GTmorris1970
09-30-2005, 02:44 AM
Posted on Fri, Sep. 30, 2005
Heffner’s start a minor milestone
He is set to become first black quarterback to start for Spurrier in his 21 years as a head coach
By JOSEPH PERSON
Staff Writer
USC quarterback Antonio Heffner’s first career start also will be a first for Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier.
When Heffner takes the field Saturday at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium, he will become the first black quarterback to start for Spurrier, whose 21-year, head-coaching career includes stops at Duke, Florida, Tampa Bay of the USFL and the NFL’s Washington Redskins.
Spurrier started two black quarterbacks as Duke’s offensive coordinator, recruited several black passers while at Florida, and had backup quarterbacks with the Tampa Bay Bandits who were black.
But Heffner, a redshirt freshman from Memphis, will be the first to start while Spurrier has been a head coach.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what Antonio does Saturday night. He’s done some good things in practice this week, so it’ll be interesting,” Spurrier said Thursday. “This is his opportunity. We all get that first opportunity. This is his. I think he’ll be as best prepared as he can.”
Former Florida quarterback John Reaves, who played under Spurrier in the USFL and later coached with him in Gainesville, said Spurrier is more concerned with winning percentage than skin color.
“Steve doesn’t care. He just wants to win,” Reaves said. “He’ll take a Chinese quarterback.”
When Spurrier was Duke’s offensive coordinator in 1981-82, Brent Clinkscale and Ron Sally, both of whom are black, started a couple of games in place of Ben Bennett. Sally later followed Spurrier to the USFL in Tampa Bay, where he and Billy Koonce, another black quarterback, were backups to Reaves.
When Sally and Ben Bennett were competing for the starting job, Spurrier was equally demanding of both.
“There was no racial distinction,’ said Sally, a former executive with the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets.
Spurrier inherited a black quarterback when he arrived at Florida in 1990. According to Reaves, Donald Douglas went through winter workouts and spring practice with the Gators before transferring to Houston.
Spurrier also inherited a black quarterback at USC. Syvelle Newton played all 11 games at quarterback in 2004, including five starts. On the day Spurrier was hired at USC in late November, Dean Boyd, Newton’s coach at Marlboro County, predicted that Newton would not fit in Spurrier’s offensive system.
“We all know what Spurrier likes to see in a quarterback: tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed,” Boyd said at the time. “I fear it’s not going to be good for Syvelle. Syvelle’s a good college quarterback, but he isn’t the kind of quarterback (Spurrier) would go for.”
Boyd said he did not mean to imply that race would factor into Spurrier’s evaluation of Newton. He said he was pointing out that Spurrier generally preferred pocket passers to more mobile quarterbacks.
“It wasn’t a black-white thing with me. It was more of a dropback (versus) a sprint-out thing,” Boyd said Thursday. “I know what Syvelle’s strengths were as a quarterback, and it was more a run-oriented quarterback.”
Newton moved to receiver shortly after Spurrier’s arrival, clearing the path for Blake Mitchell, more of a dropback passer than Newton.
Mitchell started the first four games this season before spraining his left ankle last week in USC’s 45-20 win against Troy. Spurrier named Heffner the starter early in the week and said Newton will be the emergency quarterback at Auburn.
“The ideal quarterback is a guy that can throw like Joe Namath and run like Michael Vick,” Spurrier said. “I’ve always wished I had a quarterback that when you call a play that, ‘Gee, that’s not good against that defense,’ he bounces out and makes 18 yards running.
“Man, that’s easy on play-callers. I wish I had a guy like that.”
Spurrier tried to recruit a couple quarterbacks like that to Florida, including in-state high school standouts Daunte Culpepper and Anquan Boldin. But the Gators were not sure Culpepper would qualify academically, and he ended up at Central Florida. Boldin signed at Florida State and became a second-round NFL draft pick as a receiver.
Meanwhile, Spurrier was revolutionizing the SEC with his Fun ’n’ Gun offense triggered by future NFL quarterbacks Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel, Doug Johnson and Rex Grossman — all of whom are white.
“We tried to recruit top quarterbacks, regardless of black or white,” Spurrier said. “And sometimes when we don’t have one for so long there’s a few high school coaches that say, ‘He wouldn’t play a black quarterback.’
“I don’t know what I can do about it. If I wouldn’t play a black quarterback, why would I play a black center, a black guard, wide receiver?”
In 1991, Spurrier signed Antwan Chiles, a black quarterback who transferred to Division I-AA Liberty. Before leaving Florida after the 2001 season, Spurrier laid the groundwork in the recruitment of Gavin Dickey, a black quarterback who has played several positions for the Gators.
Reaves, whose son, David, is a USC assistant, said he never has known Spurrier to base a personnel decision on race.
“He ain’t like that at all,” Reaves said. “Never a word or breath out of his mouth in any direction like that.”
“We all just play the best players,” Spurrier said. “I don’t know any coach in America that has lasted any time that has been prejudiced. I don’t know any out there.”
