Quotes about Colt

Despite predicting Tebow would win the Heisman, JJ said about Colt:
"He is the best passer in college history. He is. There is no question about it. My quarterback is the best player, trust me." (Orange County Register)


About going from tiny crowds watching his games at Saddleback College a few years ago to being a Heisman Finalist, Colt said:
"It's kind of a crazy story, and I'm sure there's a lot to be learned from it. I'm just trying to not mess things up." (OCR)

About his appreciation for Hawaii, Colt said:
"Hawaii, has inspired me to do a lot of great things." (OCR)


About not being nominated for any of the QBs awards this year, Colt said:
"Disappointing. I mean, how can you be up for the Heisman if you're not up for the other awards?" (HA)


About how he refused to believe he was getting a Heisman invigtation until received official word, Colt said:
"It was great when it finally went through. It was cool to know." (HA)


Colt's first football coach (when he was 9) Mike Harp remembered that in pass-league games:
"it wasn't unusual for Colt to go 9 of 10 or 10 of 10 on drives." (HA)

HA Note: "Brennan was tried at safety, and then at running back until the replacement quarterback fumbled the snap four times in a game."

About how Colt was moved back to QB, Harp said:
"But he belonged at quarterback. He was so accurate. Even then, he did a great job of reading defenses. He was always 'Hollywood,' because he looked like a surfer kid." (HA)


About how the team was named the Irvine Big Blue Wave, Harp said:
"It fit." (HA)


About their 2 Heisman-winning QBs (John Huarte and Matt Leinart), Rose Bowl Hall of Fame QB Danny O'Neil, and record-setting QB Billy Blanton, Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said:
"You step back and go, 'Wow, this is some good stuff.' " (HA)


About how Colt was Matt Leinart's backup, with Leinart a year older, Rollinson said:
"He had to sit tight and bide his time, and he did." (HA)

About how Colt played well after he got his chance, Rollinson said:
"We liked his swagger. We liked his moxie. I knew he would be good because he was competitive." (HA)

"As a high school player, Colt hadn't grown into his body yet. He was still a little, I don't know, a little gangly, a little geeky, in the sense he didn't move well. He certainly wasn't going to scramble for any yardage. We used to admire the fact that as a competitor he'd hang on to that football and then he'd let it fly. If it was out late, he'd take the hit, and just get up and go, 'Let's do it again.'" (HA)


About how was impressed with Colt during the Washington game, Mater Dei offensive coordinator Dave Money said:
"I was really impressed with his demeanor and body language through adversity. They were down 21-0, and you would have never known that. That's one thing Colt's always had. We had a game where we played Fallbrook. We were down, 17-0, in the first half. He came back in the second half and led us to victory. It kind of reminded me of that watching him play the other night. No matter what the situation is, it won't affect him. He's always wanting to be positive." (HA)


About how he knew Colt would be a finalist, Christian Allen (Colt's roommate at Worcester Academy in 2003) said:
"I knew if they went with four finalists, he would be in there. His numbers were out of this world. He should have been there last year." (HA)

Christian Allen remembered when he was assigned to room with a:
"quarterback from California." (HA)

HA Note: "They formed an immediate bond. Allen, whose family owns property in Florida, is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed surfing. On weekends, they stayed with Allen's family in Boston, including Allen's parents Fran and Cindy and sisters Katie and Amanda."


