"Great expectations" -- April 15, 2007

Caleb Breakey

For The Olympian

A clear plastic container lies upstairs in Jake Locker's old bedroom closet. Envelopes, books and children's drawings fill up its rectangular frame. Many of the letters and gifts came from strangers during Ferndale High School's back-to-back runs at the state football championship in 2004 and 2005.

Jake's parents, Scott and Anita, were surprised the notes found their house. The two don't list their address in the phone book.

Some of the letters were sent directly to Ferndale High School, where Jake graduated in June 2005 after leading the Golden Eagles football team to victory in the Class 3A state finals.

One envelope is labeled: "To Jacob Locker." It came from an 83-year-old retired Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army. The man began the letter by introducing himself as a die-hard football fan of the University of Washington, where Jake had committed to play quarterback.

"I thought you might like to know what the old folks think about the commitment," the letter begins. "I haven't heard such good news since Japan surrendered."

The man followed Jake's high school career, and the letter, stamped with a "Support Our Troops" sticker, praised Jake for his dignity as a football player, noting his modest celebrations, leadership, and the way he stayed on the field after games to talk with fans and sign autographs.
"There were nights that (Ferndale coach Jamie Plenkovich) would come out and say, 'Jake, it's cold; you just got done playing a game; you need to come inside now," Scott Locker said. "He would stay out as long as (the fans) would stay out."

Anita Locker heard regular comments from parents of young Ferndale fans. Moms sent their appreciation to her for the way Jake talked with their son or daughter.

"It's strange as a parent to sit and watch these people be so captivated," Anita Locker said. "He can make anyone feel comfortable. It's amazing, watching him interact with people."

Jake coached Little League Basketball every year since he could drive, despite high school peers vying for his time. Now a freshman quarterback after redshirting last season at the University of Washington, he still comes home on weekends for his sisters' birthdays.

"I don't even know if you would think he's a football player just by looking at him," Scott Locker said. "Physically, you can tell he could play, but he's just a really nice kid."

Letters to Jake

Trophies, plaques and posters cover the walls in Jake's bedroom. In a picture of him at the Elite 11 camp - a gathering of top-rated West Coast quarterbacks - he sits next to Florida's star quarterback, Tim Tebow, who played part-time while helping the Gators win the national championship last season. Next to the picture is the closet where the letters - 98 of them - are stored.

The majority of letters the Lockers received came from Ferndale folks and Whatcom County residents, such as a young boy who attended Jake's old elementary school. Jake visited the school, gave the boy a signed football and hung out with him during his senior year at Ferndale High School.

"That's one of the most fulfilling things about playing the sport," Jake said. "You can touch peoples' lives."

Some of the letters came from out of state. A high school coach, a doctor and a student, all who live outside of Washington, sent notes and blank cards to Jake, asking him to autograph and return them.

Grady Sizemore, who committed to play quarterback for the University of Washington but then opted to play baseball in 2000, sent Jake an 8-inch-by-11-inch photograph, a picture of Sizemore up to bat for the Cleveland Indians. It's signed: "To Jake: Good luck at UW."

One person sent Jake a thank you card for donating an autographed football to a fundraiser for underprivileged children, which sold for $525. The person compared Jake's autographed football with the paraphernalia of another Whatcom County athletic standout Luke Ridnour, who plays point guard for the Seattle SuperSonics. It read: "For your knowledge, Luke Ridnour's autographed basketball sold for $300, and his jersey and playing card - both autographed - sold for $425."

A million reasons to change his mind

Inside the Lockers' house, and inside the clear plastic container in Jake's room, is another letter. This one praises him for following his heart instead of his wallet.

Jake played baseball in high school and drew attention from several major league teams.
Milwaukee Brewers scout Brandon Null, a good friend of the Lockers, told Scott Locker during Jake's freshman baseball season to be ready for a flurry of scouts.

"He warned me the day was coming," Scott Locker said.

About 14 scouts showed up to Jake's first game as a senior, clocking his pitches and taking notes on his pitching mechanics. Jake fired fastballs at 96 mph, and scouts also considered him a five-tool outfield prospect.

