Temple University Athletics
LB Tahir Whitehead
Tahir Whitehead: Lessons from Mom
9.6.11 | Football
Gameday Feature Story
by Cathy Bongiovi, Athletic Communications
Linebacker Tahir Whitehead learned at a young age that nothing in life comes easily. His mother, Quadira, was raising four children by herself in Newark, N.J.
“It was rough actually,” Whitehead said of his childhood. “My mother was raising us on her own, and that's why I love my mother as much as I do today, because she did every single thing that she could by herself. She raised all of us, and that's how I got to where I am.”
Today Whitehead is a senior on the Temple football team, preparing for his final season in the Cherry & White. Named to the 2011 Butkus Award Watch List as one of the nation's best linebackers, Whitehead has worked hard himself to get to this point.
Following an outstanding prep career at West Side High School, the team captain helped the squad to the 2007 state championship his senior year. Along the way, he earned All-Academic honors and played in the Governor's Bowl.
“Coming out of high school, I wasn't great in the classroom, and I didn't have many offers,” Whitehead shared. “I didn't have any offers to be exact. Then (the Temple coaches) came and said they were going to offer me a scholarship, and I just ran with it.”
As a true freshman in 2008, Whitehead was one of six freshmen to see action in all 12 games. As a sophomore in 2009, he finished the season with 30 tackles while helping the Owls to the MAC East Division co-championship and an appearance in the EagleBank Bowl, the team's first bowl appearance in 30 years.
In 2010, the junior moved into the starting line-up and began to come into his own. Playing in all 12 games, Whitehead started at outside linebacker eight times. He finished the season with 56 tackles, including 7.5 for loss. However, the season ended differently for the Owls than expected. Dropping its last two games, and missing the MAC championship game and a bowl game, the team suffered its toughest blow when head coach Al Golden left for Miami.
Having faced adversity before, Whitehead knew everything would be all right. He was right. On December 23, Steve Addazio was named the 25th head football coach in Temple history, and the Owls were ready for a new adventure.
“At first I thought it was going to be tough,” Whitehead said. “But once the coaches actually got here, I realized that they were a great coaching staff. They wanted the best things for us. No losing tempo. They wanted to keep winning and keep going up hill on the road that we were already going. And I just took it and ran with it.”
Spring football was the first test for Temple and its new leadership. The new coaching staff has already recognized his hard work. Whitehead emerged as the recipient of the Mark Bresani Award for spirit and enthusiasm.
“Tahir sets a great example of what you would want in any football player, any Temple football player to be,” said Ben Albert, outside linebackers coach. “He's one of the first players to arrive and one of the last ones to leave. Always doing the extra, always trying to make himself better, and he sets a great example. I'm really looking forward to the season with Tahir. All of the hard work he has put in is going to be displayed this year.”
Teammate and fellow senior linebacker Quinten White agrees.
“It's actually been a blessing to me, because Tahir's one of the hardest workers on the team,” White said. “We came in together playing the same position, so we competed against each other. I felt like he made me better as well as I feel I made him better at certain times. We just have good chemistry, and we feed off each other.”
“Now he's one of our senior leaders on defense, and he's going to be one of our guys that we look to be a playmaker.” Albert added.
The defense has some serious holes to fill. Without standouts Muhammad Wilkerson and Jaiqauwn Jarrett, NFL draftees, as well as Elijah “Peanut” Joseph, Eli Joseph, Amara Kamara, and Marquise Liverpool, players like Whitehead will have to step up their game.
“We felt actually Tahir was more comfortable outside than inside after we worked him inside a lot in the spring,” said defensive coordinator Chuck Heater. “Linebacker is probably the biggest unknown for us.”
“I think we are going to be competitive in every game,” Whitehead said. “We are going to come out tough. We are going to come out swinging. I think we are going to be a good team.”
The criminal justice major hopes to join his former teammates in the professional ranks once his college days are over. And his younger teammates will miss his leadership.
“Tahir is not just leading verbally but by example as well,” White said. “He is setting a high standard for the performance level at the position that he's playing. Whoever fills his shoes has big shoes to fill.”
With his senior season yet to play out, Whitehead knows one thing-- his mother will always be there to support him.