About how Colt became close with his family, Christian Allen said:
"He became a part of my family's life." (HA)


About how they helped Colt adjust to life in Boston, Christian's father Fran Allen said:
"He was 3,000 miles away from home. We indoctrinated him to the ways of life in Boston much like he's been indoctrinated to the ways in Hawaii. We kept in touch, good times and bad. You could tell he had talent. The team was OK, and it was a tough league. He didn't have a great line, but he had some really good receivers." (HSB)

About his response when Terry Brennan called him to let him know that Colt wanted Christian and him to attend the Heisman Ceremony, Fran said:
"The answer was, 'absolutely.' Obviously in Boston as a sports fan we're really spoiled with the Red Sox, the Patriots and now even the Celtics. But all of that doesn't mean anything when you compare it to knowing somebody who's achieved what Colt has and being able to share it with him." (HSB)

About Colt inviting him and his father Fran to the Heisman ceremony with part of his 10 tickets, Christian Allen said:
"I was ecstatic when he called and said he would get me a ticket. This is great for the whole state out there." (HA)

About the Allen family, Terry said:
"They were good enough to adopt Colt." (HSB)

About the Allen family, Colt said that he:
"basically became a part of their family. We'd load up our dirty laundry, drive down to their house and his mom would take care of us and feed us and we'd hang out with his sisters and his friends. Since then our families have become even closer. The relationship has held up and become even stronger." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Brennan's parents, Terry and Betsy, of Irvine, Calif., will be at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square, as will younger sister Chanel and grandmother Sharon Jefferies. So will Brennan's girlfriend, Shakti Stream. Athletic director Herman Frazier, media relations director Derek Inouchi and Manoa chancellor Virginia Hinshaw will officially represent UH. Assistant to the athletic director Chacha Kinilau and former media relations director Lois Manin will attend by invitation of Brennan, as will Brennan's family away from home when he went to prep school in Worcester, Mass. -- Fran and Christian Allen."

About Colt's older sister Carrera cannot attend the Heisman ceremony because she is expecting a baby in January, Terry Brennan joked:
"She's already mad at that kid." (HSB)


About trying to get to the Heisman Ceremony to support Colt, Lois Manin said:
"I enjoyed a great working relationship with Colt for two years at UH. When I decided to leave (to become deputy manager at Aloha Stadium) I promised I'd be in New York when he made it for the Heisman. He did his part, so I'm trying to do mine. He's done everything within his power to lift the program into the national spotlight and deserves everything he gets. Yet he's the first to tell you it's not about him, it's about the team first." (HSB)

HSB Note: "UH athletic director Herman Frazier, sports media relations director Derek Inouchi and Manoa chancellor Virginia Hinshaw will be at the Heisman ceremony in an official capacity. Assistant to the AD Chacha Kinilau is paying her own way. Inouchi's predecessor, Lois Manin, is also attempting to do so. Manin was on standby for a flight to New York yesterday, trying to make good on a promise."

About why he invited Kinilau and Manin, Colt said:
"I wanted to invite some people who helped me at UH, and Lois and Chacha did so much work and took so much stress off of me. Without Lois' work I'd never be a Heisman finalist. Chacha also did a lot of behind-the-scenes work, making sure I was at the right places at the right times for volunteer events, chaperoning me to charity events. It's hard because you can only invite so many people. I wanted to invite my teammates, but I guess you can't do that." (HSB)


About how he knew Colt was special, JJ said:
"I knew he was special the first time I saw him throw." (HA)


About watching a videotape of a Saddleback Community College game with Colt playing, JJ pointed to a chair in his office and said::
"I remember (former UH athletic director) Paul Durham was sitting right there. He said, 'What are you going to do next year after Timmy Chang?'" (HA)

HA Note: "Jones grabbed Saddleback's videotape, popped it into the recorder, and watched Durham watch the images on the wide-screen television."


JJ told Durham:
"Don't breathe a word of who that guy is. I don't want anybody to know." (HA)


The following year, after Colt led the country in passing and TD passes in his first year at UH, Durham said to JJ:
"You were right about that guy." (HA)


About how he was going to name his son Maverick (after his family's favorite TV show), but then saw Colton, CA in a map of Southern California, Terry Brennan said:
"I figured I couldn't mess that up too much." (HA)


About how they never pushed Colt to play, Terry said:
"We never pushed Colt. It was his choice to play. It wasn't me or his mom or his family. Colt has a real relationship with the game itself. It pushed him." (HA)