Latest / The Heisman Hopefuls Podcast / Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke

Transcript

Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke · The Heisman Hopefuls Podcast

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_04: Welcome to the show.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_05: In the winner is here's your host, Chris Houston.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_05: Greetings, everybody, and welcome to another edition of the official Heisman Trophy podcast.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_05: We're recording this episode from Los Angeles, California.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_05: And the reason for that is we had the opportunity to talk to 1964 Heisman Trophy winner John Hewitt out of Notre Dame.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_05: And we got to do the interview in person in his beautiful Palisades home, not far from the Pacific Ocean.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_05: So that'll be coming along a little bit later in the episode.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_05: But first, the quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers, the number 16 team in the country, the surprise team of the country so far, 6-0, already bowl eligible, averaging 48 points per game.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_05: We're talking about quarterback Curtis Rourke, currently leading the nation in passing efficiency.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_05: Let's get to him right away.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_05: Curtis Rourke, otherwise known as the Maple Missile.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_05: Welcome to the show.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate you having me.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_05: Tell me about the origins of that nickname, the Maple Missile.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: I believe it came uh from uh when I was at Ohio.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the social media team kind of tweeted it out one time.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just come up with creative nicknames, I guess.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, maple for for being from Canada and then the missile just being a quarterback.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so uh I think it's I think it's pretty creative.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_05: Well, let's keep it uh let's keep it going.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_05: I'm gonna call you the Maple Missile from now on when I refer to you.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_05: So Indiana off to a 6-0 start with you at quarterback.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_05: Best start for the Hoosiers since 1967, which was also the last time the Hoosiers went to the Rose Bowl.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_05: Now you guys are college football's first bowl eligible team.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_05: What factors do you believe had contributed to Indiana's early success so far this year?
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I just think we're um really complimenting each other on all aspects.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, our defense is playing really well offensively.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think we're we we have a ton of talent that's able to rotate in a ton, and so that's that's contributing a lot to our success.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh just being able to get the ball in in playmakers' hands has has been uh big key for sure.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then just just trusting each other.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, we've we've competed against each other um all fall camp, um, gone against really one of the best defenses, I think maybe the best defense we've gone through uh all fall camp.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: So we're everything that we've seen this season hasn't been uh uh new.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so just just being able to trust that you know we're gonna be able to make plays, our defense is gonna be able to get stops, um, and just relying on that and and knowing that.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_05: So you're completing 74% of your passes so far, averaging nearly 300 yards per game, passing, 14 touchdowns, just two interceptions.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_05: You've twice been named the Big Ten's player of the week so far this season.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_05: You've clearly elevated your game since arriving in the Big Ten, and your coach points to your level of experience and maturity.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_05: But what do you attribute this big jump to in production despite playing against arguably tougher competition and playing with a brand new team with a whole new set of people that you don't really know?
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, I mean, coming in January was definitely a new scene.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I gotta get to know a lot of new teammates, new program, new um, you know, game plan uh scheme and all that.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so it was definitely a a challenge.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: But um the good thing about having so many new transfers coming in is that you're all doing it together, you're all learning um, you know, the whole offense together.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so that really helped build chemistry a lot faster than I think it it normally would have.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so um I realized quick that I had a ton of great talent around me um on the whole the whole offense and and offensive line has has been awesome so far.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: And um so you just didn't want to overthink anything, kind of just uh you know, do what I can, do my job to get the ball in the hands of of playmakers, um, let them do the rest.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I think it's been evident that we got players all around that can just go do that uh and help the team out uh just by getting the ball in their hands.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_05: And you guys are averaging nearly 48 points per game.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_05: This is clearly one of the nation's best offenses.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_05: Tell me about Indiana's offensive scheme and how it plays to your strengths as a quarterback.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um I I think it's the way that Coach Shanahan calls the plays is really impressive.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the way it's designed by him and and Coach Tino.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I think it's it's one of those those offenses that has answers to everything.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so you're not just going out there hoping that you know you're gonna be against this certain coverage, it has answers to all of them.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um and just being able to recognize that and and understand um that whatever defense is is they're we're we're going against or on that play, you know, there's an answer to that.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's um a lot of uh of what goes to our success, but also goes to um just the fact that we can rotate so many guys in then and they can have such a good impact, you know.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: There's not really a ton of drop-off if if at all, um in our in our you know, quote unquote second string kind of thing.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: And so um I think we just we can just always have fresh legs um and always keep keep going on.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_05: So you seem to have great on-field chemistry with your receivers, especially Elijah Surratt, and four of the top five receivers in the rotation are also transfers.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_05: How do you get on the same page with those guys in the offseason so fast?
