CAL FOOTBALL
Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer
When Marvin Philip was younger, it was assumed that someday he would attend BYU. "Growing up, especially in the Polynesian community and being LDS (Latter Day Saints), all you hear about is BYU football," Philip said. The center was recruited by the Cougars, but he chose Cal instead. And now he faces what he says for a Mormon is the next best thing to playing for BYU -- playing against BYU. "This is it for me," he said, looking to the Dec. 22 Las Vegas bowl which matches Cal and BYU. "I'm thrilled." Philip enrolled at Cal in 2000, a year after the Bears played BYU in Provo. He then left on a two-year Mormon mission to the Midwest, and missed the 2001 game at Memorial Stadium. "I've always wanted to play against them," he said. He'll get his wish in this, his last collegiate game.
"When he was young I always told him he was going to go to BYU," said his mother, Luseane Philip, who attended BYU-Hawaii. "I'll always have a soft spot for BYU." But when it came time to choose a school, Philip decided he wanted to be closer to home (he was raised in Foster City, went to San Mateo High for two years then transferred to Oak Ridge High when the family moved to Cameron Park near Sacramento). But his faith still played a major role in his decision.
"I remember watching reruns of a BYU game and a guy jumping over the line of scrimmage and hitting the quarterback as he got the ball," Philip said. "That was Tom Holmoe." Philip was set on leaving after one year to go on his two-year mission. Holmoe, also Mormon and then the head coach at Cal, understood and agreed. And he got the consent of his primary adviser. "It turned out I was much happier," Luseane Philip said. "Cal is a great university and it's close to me. We've never regretted it." Philip says it hasn't been easy, fitting his Mormon ethic in at Cal. "You've got to separate yourself from a lot of things, like locker room talk," Philip said. "Players respect you for that. And they know what to talk about around you and what not to talk about around you." He's also managed to adhere to the clean lifestyle dictated by his church. "It is tough when you are young and you have a lot of temptations at college, especially a school that isn't LDS," he said.
"I've advised him but I didn't push him," his mother said. "He's always been a good boy." Philip said teammates sometimes ask him about his religion. He'll answer their questions and sometimes invite them to church. "A lot of them are curious," he said. "A lot wonder why you don't do the things everyone else does, wonder why you go to church every week." After last year's game at Oregon, the team plane didn't arrive back in Oakland until 3 a.m. Philip happened to be speaking in church at 9:30 that morning and invited some teammates earlier in the week. "I didn't think any of the guys would come," he said. "Between 10 and 15 showed up." Philip has strong ties to BYU. His two older brothers have lived in Provo and he got to know some players on family visits. He has two cousins on the current team, defensive end T.J. Sitake and running back Manase Tonga, and two close friends, running back Tahu Tahi and wide receiver Zac Collie, a former high school teammate. His mother and brothers will be among the family and friends Philip expects to be in Las Vegas, rooting for the Bears. Philip, 305 pounds and 23 years old, earned All-American honors last year and has been first team All-Pac-10 the past two years. He's a key team leader, a mainstay on the offensive line and a near-certain high-round pick in the NFL Draft. He said his success in football is a result of his mission. "You learn how to be disciplined, how to motivate yourself," he said. "You learn how to mature."
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