More scouts came to watch him during the high school playoffs. Then more came as the Major League Baseball draft neared. The Lockers received about two phone calls every night during that season from scouts checking to see if and when Jake would pitch.

Jake's sister Alyssa, 17, recalls how she answered the phone during that time: "Hello - would you like to speak to my parents now?"

Scouts told Jake what draft pick they had and pointed to the dollar sign associated with that pick in the past - deals worth multimillions. They specifically called Anita Locker and explained to her how well Jake would be taken care of if he signed a contract.

"Most 17-year-olds are thinking, 'I'm going to Jerry Chambers tomorrow and buying the nicest car I can get,' " Scott Locker said.

Major League Baseball teams and college recruiters peppered the Lockers' home with mail. Scott kept many of envelopes in a file cabinet in his garage. Anita put the rest into an 8-gallon bin in their living room closet. Letters and packets fill the purple bin to its limits, each one promising Jake a better future, either by money or full ride scholarship. Several of them remained sealed.

"I left them on the counter for two weeks, then threw them in the bin," Anita Locker said.

During the hectic weeks leading up to the MLB draft, Scott sat down and talked with Jake, trying to lay out all of Jake's options: "For me, as a drywaller … do you know how many years I
would have to work to earn that much?"

Jake shrugged his shoulders and pointed out how his dad has a home, car and food. Scott then told Jake that he probably wouldn't get another chance to cash in like this.

Jake responded: "Yeah, but don't I have to do what I love to do?"

Scott Locker wouldn't say anything more after that. He has told his kids to chase their dreams since they were little.

"I don't believe any amount of money can make anybody happy," Jake said. "Baseball wasn't where my heart was and wasn't what I wanted to do. I would have been able to support a family, I would have been able to take care of my wife and kids in the future, but I wasn't sure how happy I would have been."

'Montlake Jake'

So he kept chasing his dream.

Huskies fans didn't sit quietly as Jake considered which school he would play football for.
A handful of the letters packed away in his room came from Huskies supporters - mostly men in their 60s and 70s - who wanted to see Jake in Huskies purple.

Jake took a full scholarship from the University of Washington after seriously considering the University of Southern California and Oregon State. Huskies head coach Ty Willingham and Jake share a common faith in God and connected during the recruiting process, Jake said. That, coupled with staying close to home, persuaded Jake to commit to the University of Washington.

Fans then dubbed him the "savior" of Huskies football. T-shirts were stamped with "Montlake Jake," a phrase that originated from radio station KJR 950-AM.

"The 'savior' thing, I never bought into that," Jake said. "There are 11 people on the field, and I'm one of them. It's 11 of us working together and trusting each other to save this program."

With quarterbacks Isaiah Stanback having finished his football career, Carl Bonnell recovering from a shoulder injury, and Johnny DuRocher out after surgery to remove a brain tumor, Jake is labeled the Huskies' No. 1 quarterback this year. Willingham proclaimed that the day Huskies spring drills began April 9.

Scott Locker said age and experience have never slowed down Jake. Scott recalls Jake's spunk when he coached him in Little League baseball. Jake played in a league for 9- and 10-year-olds when he was 7, the same year he hit his first home run.

"It doesn't matter if they're older or bigger, he was always determined to say, 'I can fit with this group, and I'll find a way to do it,' " Scott Locker said. "I've never been able to bet against him. He's been able to handle every situation."

Anita Locker said Jake can visualize plays and picks things up fast, which may also account for his 3.8 high school grade-point average.

Film rat

Huskies offensive coordinator Tim Lappano calls Jake a "film rat." He studied game film three days a week during the offseason and went to the gym daily, bulking up 12 pounds since joining the Huskies. But his speed remains the same. He runs the 40 in 4.5 to 4.6 seconds.

Jake does his throwing and running work in the Dempsey Indoor at the University of Washington, where dozens of fluorescent lights glow from a dome-shaped roof, shining off the black football cleats below.

