Former Saints star gets dolled up

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

The fame of Jason Gesser, Washington State's quarterback from Hawai'i Kai, has spread to Russia, where street vendors in Moscow sell his likeness on matryoshka dolls.

Gesser, a 1998 St. Louis School graduate, received his BA from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication on May 11. Graduating in four years, with a B average, while playing quarterback in a Division I-A football program is no simple feat.

Gesser, who red-shirted in '98, still has one year of collegiate eligibility remaining and will be one of the few degree-holding quarterbacks in college football next season. And one of an even more select group whose likenesses are on sale on Russia's traditional nesting dolls on the streets of Moscow.

Susan Senner, a former Washington State cheerleader and lifetime fan, found the Gesser doll while shopping for gifts on a business trip to Moscow. She works in an international nuclear safety program in Richland, Wash.

Noticing dolls of American sports figures such as Dan Marino on a vendor's table, Senner asked if they had any Seattle SuperSonics dolls. A messenger was dispatched down the street and quickly returned with one.

"They were very familiar with U.S. teams," she said.

When more conversation revealed she was a Washington State alum, the vendor amazed Senner by reaching behind his table and producing a set of Cougar dolls, including Gesser.

He asked $25 for each doll. Senner bargained the price to $18 and she bought three.

Gesser has not seen the doll, but he did receive a call about it from the ever-vigilant NCAA. His eligibility would be threatened if he had authorized the doll or received any money from the sales.

Matryoshka dolls are similar to Japanese kokeshi dolls. They are hand-painted, many of them by a group of craftsmen in St. Petersburg, and have been made in Russia for more than 350 years.

If you want to find a matryoshka for your own sports hero, you can try these web sites:

www.langbridge.com/russianlegacy/go_to/shopping/amteams_matryoshka.htm or users.snip.net/~cheb/matr.pg9.html

The russianlegacy site says, "If you do not find a matryoshka of your favorite team among the ones represented here, do drop us a note and we will make one especially for you."

It will cost more than $25, no doubt.