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh just getting reps, really.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um I mean, Elijah was one of the guys that that came over from JMU, had uh been in the system for a little bit, and so he was a big part in helping getting all the transfers and all the new guys up to speed to kind of how the offense is run.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, and so I spent a lot of time with him in the offseason, especially the spring, and uh just getting to know, you know, the offense as a whole kind of thing, and um what the timing would be like.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um and he did such a great job uh bringing everyone up to speed as well, not just me, not just um the quarterbacks, but the whole receiver room as well.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, because you know, ultimately he wanted to win.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and the more we're on the same page, the the better chance we have to do that.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_05: You grew up in a suburb of Toronto.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_05: What's football like in that area and what motivated you to focus on becoming a quarterback?
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, you know, ever since I was young, I I've loved watching football, loved playing sports in general, but football really spoke out uh, you know, spoke up to me and and um really found a passion for football early.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, it's not as popular as it is uh in in in in the United States, um, but it was still offered and it was still a great opportunity to play and and enjoy it.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um and from a young age I knew I wanted to play football as long as I could.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so um, you know, it was just able to create those memories and and everything growing up.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: And quarterback was something that just I I enjoy for so many different reasons, you know, the opportunity for leadership, um, the fact that, you know, you can uh a lot of the offense runs through the quarterback.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um you get to touch the ball every single play.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um you know, it's just those aspects and that uh, you know, I really um enjoyed and and have carried on until you know today's day.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_05: So you like to be right in the thick of things when it comes to football, huh?
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_05: We've seen lots of great lot of great athletes coming out of Toronto and the surrounding area over the years.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_05: Why do you think there isn't more attention paid by that area uh to by uh American recruiters?
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, I think just geographically it's it's it's sometimes hard to get to.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: And um I think it's also something that's still growing um in competitiveness.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, a lot of uh those great Canadian football players end up going, transferring and and going up to a prep school in the United States just to get that exposure because it's been so hard.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I I truly think it's it's becoming a lot more popular and to go recruit in Canada um because there's you know a couple of gems hidden in there and that you know football is becoming more popular, um, just even in high schools and everything like that.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: So um yeah, I think it's it's it's uh tough because it's it's kind of kind of out of the way.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: But again, I think it's it's gonna be um getting more and more popular to start recruiting in Canada for sure.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_05: Did you guys ever go across the the border into like Niagara and all that when you were growing up?
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: My my during my years there, my high school never did, but um some surrounding high schools did.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think my brother did as well when he was uh playing there just uh a couple times.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_05: You followed your old older brother Nathan to the University of Ohio.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_05: Was there ever any doubt that you were gonna go there?
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_05: And what other schools did you consider?
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was just uh like we talked about it coming from Canada, it's it's hard to get recruited.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so um combine that with I hit my gross bird a little bit later.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh looks wasn't really I wasn't really getting uh as many looks as though as you know you could hope for.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: But thankfully I had a lot of um um my foot in the door with my brother already being at Ohio.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so I was able to get some interest from Ohio, obviously, but also some other Mac schools just kind of uh because Nathan's Nathan did so well and was doing well those years, so they kind of heard of the name.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so you know I attribute a lot of my opportunity to to get and play Division I to my brother because he was able to set such a good example and also let me kind of um get my foot in the door, like I mentioned.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: And so um, you know, Ohio was one of the best schools in the Mac, anyways.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so uh even if I had every offer you know in the Mac, I I think I would have chosen Ohio anyways, just especially at that time.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um all the the um consistency that they've had in the in the history.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the coaching staff, Coach Solitz was there at the time, he was the one that recruited me, and so um that that ultimately spoke to me and why I wanted to go there.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um and also the opportunity just to play with my brother and for that one year.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_05: And you had to know that the Mac had the reputation as cradle of quarterbacks, right?
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, yeah, all good quarterbacks coming out of there, obviously Big Ben being the the main one, but yeah, it uh they fostered some good ones for sure.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_05: For seven straight seasons, a Rourke was quarterbacking the Bobcats, which is a pretty cool stat, I think.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_05: Given that background in history, how difficult was the decision to leave Athens in the first place?
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_05: And what factors eventually led you to go to Indiana?
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, it was definitely definitely a hard decision because I created so many relationships, so many memories um and connections with uh not not just people and my teammates, but just the town as well.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um they've all they had their uh arms open ever since I got there, and so it was definitely hard leaving, but I knew that for you know a business standpoint, from a football standpoint, it was the best uh decision for me to um try to look elsewhere and and um uh you know look to play football somewhere else.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um and and so when it entered the portal, um had a had a good amount of calls, but real uh Indiana spoke out to me really, really um talking to Coach Tino the one day and then later on Coach Signetti um just their their uh vision and and kind of uh what their blueprint was for this this first season.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they were uh uh still packing up and and getting ready to move to Indiana, uh, but still wanted to lay clear about what their vision was, what they had in mind for this year.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that kind of aligned with kind of what my thoughts were.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so um it was a real clear choice for sure.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_05: Seems like that vision is is coming into being.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_05: What do you like most so far about living in Bloomington and playing for the Hoosiers?
