Heisman call is a dream come true for Daniel
December 5, 2007
Chase Daniel was puttering around his home in Columbia Tuesday, perhaps trying to shake the doldrums of Missouri’s loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship.
The phone rang. Daniel answered. Suddenly, the sun came out, and the birds started singing.
“Hey,” Chad Moller, MU assistant athletic director, chirped, “we’re going to New York.”
Heisman Trophy finalist, baby. It was official. A secret too good to keep, in fact, as Missouri coach Gary Pinkel spilled the beans during a conference call with a St. Louis booster club on Tuesday night.
But that didn’t make it any less special on Wednesday afternoon when — as ESPN revealed Daniel, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden as the four finalists for college football’s most coveted honor — Daniel was on a telephone talking about it with The Star.
“Is this really happening?” Daniel said, recounting his first reaction. “Did I just get invited to that?
“… It was a dream you always dream about but never think it’s going to happen. But it happened. And it’s awesome.”
Or will be.
On Wednesday, Daniel, Pinkel and Moller were in Orlando, Fla., where tonight Daniel will find out if he, Tebow or Oregon’s Dennis Dixon will win the Davey O’Brien national quarterback award.
“It’s an award for the whole team, not just for me,” Daniel said.
Martin Rucker, himself up for the Mackey Award as the country’s top tight end, caught all those passes. As did NCAA freshman all-purpose yards record-holder Jeremy Maclin. And Will Franklin, Chase Coffman, Tommy Saunders ... the list goes on and on.
Certainly Daniel’s spirited leadership has been recognized most often. Daniel was the little guy ignored — until it was too late — by the big guns of college football in his native Texas.
“He’s got that Napoleon syndrome,” quarterback coach Dave Yost said. “I’m going to prove you wrong.”
Daniel did that this season, throwing for a school-record 4,170 yards and 33 touchdowns while driving Missouri (No. 7 now in the AP poll) to its first No.1 ranking since 1960.
And now this postseason, a grand tour interlude before Mizzou faces Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1.
Daniel can be the highest-finishing Tiger in the Heisman voting since Pitchin’ Paul Christman was third in 1939, and only the third MU football player to rank in the Heisman top-10 voting. The other was defensive end Danny LaRose in 1960.
Said Yost: “Every day he wants to show he’s the best quarterback on the field. His competitiveness is probably unmatched.”
Supporters of Tebow, Brennan and McFadden would undoubtedly argue that point.
Daniel sounded humble on Wednesday night when hit with the question.
Does Chase Daniel believe he’ll win the Heisman on Saturday?
“Aw man, probably not,” Daniel said. “There are a lot better football players out there than me.”
Judging from the votes, not many. Perhaps, on Saturday in New York, not any.
