This Spring is Miller Time in Corvallis

Oregon State's roster is light at left tackle going into next season, but they recently added a heavyweight with excellent attributes. Chris Miller is expected to play for the Beavers in 2004, and Coach Craig Rigsbee at Butte Community College helped break down what kind of player OSU is obtaining.

Miller is a 6-5, 325 pound bruiser who played two seasons at Butte C.C. for Coach Rigsbee and compiled a 19-3 record over that span. The football team lost to CCSF this season after beating them in the play-offs the year before. Miller’s toughness can’t be questioned because he never missed a start in the regular season or play-offs.

That toughness is welcome in Corvallis. He enters the Oregon State program as a junior with a redshirt year intact, and most importantly he’ll be able to compete this spring.

Coach Rigsbee explained what makes him Pac-10 material. “He’s very athletic. He moves well, and he can run the forty somewhere between 5.0 and 5.1. He had a tough season because he broke his hand in the third game, so that slowed him down a little. It’s not easy for a tackle to wear a cast, but he has good footwork and plays smart.”

“Miller was our only returning offensive lineman this year, and he was one of the leaders. His teammate at the other tackle [Pritchard] will probably end up at Portland State. They both did a great job for us.”

“He’s [Miller] probably equally good at run blocking and pass blocking. He has a great kick-step that sets him up to make his block. He wasn’t able to work out as much this year in the weight room because of the cast. He could probably bench about 375 and clean around 300 this year, and he’ll be a lot stronger after he gets back to working out.”

Oregon State wasn’t the only school recruiting him. With All-Conference and All-Region accolades, many of the schools looking at him were from the East Coast and Great Lakes. Coach Rigsbee rattled off a few schools from the top of his head, “Cal was real interested and took a hard look at him before he went to OSU. North Carolina State made an offer and so did San Jose St. He also had offers from Bowling Green and Toledo. There were more.”

Miller’s athletic ability is not confined to football. He also throws the shot and hammer for the Butte Track Team. He joined the team to stay active during the spring, and it helps keep his fitness level up during the off-season.

This spring will be much different from last. Miller’s key to success will be learning the Beaver offense when the Corvallis cherry blossoms are blooming, and strengthening his body for autumn's abuse. He already has the lateral quickness and footwork required to compete at the Division 1A level.

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