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I love the talent.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I mean, especially as the season's gone on, uh the town has really bought in um and has shown uh you know immense support.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I mean, you look at the two-away games that we've had this year, all the way in California, the Rose Bowl, and then uh last week at Northwestern, um, both games felt like home games.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we traveled so well.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: Indiana fans have been uh nothing but amazing.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so um just the the way that they've accepted and and supported uh uh IU football this year, um, just you know, couldn't be more grateful.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's probably my favorite thing about this town because they're they're just so um just so into it and that and and I love that.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I was curious about that because Indiana is historically known as a basketball school.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_05: What kind of buzz is there on campus right now?
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_05: Are you walking around and people are I mean, you've haven't been there that long, but are people starting to recognize you and saying, hey, that's that's Curtis work?
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, you know, sometimes I'll have uh a couple people recognize me and in and say something.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but for the most part, I try to lay low and um just try to focus on on the next week.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but you know, I I love hearing about the buzz because um, you know that this town is is like I said, um a great sports town.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I'm glad we'll be able to give them some football excitement uh for a little bit.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_05: You got Mary back on February 17th of this year to Carolyn Clippard, who played volleyball for the Bobcats.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_05: Congrats on nearly nine months of marriage.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_05: How's Mary Life treating you so far?
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's awesome.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, I couldn't be more happy to be married to Caroline.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: She's um outstanding, she's one of my biggest supporters um and someone that um you know I I just love being able to share life with and go through life with.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: And um she's become an IU fan real quick, um, and and has been um just a blessing in my life for sure.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_05: That's awesome.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_05: Back to football.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_05: You guys just got off a bye week.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_05: I'm recording this uh in Thursday, but people are listening to this coming into the to the next Saturday's game.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_05: The back half of the schedule is gonna get a bit more difficult.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_05: What's the mentality of the team right now as you prepare to host Nebraska?
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um obviously the second half is is the most important half of of any season.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so um we're we're definitely not taking any of it lightly, uh, but we're just trying to stay consistent and not get complacent.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um we've had a good start to the season, but we're we're basically just starting a new season now and going into it ready to um uh continue doing what we do, um, not try to you know overthink anything and um just prepare uh like we do for every single week, you know.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um we always have the mentality of going one and oh um and and not worrying about uh the past season or past weeks um and really just trying to to attack that week um uh the same speed, same mentality, um and and and kind of just get ready as much ready as we can for for Saturday.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_05: And we can't have a Heisman podcast without talking a little bit about the Heisman.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_05: When did you first become aware of the award and who were some of the past winners that you really enjoyed watching?
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um yeah, I've been a college football fan for a while, always loved watching it um growing up.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so I've been pretty aware of uh of the Heisman Trophy and just being able to um acknowledge and and and recognize all the great players.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I I date back to the um Hyvin trophy with uh um uh the Payton Mannings, the Ryan Lees, the the Randy Mosses, um, and surprisingly none of them ended up winning that that year.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's kind of um it's kind of one of the trophies that uh award in awards that um you know is is a quite an honor.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so um, you know, just just to be you recognizing that I'm I'm very very honored.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um and um yeah, just look forward to the next half of the season.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_05: So thank you, Curtis Rourke, for coming on the official Heisman Trophy Podcast.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_05: Good luck against Nebraska and good luck to you and your team the rest of the season.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate it.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_05: The Heisman is handed out every December, but the history of the trophy lives year-round at Heisman.com.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_05: Home to the most iconic trophy in sports, Heisman.com tells the stories of all 88 of our winners and features news, bios, and statistics on all your favorite Heisman heroes.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_05: Heisman.com also highlights our Heisman humanitarians, the many charities supported by the Heisman Trust, and so much more.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_05: Make Heisman.com your first stop for all things Heisman.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: This is Archie Griffin, 1974, 1975's Heisman Trophy winner, and you're listening to the official Heisman podcast.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_05: John Hewitt won Notre Dame's sixth Heisman Trophy while leading the Irish to a turnaround nine-in-one record in 1964.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_05: The Irish were kind of going through some tough times in the late 50s.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_05: And John Hewitt, with new coach Eric Parsidian, helped return the Irish to glory.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_05: Born and raised in Orange County, California, Hewart was a star quarterback at modern day high school in Santa Ana.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_05: You might remember them from such players as Matt Leinert and Bryce Young, who both went on to win the Heisman Trophy.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_05: He chose to attend Notre Dame, but barely registered on the radar for the Irish in his first two seasons, attempting just 50 total passes.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_05: And he did not even earn a letter before winning the Heisman Trophy as a senior, truly one of the great surprise wins for the Heisman Trophy in its history.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_05: As I mentioned earlier, uh the Hewitt family welcomed us in to talk with John in person at their beautiful home.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_05: So let's get right to his interview.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_05: All right, we are here at the beautiful Palisades home of 1964 Heisman Trophy winner John Hewart of Notre Dame.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_05: John, thanks for joining the official Heisman Trophy podcast.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you're very welcome.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_03: And um my wife, Eileen, is here also.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_05: Oh yeah.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_05: The lovely uh Eileen Hewitt is here.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_05: I you know, I heard a I heard a rumor that um you met her in a ho in a lot in an elevator.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_03: I did.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, in New York somewhere.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_03: That's right.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_03: Shea Stadium.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_03: That's the first time we met each other.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_05: Uh-huh.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_05: Tell me that story.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_05: What what what was the what did you do?
