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Whitworth business management alum joins Santa Barbara semi-pro football team

October 4, 2010
Steve Silva, '08, has landed a spot as a wide receiver for the Central Coast Seminoles, a newly formed semi-professional football team in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Silva, a former All-Conference receiver for the Pirates, first heard about the Seminoles from a close friend with whom he played high school football. Initially he was skeptical, as two years had passed since he last played football. Ultimately, though, he says his love and passion for the game led him to join the team.

"It feels great to be playing football again," says Silva, originally from Goleta, Calif. "There aren't enough words to express how I feel. The best way to describe it is like waking up for Christmas every single day and getting everything you wanted."

Silva played football for four years at Dos Pueblos High School, where he graduated in 2004. He played for College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, Calif., for two years before transferring to Whitworth.

By fall of his senior year at Whitworth, Silva led the Northwest Conference in total receptions (55) and was second in receptions per game (5.5). In 2006, he was selected as a First Team All-Northwest Conference player.

Silva describes Craig Hinnenkamp, Whitworth associate professor of business and economics, as a great professor who had an enormous influence on him when he was a student.

"Craig and I had a great conversation before I graduated and he gave me the best advice about my future and what to expect," says Silva. "So far, he's been right."

In regards to his football career, Silva says he hopes to go as far as possible, whether through the NFL, the United Football League, or arena football. In terms of his career aspirations in the business realm, he also hopes to own his own business and has started working on his own clothing company.

"If I can say one thing that really has kept me focused and on track, it's the old cliché that hard work pays off," says Silva. "If you put in the time and effort into something, great things will happen."

The Seminoles play next on Oct. 9 in a home game against the Compton Panthers. For more information about the team, visit http://www.centralcoastseminoles.com/.

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.