US NFL star proud of Filipino roots

Regular Philstar blogger Ronald Castilan, a Filipino living in Tucson, Arizona, recently sent an alert that Houston Texans running back Steve Slaton of the National Football League (NFL) is a Fil-Am whose maternal grandmother Rosalina is a full-blooded Filipina born in the Philippines.

“After Teddy Lacap Bruschi’s recent retirement, I decided to look for another active Fil-Am NFL player,” wrote Ronald. “I got a surprise when my brother, who lives in Houston, told me that Slaton is a Fil-Am.”

Bruschi, who played for the University of Arizona and the New England Patriots, traces his Filipino roots to his mother. Roman Gabriel, a Hall of Famer, was the first Fil-Am NFL player and the first full-blooded Filipino to break into the league was Tennessee Titans guard Eugene Amano.

Slaton, 23, was born in Levittown, Pennsylvania. One of six children, the 5-9, 215-pound Heisman Trophy finalist from West Virginia University was picked by Houston on the third round of the 2008 NFL draft. His mother Juanita is half-Filipina and father Carl is an American.

Slaton’s maternal grandmother married an American GI William Tiggett who took her to live in the US after World War II. She is now 88 and her half-Filipina daughter Juanita is Slaton’s mother.

Associated Press writer Kristie Rieken said most fans aren’t aware of Slaton’s Filipino heritage but he’s making it known. It could be that boxing icon Manny Pacquiao had something to do with Slaton’s “rebirth.”

In a recent interview, Slaton told Rieken that “Me and Manny Pacquiao are holding it down for the Philippines – I’m happy to go out there and see Manny do his thing, too.”

Slaton said he’s proud of his Filipino lineage and wants the whole world to know he’s a Fil-Am. His bloodline shows he’s a fourth Filipino.

“It’s just something that I’m very proud of and something that is a great heritage,” he said. “It’s a little unknown but I appreciate it 100 percent.”

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Slaton said his grandmother often spoke about the culture and life in the Philippines. Rieken noted that the player and his grandmother share a “special bond.”

“My kids are always curious about her (Rosalina’s) life before she came to the US and love the story of how they (her parents) met,” said Juanita. “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 pride in the Philippines is reflected in the tattoo of the outline of the national flag emblazoned on the left side of his chest. In pro wrestler Batista’s case, he wears a tattoo of the Filipino and Greek flags crossed together on his biceps. Batista’s father is a full-blooded Filipino and his mother is Greek-American.

“Slaton’s flag isn’t in color but an actual Philippine flag features horizontal bands of red and blue with a white triangle that holds a yellow sun and a trio of matching stars,” wrote Rieken. “The red in the flag represents courage, a quality many would agree Slaton possesses in abundance.”

Slaton’s grandmother doesn’t understand how football is played but she watches all his games on TV without fail, getting a kick whenever the commentators mention his name.

“She doesn’t know what football is at all,” said Juanita. “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 said her son took it on himself to announce to the public that he’s part Filipino.

“I think it’s neat because it’s a rare thing for people to know that he has that heritage,” she continued. “For him to bring it up, it says that he’s proud of himself and his family.”

Slaton’s story is an inspiration in itself. Growing up, he had a difficult childhood and often complained of hearing problems. His sister died of leukemia when he was in fifth grade. Losing a sister at a young age was a big blow to Slaton.

It was through sports that Slaton began to build self-confidence. He went to Immaculate Conception Elementary School where he discovered track and played for the varsity football squad at Conwell-Egan Catholic High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. Slaton was MVP in the Philadelphia Catholic League. Aside from setting five high school records in football (including rushing yards and touchdowns), he shone as a track star both as a runner and long jumper.

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Slaton received offers from North Carolina, Maryland and Rutgers to play college football. He chose Maryland but his scholarship invitation was withdrawn when the coaching staff decided to choose Morgan Green instead. Slaton wound up at West Virginia where he eventually earned All-America status.

Because of his lack of ceiling, Slaton was considered a long shot to make it in the NFL. Sportswriters liked to describe him as “diminutive.” He wasn’t a high draft pick as the Texans’ third selection but was determined to make an impact despite the odds.

“Some doubted the undersized Slaton could be an every-down back in the NFL,” said Rieken even as she noted he ran for almost 4,000 yards in three seasons at West Virginia. “Houston already had a starter in Ahman Green and planned to use Slaton as a third-down back. The plan changed when Green got hurt in the opener and Slaton got his first 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.”

Houston offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan commented on Slaton’s performance. “Steve exceeded expectations,” he said, quoted by Rieken. “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 who can push him. If some guys do it better, then they’ll get the carries down there.”

If only Slaton could find the time to visit the Philippines sometime in the future, he could surely inspire Filipinos to be as proud of their heritage. Slaton stands as a fine example of a Fil-Am sports hero.