Jake swings his arms back and forth while sidestepping his way from one end of the field to the other, one of the drills that helps improve his speed and agility, he says. His cheeks are red as drops of sweat build around his eyebrows and brawny chin. Muscles bulge under his skin-tight tank top.

"It doesn't do you any good to carry a lot of weight if you can't carry it fast," Jake said. "I've been fortunate to gain weight and maintain, if not improve on, the speed that I have. As long as that continues to happen, I'll continue to put on weight."

Alyssa Locker noticed a change in Jake when he came home.

"Bigger butt," she said.

Several of the Lockers' friends already purchased season tickets for the Huskies' home games next season, and a handful will fly to Syracuse, N.Y., for Jake's first game of the season.

For most home games, the Lockers will pack loads of tailgate food and drinks into the
"FernDog," their motor home painted blue and purple, a mixture of Ferndale and the University of Washington colors. Jake's number lines its side.

"We're learning to wear purple," Scott Locker said.

After Jake decided on the University of Washington, KING-5 TV interviewed Jack Brown, who coached Jake in basketball from fifth through seventh grades.
Brown asked the news crew if, in the interview, they could not talk about football.

"Why?" a reporter responded.

"Because there's a whole lot more to Jake Locker than athletics."

Brown instead talked about how Jake stood out from the other 12-year-olds he coached. He said Jake never talked back to him or flaunted his talent. The two stayed close and now consider each other friends.

"There are two great kids in my life - my son and Jake," Brown said. "He's taught me more than I've taught him."

Friends of the Lockers who watched Jake play as a kid know that he cried every time his team lost. That's how it was until his sophomore year in high school. But those tears, his parents say, weren't of poor sportsmanship. They were drops of emotion and exhaustion. Jake left the field knowing he played as hard as he could. Sometimes, however, it wasn't enough to win.

"That's why guys on his team are drawn to him," Scott Locker said. "He doesn't accept losing. He doesn't accept it for the other guys, either. Older kids at the U-Dub say, 'I've never been around a kid like this.' "

'I can do all things'

Ever since his junior year in high school, Jake has broken the huddle and muttered something as he walks toward the line of scrimmage.

He recites Philippians 4:13 from the Bible, which reads, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Since then, he's worn those words on his chest, as a tattoo of the text and a cross.

"That saying is the way I live my life," Jake said. "Whenever I put my hand on my heart, it's right there between it."

In his dorm, above the Cheez-It box, below the lavender pillow spray, is a piece of paper hanging from a shelf near his bed. His sister gave him the paper before he left for the University of Washington, a poem that reads:

"Don't ever let anything get in the way of your dreams. …Take advantage of precious opportunities while they still sparkle before you. … Always believe that your ultimate goal is attainable as long as you commit yourself to it, though barriers may sometimes stand in the way of your dreams. … Remember that your destiny is hiding behind them."

Country music plays as Jake plops down on his bed. About 15 Microsoft Xbox games stand upright on one of the boards that jut out from the walls. A plate of cookies, wrapped in aluminum foil, is within his arm's reach.

"Grandma cooks and sends them down here every once in awhile," he said.

Jake attends a nondenominational gathering on Wednesdays because practices keep him from church on Sundays. Scott Locker says Jake became bold in his beliefs in the latter part of high school. He even spoke to a crowd of young people at the Sportsplex in Bellingham when he was 17, talking to younger athletes about Jesus Christ and how he believes that the lord is always with them.

"He's so comfortable in his faith," Scott Locker said, and "that you're comfortable hearing what he has to say."

One man who knew Jake all through high school wrote to him: "I've been alive for 50 years, and I've never known a person who touches so many lives like you do. Your smile is contagious, your caring attitude amazing, and your ability to make everyone feel like they are special is something I've never seen from a student-athlete."

While he doesn't receive masses of mail anymore, Jake is poised to become the Huskies' starting quarterback, poised to bring 72,500 fans in Husky Stadium to their feet and poised to make a limp Dawg growl once again.