through the whole year and carrying the load. We still have to be a lot better in the running game … we were horrible in the red zone and Steve knows that. Steve has to get much better in that area and we’ve got some guys that can push him. If some guys do it better, then they’ll get the carries down there.”
Slaton is prepared for the challenge.
“Being a year in the system is definitely helpful and I definitely know my place,” he said. “I know the little things I have to work on and not really trying to grasp everything. I can work on a few things to help me get better and the team get better.”
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