CARDINAL QUEST: Powell has set his sights on getting the Axe back. gonzalesphoto.com

he wears khakis and gives you that “aw, shucks” smile if you compliment him too much. He’s just 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds. And he’s been called one of the most dangerous players in college football.

Senior wide receiver Luke Powell is “a quiet assassin,” says Stanford associate head coach and offensive coordinator David Kelly. “He’s not overwhelming in any physical aspect. But if you’re not constantly aware of him at all times, he will end up totally taking over a football game and destroying your team.”

Or so the Cardinal hopes. Both receiver and team were hampered last year—Powell by a nagging ankle sprain that left 2002 the weakest season of his career, the squad by offensive difficulties that resulted in a 2-9 record (its worst in 19 years). For this year’s campaign to be successful, Powell and the rest of the offense will need to be at full strength.

For the offense as a whole, that might seem easier said than done, especially since last year’s leading receiver, Teyo Johnson, ’04, and all-conference tackle Kwame Harris, ’04, bolted early for the NFL. But the Cardinal has had a year to adjust to head coach Buddy Teevens’s playbook, and has depth at quarterback, where Chris Lewis, ’03, Kyle Matter, ’05, and perhaps Trent Edwards, ’06, will compete for the starting spot.

Powell, for his part, says he’s “pretty much at 100 percent” and expects to return to his 2001 form. That year, he led the team with 40 receptions for 790 yards and seven touchdowns (his season average of 19.8 yards per catch is the second-best in Stanford history). He also returned 19 punts for 304 yards, ranking first in the Pac-10 and second nationally. And he became the first Stanford player to be named a first-team All-American kick returner.

One of Powell’s strengths is the slim difference between his speed on a track and his speed on the field. “He’s able to play fast, make cuts, make adjustments, do things of that sort, at his top speed,” Kelly says. He adds that Powell looked “outstanding” in spring practice—on his worst day, in the spring game, Powell caught eight passes for more than 100 yards receiving.

Kelly is also delighted that Powell—who says he prefers sitting alone before a game to “banging the lockers”—has recently become a more visible team leader. “He’s always been a leader by example,” says Kelly, “but for him now to start asserting himself vocally is out of character. And that’s the biggest thing that Luke Powell can provide for our team this year.”

Powell is majoring in comparative studies in race and ethnicity, a subject that began to interest him while he was growing up in predominantly white-and-black Smyrna, Tenn. “I found myself in arguments with people, but I didn’t really know any facts,” he says. Powell is considering writing an honors thesis about the dearth of African-Americans in athletics administration.

An indication of his career aspirations, perhaps? Not necessarily. He’d rather be on the field. Despite his small size, Powell wants to go pro. “When I was in high school, I really didn’t think that was possible,” he says, “but just being around people who have made the jump to the NFL and seeing them succeed, that definitely became one of my goals that I really believe I can achieve.”

Whether or not Powell makes it in the pros, there is no question he will miss Stanford. It spans his life, from his early memories of following Cardinal women’s basketball to his hope that at least one of his future children will attend the University. So before he leaves the Farm, he plans to help set a few things right, including getting the Axe back. “I have a sense of urgency,” he says. “This [season] is the legacy I’m going to leave. I would like to be remembered. I want people to be able to associate me with Stanford and Stanford football with Luke Powell.”

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