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_05: Did you like uh did she talk to you or did you talk to her?
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, I forget how it happened exactly.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I knew that I was going to get to meet a nice lady there through a friend of mine who had set it up.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_03: And then after she was done at work, we went out and had a real nice time and we started dating and got together, and here we are.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_05: Wow.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_05: Now that was your rookie, was that your rookie year?
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_03: It was.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_05: And and uh you were also there at the same time as Joe Nay with you.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_05: You guys were both rookies, right?
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_05: Right.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_05: Right.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_05: You got any good uh Broadway Joe stories?
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_03: No, he he ran the show.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_03: And he was colorful, and he went on to prove that he can make the AFL.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_05: Well, let's go back to the beginning.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_05: Let's go back to Orange County, California.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_05: Your father was a former minor league baseball player, and uh you guys had uh uh orange groves, and uh I hear that you were quite adept at throwing back then, but not necessarily footballs.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_05: You were really into throwing the oranges, and that was what helped develop your arm strength.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_03: That was our typical recreation was orange fights almost every day.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um I'm one of five boys, and my dad had played pro baseball, and uh he was farming.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_03: And uh he had great control with a fungal bat, so that you can play pepper, and that's where you catch the ground balls, and if it goes through your legs, you have to go to pigtail, which means you back up everybody else.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_03: Oh so we we had these typical games and uh baseball is a good part of it.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and then later, modern-day high school and football and learning to quarterback.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_03: It was great fun.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, do you think this the the motion of throwing a lot of balls when you were growing up in oranges that help you uh develop your arm strength, you think?
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, it definitely does.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you throw and you throw a lot, and your arm just kind of takes over on its own.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_03: So my brothers, we could all had we all had good arms.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_03: But you throw every day.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_03: So quite naturally you get better and stronger.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_05: Why football over baseball?
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it wasn't over, I played baseball also, but that was in the springtime of the year.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_03: Got it.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_03: And uh football was uh it's exciting.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_03: Coach Corey was uh the lead coach at Modern Day at that time.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_03: And my brother had played football at Modern Day.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so I got there and I had some real strong teammates like Litzinger and Dave Filippo and Mike Adams and uh just a group of guys that were good athletes, and and uh also too, he got a lot of attention and we like that.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_05: Was Modern Day a uh a power program like it is today?
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it became a power program during that time.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_03: And they won their first championship, and I think it was about 60 or 61, along in there.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_03: And then they've been strong ever since.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_05: Now you were uh obviously Modern Day is a Catholic high school, and you know, growing up at that time, Notre Dame was was not only the great Catholic power, but was the great power in college football.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_05: What was it that attracted you to the idea of playing for Notre Dame?
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_03: Well, my brother went there.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_03: My my coach had gone there.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_03: So there was a natural influence.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_03: And I thought that'd be a dream for me to go to Notre Dame.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_03: And as it turned out, I got a scholarship and went.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_05: And that was Terry, was that Terry Brennan who recruited you?
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_03: Uh no, Joe Kuharrick.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, Joe Kuherrick, okay.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_05: That was kind of a Not not a lot of people remember that this was kind of a rough period for Notre Dame football, especially in relation to just the previous period under under under Leahy, Frank Leahy.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_05: Despite that kind of rough period, was it still like pretty exciting to to go to Notre Dame?
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_05: And was it like the idea that you would be there to help turn things around?
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, certainly.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_03: I thought I'd go there and do great things.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_03: And of course, my first three years, I didn't play at all.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_05: What was it like going from Southern California to the to the colds of uh South Bend?
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_03: It's it was just weather.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_03: And I thought, you know, it's I always felt like it's cold in their huddle too.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_03: Don't don't worry about it.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_05: You have your first two years.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_05: Of course, you have the freshman year where freshmen aren't eligible.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_05: Then you have the two years where you didn't earn a letter.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_05: I think you threw maybe a how many passes?
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_05: Like 50 at the most or 40?
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_05: Something like that.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_05: Um and then your senior year, Era Parsidian comes in.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_05: And what was it about Coach Parsidian that just changed things for you and the program?