“She taught me that no matter what, no matter how down you are, you've always got to keep fighting,” Whitehead said. “No matter how bad things are, you've always got to keep fighting.”
Linebacker Tahir Whitehead learned at a young age that nothing in life comes easily. His mother, Quadira, was raising four children by herself in Newark, N.J.
“It was rough actually,” Whitehead said of his childhood. “My mother was raising us on her own, and that's why I love my mother as much as I do today, because she did every single thing that she could by herself. She raised all of us, and that's how I got to where I am.”
Today Whitehead is a senior on the Temple football team, preparing for his final season in the Cherry & White. Named to the 2011 Butkus Award Watch List as one of the nation's best linebackers, Whitehead has worked hard himself to get to this point.
Following an outstanding prep career at West Side High School, the team captain helped the squad to the 2007 state championship his senior year. Along the way, he earned All-Academic honors and played in the Governor's Bowl.
“Coming out of high school, I wasn't great in the classroom, and I didn't have many offers,” Whitehead shared. “I didn't have any offers to be exact. Then (the Temple coaches) came and said they were going to offer me a scholarship, and I just ran with it.”
As a true freshman in 2008, Whitehead was one of six freshmen to see action in all 12 games. As a sophomore in 2009, he finished the season with 30 tackles while helping the Owls to the MAC East Division co-championship and an appearance in the EagleBank Bowl, the team's first bowl appearance in 30 years.
In 2010, the junior moved into the starting line-up and began to come into his own. Playing in all 12 games, Whitehead started at outside linebacker eight times. He finished the season with 56 tackles, including 7.5 for loss. However, the season ended differently for the Owls than expected. Dropping its last two games, and missing the MAC championship game and a bowl game, the team suffered its toughest blow when head coach Al Golden left for Miami.
Having faced adversity before, Whitehead knew everything would be all right. He was right. On December 23, Steve Addazio was named the 25th head football coach in Temple history, and the Owls were ready for a new adventure.
“At first I thought it was going to be tough,” Whitehead said. “But once the coaches actually got here, I realized that they were a great coaching staff. They wanted the best things for us. No losing tempo. They wanted to keep winning and keep going up hill on the road that we were already going. And I just took it and ran with it.”
Spring football was the first test for Temple and its new leadership. The new coaching staff has already recognized his hard work. Whitehead emerged as the recipient of the Mark Bresani Award for spirit and enthusiasm.
“Tahir sets a great example of what you would want in any football player, any Temple football player to be,” said Ben Albert, outside linebackers coach. “He's one of the first players to arrive and one of the last ones to leave. Always doing the extra, always trying to make himself better, and he sets a great example. I'm really looking forward to the season with Tahir. All of the hard work he has put in is going to be displayed this year.”
Teammate and fellow senior linebacker Quinten White agrees.
“It's actually been a blessing to me, because Tahir's one of the hardest workers on the team,” White said. “We came in together playing the same position, so we competed against each other. I felt like he made me better as well as I feel I made him better at certain times. We just have good chemistry, and we feed off each other.”
“Now he's one of our senior leaders on defense, and he's going to be one of our guys that we look to be a playmaker.” Albert added.
The defense has some serious holes to fill. Without standouts Muhammad Wilkerson and Jaiqauwn Jarrett, NFL draftees, as well as Elijah “Peanut” Joseph, Eli Joseph, Amara Kamara, and Marquise Liverpool, players like Whitehead will have to step up their game.
“We felt actually Tahir was more comfortable outside than inside after we worked him inside a lot in the spring,” said defensive coordinator Chuck Heater. “Linebacker is probably the biggest unknown for us.”
“I think we are going to be competitive in every game,” Whitehead said. “We are going to come out tough. We are going to come out swinging. I think we are going to be a good team.”
The criminal justice major hopes to join his former teammates in the professional ranks once his college days are over. And his younger teammates will miss his leadership.
“Tahir is not just leading verbally but by example as well,” White said. “He is setting a high standard for the performance level at the position that he's playing. Whoever fills his shoes has big shoes to fill.”
With his senior season yet to play out, Whitehead knows one thing-- his mother will always be there to support him.
“She taught me that no matter what, no matter how down you are, you've always got to keep fighting,” Whitehead said. “No matter how bad things are, you've always got to keep fighting.”
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