A nice read on a hated rival
Just when you think you’ve read everything there is to know about a high-profile athlete, a story comes along with all sorts of new information.
This one about Texas quarterback Colt McCoy came across my desk today. It was sent in an e-mail by the Texas sports information office, which is really promoting the heck out of the Heisman Trophy candidate this week. A day or so ago, it sent out an e-mail with statistical comparisons for McCoy, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Alabama running back Mark Ingram, Stanford running back Toby Gerhart and Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore.
McCoy has a chance to make a great closing argument to win the Heisman in Saturday’s Big 12 championship game, but regardless of that, this is an interesting tale of a current star in the Lone Star State and his relationship with a star of the past.
Check it out:
By Jim Vertuno, Associated Press
12/03/2009
AUSTIN, Texas — Roger Staubach grabbed a football and handed it to Colt McCoy.
One of the top-rated passers in NFL history wanted to see if the college kid was as good in person as he looked on TV. McCoy rifled the ball back to him, and Staubach was impressed.
“He passed my test,” Staubach said with a laugh.
And it wasn’t just the arm strength. It was release. It was touch.
“He could do it all,” Staubach told The Associated Press.
Three years after that first meeting, Staubach, the former Heisman Trophy winner, Super Bowl winner, Hall of Famer and all-around Texas icon has become a valuable friend, mentor and occasional golf partner for McCoy, the senior quarterback of the No. 3 Texas Longhorns.
Four decades apart in age, they seldom talk about plays, players or what things were like back in Staubach’s day. Their bond is membership in the fraternity of quarterbacks who’ve come through under a white-hot spotlight, with similar playing styles.
For McCoy, being able to share ideas on leadership and to ask questions about what it takes to get a team to trust and follow has been invaluable.
Staubach has helped keep him grounded despite his success and picked him up when things were tough – just one quarterback to another, advice from someone who’d been there.
“He wants me to be the best I can be,” McCoy told the AP. “How lucky am I to get that?”
The friendship began in 2006 after Staubach watched McCoy play on TV his freshman season. Staubach saw a young, eager kid who could throw, run and rally his team to victories.
“He told me I was the closest thing to him he had seen in a long time. He thinks I play just like him,” McCoy said. “He’s a stud. He’s been through it all. For him to say something like that to me gives me a lot of confidence.”
Struck by how McCoy handled himself on the field and in interviews, Staubach wanted to meet him. So he invited McCoy to his house in Horseshoe Bay and they started with a game of catch.
“I think he got a kick out of seeing that I could still throw a football,” the 67-year-old Staubach said.
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Jenni Carlson, a sports columnist at The Oklahoman since 1999, came by her love of sports honestly. She grew up in a sports-loving family in...