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_03: It was the total change.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he had been with Tommy Myers, his star quarterback at Northwestern, throwing the Paul Flatley.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_03: And I was on the other side of the field watching, and Jack Snow and I were next to each other, and we'd seen him complete and do things.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_03: And we said, we can do that.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_03: But uh uh Koharick and Devor chose not to use us, they had a different view.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_03: So when Eric Parsitian came into Notre Dame in that spring, and he himself was learning what kind of material he had, we had pretty good material, running backs, linemen, receivers, guys like Snow that were not used.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_03: And uh Parsisian gradually molded us into spring ball.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_03: We were effective, we moved the ball well offensively.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_03: Then I got hurt that spring and got uh tackled and slam my right shoulder into the turf.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_03: That was at the stadium at Notre Dame in a spring game.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_03: So I limped off the field and bad shoulder and then I had to uh uh patiently let that get back to normal, which it did.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_03: The collarbone going into the clavicle doesn't have to c connect.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_03: And uh mine was separated.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_03: But then after a period of time, it sort of on its own, uh, I could start throwing again.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_03: I played swim, swim, played handball, and started throwing the football a little bit, and gradually the strength came back, so then I had full strength.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_03: But then practice was over for spring ball, and we returned for the the summer and fall.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_05: Now, did you the was the spring ball was it a tough competition for the quarterback job?
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_05: Uh what what was that competition like?
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_05: Who are the other people who were trying to become quarterbacks?
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_03: Well, there was several guys who were trying to become quarterbacks.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_03: Started quarterback, yeah, yeah.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_03: And uh uh it was parts of it were pretty tough.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_03: But uh it was uh it was easy for me because I was just doing the same thing I do all the time, trying to throw the ball accurately, which I did.
• 25:34
  unknown: Yeah.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_03: And then Eric could see that that would be a combination.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_03: You were just knowing that it turned out just that way.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_05: Was it pretty frustrating to to finally you know show your stuff for a new coach and then you get hurt?
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_05: Uh was there an understanding that you would have to when the fall come came to come compete again to get that starting job?
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: There was no understanding.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_03: It was just obvious, at least to most of us, that the one that can play and play the best gets to start.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_03: And it worked out fine for me.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_03: And uh then we came back for the fall practice.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_03: And you can see that on offense we're moving the ball well and doing most of the things that Eric wanted to see.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: And Tom Pagna was the backfield coach, he was very helpful.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_03: But uh Eric was uh terrific at analyzing the different talent, putting some guys on defense that should be an offense and vice versa.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um then offensively uh I got the inside track and went on to be their quarterback.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_05: Now, earlier in your career, did was it a single platoon system?
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_05: Did you have to play defense as well?
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_03: Uh no, only very little.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_03: No, yeah.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_05: Um and and Coachian Parsegan's offense, what was how was it different from Hugh DeVore's or Joku Harachi's?
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, very much.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_03: It was very simple.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_03: We had a slot uh backs, we're usually in an eye formation or split in the backfield.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_03: A tied in would be Phil Sheridan to be on the left, and then on the right, you had in the slot Snow, who was a good advantageous first spot for him to be in.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_03: And then there'd be another receiver on the right of him.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_03: So you had the slot right and a tight end on the left and a running game.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_03: And uh it worked well together.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, you definitely um threw the ball more than than most teams did at that time, and and and the numbers you produced were just outstanding.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_05: Um Jack Snow, obviously the great receiver, your your favorite target.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_05: How did you guys develop that chemistry so quickly?
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_03: We we'd gone to summer school together and we went off and practiced on our own quite a bit.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_03: And so as Jack was running down the field, I could pretty much read him and throw the ball inside or outside or wherever he was.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_03: So our timing was pretty good.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_03: When he turned, the ball is in flight and on its way there.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_03: And um, so that sense of timing, and since just like you had played basketball in your courtyard, you follow the other teammate, you know what he's doing, and your passes are on time.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_03: It's because you know each other.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_03: And we had that.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_05: You guys got up to a great start, 9-0, to start that season.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_05: What do you remember most about, especially the early part of the season when you guys started rolling?
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_05: When you when did you guys really start believing in yourself as a team and you knew that you had a great team and you could you could really uh you know make a big difference nationally?
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_03: Well, the very first game was against Wisconsin on a rainy day.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I threw it through a deep ball to Jack Snow that he was in the end zone, but the ball went through his hands.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_03: I wasn't worried about it because I knew we'd do it again later, and we did and we did.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_03: Very confident.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_03: A little bit later we hit Snow deep in the corner, then we hit him deep again, and uh I think we had some other shorter passes to Phil Sheridan.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_03: Bill Walsh who's in the backfield, Nick Eddy, a good running halfback, Joe Farrell, a good fullback, who would also block, and uh Cantor, another fullback.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_03: We had some good ball players, and uh the offense was really pretty simple, uh, straightforward.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_03: We didn't have any negative plays, and uh it just came together much like we had done in practice.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, you guys obviously, like I said, got up to a great start, and the offense was great, but the defense was pretty magnificent as well.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_05: Uh you beat Wisconsin 31-7 up in Madison, and uh the old nemesis Purdue was dispatched uh pretty easily, 34-15.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_05: But you look at the defense, uh, gave up 7-0-6-0 uh 7-0, except for the game at Pitt, just a dominant defensive performance.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_05: So you guys had it clicking on all sides.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_05: What at what point in the season were you was was coach saying uh, or was it clear that you guys had a shot at a national title?
