USD Football 1992

THEY SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE Great Comebacks and Other"Against All Odds" College Football Stories-presented by Rogaine.

Hard Work Pays DH m couple of football longshots grewup about fifty miles and three years apart. One was a klutz in high school, the other needed braces on his legs. Both left indelible marks on college football. By his own admission, Terry Bradshaw was clumsy and uncoordinated as a youngster.An attack ofrickets at age two left Bert Jones an awk– ward-looking child. Bradshaw developed as a Hall of Fame quarterback, he insists, simply because of awillingness to work. "I was the kind of kid who worked every day, every day. No one had to tell me when to run, work or practice. No one had to tell me I was clumsy and needed to run the hurdles. I did it on my own. I wanted to excel, and I realized my abilities were limited because I was awkward. So the good Lord gave me the

Not considered especially talented in college, Terry Bradshaw andBertJones worked theirway intofootball greatness.

capacity to work, work, work." A spotlight was thrown on Bradshaw, who never started a game until his senior yearofhigh school, as he started ringing up mind-boggling numbers at LousianaTech, where he was the national College Division total off. ensive leader as a junior. As a senior, he amassed 2,314 yards passing, a figure that might have been higher but Bradshaw only Greek and Latin stud ent studying for the priesthood, end Gene Goddreault, and tailback 0'Rourke, a straw– berry-haired boy with a cow– lick out of Tom Sawyer. The boyish 0'Rourke was listed at 158 pounds but weighed about 147 by the time he went against the Vols. Interestingly, Leahy took a play from

averaged three quarters of play as Tech usually cruised comfort– ably ahead in a Gulf States championship season. Dub Jones, Bert's father and himself an NFL Hall of Farner, said his son's braces left him bowlegged and pigeon-toed, but that actually the braces hurt his appearancemore than his ability. True enough. Jones became the most talented quarterback

to play at LS.U. since YA. Title in the 1940s, guiding the Bayou Bengals to three consecutive nine-victory seasons and rewrit– ing the Tiger's record book before going on to an All-Pro career with the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams.

Those klutzy kids, Bradshaw and Jones, definitely overcame deficiencies to make football impacts.O Bosbia College runs Ille ''T•nessee Special."

offense before the Sugar Bowl. The overconfident Vols were ripe for the picking, and with six minutes remaining and the game tied at 13, 0 'Rourke started a late drive. By the time BC reached the Tennessee 24 with two minutes to go, 0'Rourke figured it was time to callthe "Tennessee Special." 0'Rourke faded, raising his

cut sharply between Ten– nessee's tackle and end. Like a shadow, he glided through a maze of flailing Volunteers into the end zone. It was the most dramtaic play in BC's 19-13 victory. 0'Rourke found a lasting spot in the heart ofSugar Bowl secretary Edna Engert. "A friend brought him over to my house the night of the game." Engbert recalled. "You know how he celebrated? With a glass of milk." 0

~ rank Leahy was a first-hand witness to over– coming the odds. He saw Char– lie 0 'Rourke do it against South– ern Conference colossus Ten– nessee in the '41 Sugar Bowl. Leahy's Boston College Eagles were considered just a fair Northeastern team with a good record when they paired with the mighty Volunteers. The BC stalwarts were line– man George Kerr, a brilliant

skinny arm as if to t hr ow . Instead, he

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