USD Football 1991

BY NICK PETERS The re is a popu lar mi sconception. enhanced by a television commercial. that Western Pennsy lvania is the cradle for great quarterbacks. producing the likes of Joe Namath (Beaver Falls). Joe Montana (Monongahela). Dan Marino (Pi11sburgh) and Jim Kelly (East Brady). Nick Peters covers baseball and college sports for rhe Sacramelllo Bee after spe- cializing 011 Cal football and basketball during his days as sports etlitor of the deji111c1 Berkeley Daily Gazelle and /a/er with the Oakland Tribune. He has authored "JOO years of Cal Football and "Giants Almanac. ..

That"s an imposing lot, to be sure. yet the genesis of the passing game is better traced to Northern California. where outstanding quarterbacks have been cultivated over the last 50 years along with the agricultural riches of the Golden State. It's pure coincidence that Montana became part of the Bay Area quarterback heritage when he joined the 49ers. but it's absolutely no accident that a region abun- dant with wine. redwoods. fruits and vegeta- bles is also an incubator for premier passers and coaches expert in the aerial game. Northern California's dominance in pass- ing has waned in recent years because the entire nation is throwing the football- wit-

During the 1970s, the University of California turned out super Qlls Steve Bartkowski (left) and Vince Ferragamo, who played as a freshman and then transferred to Nebraska.

TOUCHDOWN ILLUSTRATED