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we weren't thinking about that.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_03: We were just going day-to-day, practice to practice, concentrate on what's in front of you.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_03: And we didn't talk about no conversation about a national title.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_03: No, that was not part of it.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_03: Just uh play well in what you're doing, concentrate on what you're doing, and make each play successful.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_05: What was Coach like as a person, as a coach?
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_05: What was his style like, both one-on-one and with the team?
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_03: He didn't waste any words, and he would tell you what he wanted done, and that was it.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_03: But the intensity was in his voice, and it just came through in his personality.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but he was not a preachy type guy.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_03: Excellent coach, right to the point, and uh so he didn't waste words or energy.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_05: When did you first start hearing about the possibility of being in the mix for the Heisman Trophy?
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, in the last week or two of the season.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_05: And then so did it feel like there was more pressure in that regard, or did it just feel like, you know, kind of cherry on top?
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_03: No, there was not any more pressure.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_03: That was just the press talking.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_03: You know, didn't carry any weight with me.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_03: I I did start hearing about Butkus, Tucker Fredericks, and uh some of the big names, uh, Namath, of course.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_03: And but we had that national schedule.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_03: We played in the East with Pittsburgh and Navy, the West, UCLA and Stanford, and then the Midwest, of course, Michigan State and Iowa and Purdue.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_03: So we had a real spread-out uh uh opportunity for people to see us, and they did.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_05: Tell me about that pit game.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_05: Do you remember anything about that one?
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_05: The 1715 game in at Pittsburgh?
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_03: I remember a screen pass that I think it was called screen pass the middle to Nick Hetty, and uh you fake as a quarterback, who're about midfield and go backpedal, dump the ball to Nick Haddle, Nick Eddy, and he grabs it, breaks up and to the right, picks up a few blocks and goes about 50 or 60 yards for a score.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_03: I remember that well.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_05: That must have been a big play, you know, for that year and just to bring the team together and and really give you guys a lot of momentum, huh?
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it really did.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we were pretty good, but Pittsburgh was good too.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_05: And then uh the famous game at in the Coliseum, setting aside the result, the disappointment of that.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_05: How cool was it to be back in the region where you grew up, playing in the Coliseum?
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, probably played against people who you who you knew from high school, I'd I would imagine.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_05: What was that experience like coming back and getting a chance to play in your final game?
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_03: Well, to come back and play in the Coliseum was just uh monumental, and we did well.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_03: And uh the history on that is we were up 17-0 at halftime, seemed to be in control of the game.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_03: Then later it switched around and uh we had scored, but it was called back due to a holding.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_03: But when you look at the film, the person accused of holding he didn't touch anybody.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_03: He just fell to the ground.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_03: So it was a very mysterious call when you run it back on film.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_03: And anyway, I USC went on to score at the end of the game, and uh Fred Hill caught a nice ball, and uh Mike Garrett was was ripping off 10 yards at a time, and they went on to beat us.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_03: But it was a great game, a great or a greater game for USC.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_03: But over the years there's been a terrific rivalry, yeah.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_03: And when both teams are good, that's really fun football.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_03: For sure.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_05: Was that the one game though?
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_05: That did that game take a while to the pain of that game was a tough for a while, or did you just get over it for you?
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I got over it.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_03: Get over it and go on to something else, yeah.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_05: Tell me about when you found out that you won the Heisman Trophy.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_05: What was the process like and what was your reaction?
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_05: And what did you do?
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_05: Who'd you tell?
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_03: There's a guy named George Keenan who uh was on my floor at Walshall, and he heard the phone ring, and he went down, answered the phone, and he shouted down the hall, John, you got it.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's how I found out.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_03: I won the Heisman Trophy.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_03: And then what'd you do?
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_03: I called my parents, yeah, gave them the news, and they were all excited, thought that was great, yeah, and arranged to fly to New York to be there for the grand ceremony.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_03: So it was very exciting.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_05: And back then I believe Notre Dame didn't accept bowl invitations, right?
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_05: Correct.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_05: So so this was kind of like maybe like your your you know, back then the bowls were a reward for the season.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_05: This was kind of like maybe your reward, getting to go to New York, getting the Heisman.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_05: Um, what was that whole process like?
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_05: Take had you been to New York before?
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_05: Had not.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_05: Had not.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_05: And then uh, you know, going to the downtown athletic club.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_05: Tell me about some of the old Heisman winners you met there at the at the dinner gala.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, we met we met a lot of the old guys.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, of course I knew it's a number of them from from from before.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um Angelo Bertelli and quarterback, and Leon Hart, big man, and uh those are just just two that come to mind.