Reach Person at (803) 771-8496 or jperson @thestate.com.
Heffner’s start a minor milestone
He is set to become first black quarterback to start for Spurrier in his 21 years as a head coach
By JOSEPH PERSON
Staff Writer
USC quarterback Antonio Heffner’s first career start also will be a first for Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier.
When Heffner takes the field Saturday at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium, he will become the first black quarterback to start for Spurrier, whose 21-year, head-coaching career includes stops at Duke, Florida, Tampa Bay of the USFL and the NFL’s Washington Redskins.
Spurrier started two black quarterbacks as Duke’s offensive coordinator, recruited several black passers while at Florida, and had backup quarterbacks with the Tampa Bay Bandits who were black.
But Heffner, a redshirt freshman from Memphis, will be the first to start while Spurrier has been a head coach.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what Antonio does Saturday night. He’s done some good things in practice this week, so it’ll be interesting,” Spurrier said Thursday. “This is his opportunity. We all get that first opportunity. This is his. I think he’ll be as best prepared as he can.”
Former Florida quarterback John Reaves, who played under Spurrier in the USFL and later coached with him in Gainesville, said Spurrier is more concerned with winning percentage than skin color.
“Steve doesn’t care. He just wants to win,” Reaves said. “He’ll take a Chinese quarterback.”
When Spurrier was Duke’s offensive coordinator in 1981-82, Brent Clinkscale and Ron Sally, both of whom are black, started a couple of games in place of Ben Bennett. Sally later followed Spurrier to the USFL in Tampa Bay, where he and Billy Koonce, another black quarterback, were backups to Reaves.
When Sally and Ben Bennett were competing for the starting job, Spurrier was equally demanding of both.
“There was no racial distinction,’ said Sally, a former executive with the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets.
Spurrier inherited a black quarterback when he arrived at Florida in 1990. According to Reaves, Donald Douglas went through winter workouts and spring practice with the Gators before transferring to Houston.
Spurrier also inherited a black quarterback at USC. Syvelle Newton played all 11 games at quarterback in 2004, including five starts. On the day Spurrier was hired at USC in late November, Dean Boyd, Newton’s coach at Marlboro County, predicted that Newton would not fit in Spurrier’s offensive system.
“We all know what Spurrier likes to see in a quarterback: tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed,” Boyd said at the time. “I fear it’s not going to be good for Syvelle. Syvelle’s a good college quarterback, but he isn’t the kind of quarterback (Spurrier) would go for.”
Boyd said he did not mean to imply that race would factor into Spurrier’s evaluation of Newton. He said he was pointing out that Spurrier generally preferred pocket passers to more mobile quarterbacks.
“It wasn’t a black-white thing with me. It was more of a dropback (versus) a sprint-out thing,” Boyd said Thursday. “I know what Syvelle’s strengths were as a quarterback, and it was more a run-oriented quarterback.”
Newton moved to receiver shortly after Spurrier’s arrival, clearing the path for Blake Mitchell, more of a dropback passer than Newton.
Mitchell started the first four games this season before spraining his left ankle last week in USC’s 45-20 win against Troy. Spurrier named Heffner the starter early in the week and said Newton will be the emergency quarterback at Auburn.
“The ideal quarterback is a guy that can throw like Joe Namath and run like Michael Vick,” Spurrier said. “I’ve always wished I had a quarterback that when you call a play that, ‘Gee, that’s not good against that defense,’ he bounces out and makes 18 yards running.
“Man, that’s easy on play-callers. I wish I had a guy like that.”
Spurrier tried to recruit a couple quarterbacks like that to Florida, including in-state high school standouts Daunte Culpepper and Anquan Boldin. But the Gators were not sure Culpepper would qualify academically, and he ended up at Central Florida. Boldin signed at Florida State and became a second-round NFL draft pick as a receiver.
Meanwhile, Spurrier was revolutionizing the SEC with his Fun ’n’ Gun offense triggered by future NFL quarterbacks Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel, Doug Johnson and Rex Grossman — all of whom are white.
“We tried to recruit top quarterbacks, regardless of black or white,” Spurrier said. “And sometimes when we don’t have one for so long there’s a few high school coaches that say, ‘He wouldn’t play a black quarterback.’
“I don’t know what I can do about it. If I wouldn’t play a black quarterback, why would I play a black center, a black guard, wide receiver?”
In 1991, Spurrier signed Antwan Chiles, a black quarterback who transferred to Division I-AA Liberty. Before leaving Florida after the 2001 season, Spurrier laid the groundwork in the recruitment of Gavin Dickey, a black quarterback who has played several positions for the Gators.
Reaves, whose son, David, is a USC assistant, said he never has known Spurrier to base a personnel decision on race.
“He ain’t like that at all,” Reaves said. “Never a word or breath out of his mouth in any direction like that.”
“We all just play the best players,” Spurrier said. “I don’t know any coach in America that has lasted any time that has been prejudiced. I don’t know any out there.”
Reach Person at (803) 771-8496 or jperson @thestate.com.