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.

I have heard through my sources (neo perhaps?) that we were after that one 5-star QB who's Irish-Chinese. If I remember correctly, his name was Throw Aduck O'Foooey.

From what I hear, he's 6' 5", 240 pounds and runs a 4.28 electronically timed 40. He's right behind Yao Ming in terms of popularity among the Chinese and he's narrowed his choices to USC, Florida State (they offered free egg rolls and had to self-report themselves), Notre Dame (family ties) and Florida (his family LIKED how Urban Meyer cussed so much...irish don't ye know).

He could be The One.










And I have had too much coffee...again.

In all seriousness, I hope Heffner goes out there and plays well regardless how the gameplan is set up. I just dont' want to see fumbled snaps, throws into triple coverage or desperation heaves to no one in particular.

Joseph Person is a damn fool who can't get laid. Who gives a crap that this is the first black quarterback. Like that means a damn thing to the poor black people in this world, Heffner starting saturday will somehow solve hunger and poverty, give me a damn break. I couldn't care less about a black, jew, queer, muslim, or transvestite starting as long as we win, it's people like Joe Person (a flaming homo, metrosexual) who perpetuate racism (along with Sharpton and Jesse Jackson) in the year 2005, we would have a lot less problems if these ppl would just shut up....

It's called SENSATIONALISM.

damn stop hating the chinese.

The true milestone will be reached when such a "milestone" is no longer a thing of importance...

Standing ovation....

EXCELLENT post....

Thank You, Thank You........Hey did I just read a good post by a clemson fan? I think everyone in South Carolina can agree that the state newspaper is an embarrassment to the state....

Not much I can add to that except what purpose does it serve to even write an article like that other than to stir up controversy & as rabid said, sensationalism.

Agree w/Durwood's milestone comment too. Pretty much says it all.

You know what's sad?? I recognize that picture from "the gamecock", wasn't it about a year ago? God I love our dance team......

aren't we just agreeable this morning?

I got it last winter during basketball season when there was some talk from the Ath Dept about limiting when the girls could dance during games.

Yeah, I knew I recognized that picture, I love looking at our dance team, busty and curvy....

Damn rite busty and DEFINITILEY curvy.

screw the milestone...