Author Topic: 34, Occupation: College QB  (Read 92 times)

Perfection

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34, Occupation: College QB
« on: October 04, 2003, 11:28:58 AM »
Friday, October 3, 2003

Associated Press
CARLINVILLE, Ill. -- The oldest player in college football graduated from high school in the 1980s.

Unlike quarterbacks like Chris Weinke who played minor league baseball before attending college in their 20s, Tom Fox finished high school, then briefly worked for his father and bought a bar and restaurant in Montana, where he spent seven years having "more fun than I deserved."

When he hit his 30s, Fox decided he wanted to play college football.

Tired of being "the only sober guy at 2 o'clock in the morning," Fox sold the bar and restaurant and spent nearly a year working out to get in shape for the most unlikely of career changes.

After countless phone calls, Fox found a college willing to take a chance on a freshman approaching middle age who had never played a down of competitive football.

The 34-year-old Fox is a third-year quarterback at Blackburn, a Division III school in central Illinois. He's started one game this season, played in all four and is having the time of his life.

"The first week I was in camp, you're 13, 14 years older than everybody and I thought, 'What in the heck am I doing here?"' said Fox, who is older than four of the team's assistant coaches. "I've proved to myself that if I could have come here at 18 or 19, gosh, I could have had some success at this level."

In his early teens, Fox was one of the top junior tennis players in Montana, and his family sent him to Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy. His classmates included Andre Agassi and Monica Seles.

Fox spent three years at the academy. When he left, he was the top-rated junior in Montana, but he also was losing interest in the sport and decided to pass up opportunities to play in college.

After graduating from high school in his hometown of Hamilton, Mont., Fox got married, had a daughter and worked a few years at his father's brokerage firm before buying The Banque Restaurant and The Exchange sports bar in Hamilton.

"In the back of my mind, I always knew I wanted to play football. I figured it was now or never," he said. "I wanted to play one play, make one tackle, catch one pass -- I didn't care."

Blackburn coaches liked what they saw: a lanky quarterback with a good arm whose maturity and leadership off the field made up for his diminishing skills on it.

His parents supported his decision to finally attend college, even if it included playing football with kids nearly half his age. His friends at the bar thought he was crazy.

"At first they were like, 'What are you thinking? You're going to do what? You're selling your business?' " he said.

His efforts were finally rewarded this season.

Fox was named the starting quarterback for Blackburn's first game of the season, splitting time with freshman Aaron McPherson.

"He brings stability to the scene. His execution is pretty flawless," coach Skip Mathieson said. "He's very adept at doing things the way you program him to do them. There's a place for that, particularly with a young quarterback that's adjusting."

Fox has since lost playing time to McPherson as the team retooled its offensive approach to emphasize the run.

When that happened, Fox knew it was only a matter of time. As he says with a resigned shrug, "the other quarterback, he's got the legs. His legs are fresher, so to speak."

The NCAA doesn't keep track of player ages, though a spokesman said he knew of no other player in the nation as old as Fox.

"People always ask me, 'Well, is there a big difference between when you were 18 and 34? Yeah, there is a big difference between when I was 32 and 34."

Fox is on pace to graduate next year. When he finishes his degree, he'd like to go into coaching -- maybe at a small school like Blackburn. Eventually he'd like to move on to one of the larger conferences. Maybe the PAC-10 or even the NFL.

"When I came here two years ago, I didn't have any intention of playing quarterback," he said. "That I ever thought I'd start one game at any position was beyond anything that I had imagined.

"It's been a lot of fun."