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_03: Johnny Lattner, halfback out of Chicago.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, but it was just very exciting all of a sudden you're part of the group with a Heisman award.
• 36:35
  unknown: Yeah.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_05: Uh what was the thing you remember the most about that weekend?
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, uh that my parents had a good time.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_03: They had a red carpet treatment, and at the airport they had rolled out a red carpet, which uh literal red carpet for you guys.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_03: Which my mom really liked.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_03: And uh so it was exciting for the family, for your parents to come and be honored.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_05: Well, tell me about when you left Notre Dame, what what was your career in football like, and uh you eventually got into private business.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_05: Tell me about how you transitioned to NFL and then and then eventually to private life.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I was drafted by uh the Jets, but that was mainly to help them sell tickets, which it did.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_03: And I didn't play uh with the Jets.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I I never had a start.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_03: I was bounced around from team to team, but I never had a start in eight years of pro football.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it was just a backup with a few scattered passes that didn't mean anything.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_03: So uh that didn't work out for me.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_03: So I had eight years, uh, but uh never a start, and uh which was I look back on it now, I'm lucky I'm healthy, pretty healthy.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_03: And uh then I got into business, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_03: But uh my brother Greg was in the tile business, as I started to help him, distribution of tile.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_03: And then I hit on the idea of starting my own company called Arizona Tile.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_03: So we started that and it's growing now.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_03: We have about a thousand employees, 30 branches stretching from Houston to Seattle, and uh we do a lot of granite marble, yeah.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_03: And it's turned into a pretty strong company.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_03: I have uh the blessing of my two sons and a grandson who's joined us, and Joe Kennedy's our president, he's my son-in-law, and they're all pushing it things along.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_03: Day to day, much like football.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_03: You try to go day to day and be the best you can.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_05: Was it a hard transition just giving up sports and you've been competitive in sports all your life?
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_05: From a young age, high school, college, NFL, to to trade in the cleats and and just be a businessman from that point on?
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_03: No, not really.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_03: It was quite natural.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_03: All the times out in practice, I was standing behind somebody like Lenny Dawson, and they're running plays, and I'm thinking about what am I gonna do aside from football?
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_03: And I wasn't quite sure.
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_03: I'd worked in a bank and been a stockbroker in Wall Street and a real estate license in California.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_03: And then my um uh my group of friends would go on a look at homes, and it'd come out and they say it had ceramic, Italian ceramic tile on the floor.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_03: Little light bulb goes on in my head.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_03: So they really like this stuff, and these people look at homes all day long every day.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_03: And my brother was in that business, I decided to help him.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_03: And that's where I got acclimated.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_03: In the first year of business, we made a little bit of money.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_03: In the second year, a little more, the third year a little more, and it just kept growing the company.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_03: So it was very exciting to uh build a company.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_05: How much do you know about tile?
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_05: Are you are you like an expert on the company?
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_05: Not too much, too much.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_03: It's really uh sales and distribution.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_03: Do you have people who know what they're doing working with you?
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_03: That's the important thing.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_05: So college football has changed quite a bit since you played.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_05: Uh you still follow it pretty closely?
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I I kind of generally follow it, and uh it's changed a lot.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_03: And it remains to be seen if that's going to work out with the money that's flowing back and forth.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think it's good, but that's where it's at.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_05: You recently, uh I think tw 2022, we're back at Modern Day, of course, Modern Day, the cradle of Heisman's there, uh, yourself, Matt Leinert, uh Bryce Young.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_05: What was that like going back to your old stomping grounds and being with those other guys and you know being in that community again?
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_03: It was very exciting, and modern day has gone on to be very powerful.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_03: Uh the good coaching and a strong tradition.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_03: And they've been able to repeat year after year and attracting good players.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_03: And uh a lot of them have gone to USC.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_03: And uh they're very good.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_03: So the program has been strong.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_03: It's got a number of guys who went on to the pros.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_03: So that's that's pretty amazing.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_05: Did you get a chance to like to meet Matt Leinert when he won and and and Bryce Young when they when he won as well?
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_03: I did.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_03: Fine guys.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_03: Matt's terrific, had some great years with the Trojans.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_03: And uh Bryce is also a real good athlete.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_03: And more and more quarterbacks can throw and they can also run.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_03: That makes a difference.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_05: Well, you had three rushing touchdowns as as a senior, too, so so you didn't uh yeah, so you were able to move a little bit, it appears.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_05: A little bit, yeah.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we we had one play.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_03: There's like there was a signal system that I would be in the huddle and look through the player's legs, and I could see Era about 40 yards away.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_03: He'd have a white card in his hand, and and we had to set up signals, you know, sweep right, fan pass right, uh, screen left, whatever it was.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_03: So I'd look over through the legs of the guys and I could see what Era wanted.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we had the ball and we're on going in, going south at the Notre Dame Stadium against Michigan State.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_03: And the signal I can see at this quarterback keeper.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_03: I go, oh, okay.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_03: So we break the huddle, and I think, boy, you better make a good fake.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_03: So I got two backs behind me in eye formation.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_03: One is Nick Hetty, and the other's Joe Farrell.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_03: I take the snap, I reach back as far as I can and put it in the arms of uh Nick Eddy, and he's going off right tackle, and I pull the ball out, and I go around right in, and there's nobody there.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_03: And I run about 20 some yards for a score.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_03: So they all think, oh, he's a great runner.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, if nobody tackles me.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_05: You were smart enough to figure out how to how to get out of there.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_03: I thought you better make a good fake because uh otherwise you got it.
• 43:58
  unknown: Yeah.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_05: Was there a time?
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_05: when when as you were developing when when uh coach presidian came and and was there a time when when he was hard on you uh when like did he have expectations of you so therefore he was harder or was he more of the kind of coach that that you know was a more positive reinforcement positive reinforcement never hard on me um you know even if I did something wrong I thought I already didn't pretty much did what he wanted and followed followed his instruction so uh I don't know it never came down on me verbally never did everyone talks about the Notre Dame Mystique for those who haven't been to Notre Dame Stadium it's really the mecca of college football uh I personally think that if you had one game to watch college football that's where you'd watch it what was it like just being part of that tradition and and and back then you were a lot closer to the to the really like tremendously storied almost mythical times of you know Bertelli and and and Hart and Latner and Lujack and what was it like being in that being in that in that era and then later on as you got older just reflecting back on being a part of it all.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_03: It was very exciting and of course a lot of that is under coach Leahy Leahy was dominant and you had those big names that we would celebrate um then beyond that it was just scramble and do the best you can but you have to have the coaching if you don't have the coaching really put together the way it should be you probably won't do much.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_03: And that's just like the SEC today.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_03: The coaches that are really good uh they stand out and they win most of their games many of them dominantly yeah who are some of the coaches I mean speaking of that who are some of the coaches you you admire uh these days oh I don't follow it that close as much as I pretty much stay in the tile business right so uh there's a lot of good coaches yeah and but they have to have the right combination of players yeah and assistant coaches so it's really management how you manage the group yeah that's a key element did coach uh Parsigan's management style influence you as a as a as a manager later on in the yeah I think so yes um keep keeping your nose to the grindstone not being too talkative it's mostly by demonstration yeah where do you keep your Heisman trophy?
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_05: It's at modern day high school in Santa Ana where did you keep it before you you left it there?
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_05: On my daughter's piano what was uh what would people's reaction be if they came if like say her your daughter's uh friends came over or maybe the you know family of them of them came over who would know what the Heisman was didn't was it a always a a thing of wonder in your house when people came by?
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_03: Well it kind of was especially for young people yeah and of course one of my daughters decided to put speckle all over the Heisman she thought it was kind of dull she wanted to dress it up so she put a little sticky speckle all over my Heisman which was all right it lasted for a while well hey you know it's uh if it ever gets lost you know which one is yours.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_05: There's probably some speckle hanging about.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_05: Well John Hewart thanks for coming on the official Heisman Trophy podcast we really appreciate you taking the time and and opening up your lovely home uh to the show uh it's really exciting to be here in person talking with you and and uh hopefully we'll see you uh next time you're out in New York.
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_03: Very good and thank you for your time and coming to my home and doing this presentation.
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I'm extremely fortunate to have been part of the Heisman group.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_03: So um I appreciate that very much.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_05: Well one of the the great Heisen winners of all time and also uh one of someone near dear to my heart as a Southern California native also being a Southern California native uh being part of that group in that in that period well I talked with uh Gary Beeban about this recently Terry Baker uh Oregon State uh he was from Minnesota but you being from the West Coast even though you won it from Notre Dame and then uh um uh Mike Garrett Gary Beeban Plunkett all those guys kind of a really strong period for for people who came out of West Coast football.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah it really is a lot of good ball players there.
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_05: All right well thanks so much.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_05: You're very welcome.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_05: Thanks so much for tuning into this week's official Heisman Trophy podcast.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_05: If you enjoyed today's episode please take a moment to like review and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_05: Your support helps us reach more listeners just like you and keeps us motivated to bring you great content each week.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_05: Don't forget to follow us on social media for updates, behind the scenes content and more.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_05: Any other feedback or questions just email us at pod at heisman dot com that's pod at heisman dot com or drop me a note on x dot com at heismanpundit.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_05: The official Heisman Trophy podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted, co-produced, edited and engineered by Chris Houston.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_05: Paul Goldberg is the executive producer and editor.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_05: Special shout out to Isaac Lohenkrone and big thanks to the Heisman Trophy Trust and its executive director Rob Whalen and associate director Tim Henning.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_05: The official Heisman Trophy podcast can be found on Spotify, Apple Music and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcast.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_05: You can also find clips of our show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
• 49:36
  SPEAKER_05: Just go to Heisman Trophy