Just in case you were wondering what Ryan Leaf was up to...
SI.com ran a story from the "Where are they now" file on former Washington State phenom and San Diego washout Ryan Leaf. Leaf, unfortunately, is the most famous graduate of my alma mater, C.M. Russell High School in Great Falls, Montana. Anyone with a superficial knowledge of football knows his story: Leaf drove Wazoo to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1930s and was the second overall pick in the subsequent NFL draft, second only to Peyton Manning. Leaf was to be the future of the San Diego Chargers. Instead, his professional career to this day is considered to be the greatest bust in NFL history.
That's the story the nation knows anyway. The story in Great Falls is a bit more nuanced. We were proud as hell of the kid as he led the Cougars to glory and foresaw a fantastic future for him, whether it would be with the Colts or the Chargers. Here he was, the product of a Montana high school football dynasty at CMR, ready to take the NFL storm. Ryan Leaf at that time was the Electric City's first son.
Or so we thought. Prior to the 1998 NFL draft, ESPN Magazine interviewed Leaf and Manning. Leaf stated in the interview that he was from Washington and that he did not consider himself to be from Montana. From that moment forward, Leaf was persona non grata in his hometown. He later apologized for the remarks and bought his old high school some Nike cleats, but the damage was done. We all knew Leaf was kind of cocky, but to disown the town and state that gave you your fortune in the first place is unforgivable. Without CMR's skipper Jack Johnson, the Rustler football program, and the fans of Great Falls, Ryan Leaf sure as hell never would have become the big man on campus at WSU, let alone a prime NFL prospect. We were livid.
And as it happens, kharma is a bitch. He immediately had spats with teammates, coaches, reporters, and fans. To make matters worse, he would throw only 14 touchdowns in his short pro career, a total that would not add up to even half of the 36 interceptions he would throw during the same time span. Michael Ventre of MSNBC dubbed Leaf the "the biggest bust in the history of professional sports." Today, he's the Roy Munson of the NFL.
Today Leaf is a quarterback's coach at Division II West Texas A & M. Seems to indicate that maybe he's grown up a bit...Realized that he isn't the greatest there ever was and ever will be. What a waste of God given talent. 6'5", an arm like a cannon. If he'd had the maturity and modesty of Peyton Manning, then he very well might have become the greatest.
That's the story the nation knows anyway. The story in Great Falls is a bit more nuanced. We were proud as hell of the kid as he led the Cougars to glory and foresaw a fantastic future for him, whether it would be with the Colts or the Chargers. Here he was, the product of a Montana high school football dynasty at CMR, ready to take the NFL storm. Ryan Leaf at that time was the Electric City's first son.
Or so we thought. Prior to the 1998 NFL draft, ESPN Magazine interviewed Leaf and Manning. Leaf stated in the interview that he was from Washington and that he did not consider himself to be from Montana. From that moment forward, Leaf was persona non grata in his hometown. He later apologized for the remarks and bought his old high school some Nike cleats, but the damage was done. We all knew Leaf was kind of cocky, but to disown the town and state that gave you your fortune in the first place is unforgivable. Without CMR's skipper Jack Johnson, the Rustler football program, and the fans of Great Falls, Ryan Leaf sure as hell never would have become the big man on campus at WSU, let alone a prime NFL prospect. We were livid.
And as it happens, kharma is a bitch. He immediately had spats with teammates, coaches, reporters, and fans. To make matters worse, he would throw only 14 touchdowns in his short pro career, a total that would not add up to even half of the 36 interceptions he would throw during the same time span. Michael Ventre of MSNBC dubbed Leaf the "the biggest bust in the history of professional sports." Today, he's the Roy Munson of the NFL.
Today Leaf is a quarterback's coach at Division II West Texas A & M. Seems to indicate that maybe he's grown up a bit...Realized that he isn't the greatest there ever was and ever will be. What a waste of God given talent. 6'5", an arm like a cannon. If he'd had the maturity and modesty of Peyton Manning, then he very well might have become the greatest.
Labels: Sports
posted by Your Friendly Neighborhood Clark Bar at 8/19/2006 09:38:00 PM
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3 Comments:
Wow, I didn't know he was from Montana, but yea--he sounds like a total tool. Sorry you all had to deal with him. Did you know him personally? Like, did you ever had a class with him?
He was probably about six years older than I was, so I never went to CMR with him. Met him a number of times though. He and his family went to my church. That, and he ran a basketball camp I went to back in the day. I remember at one point me made us all sit there so we could watch him dunk.
Corollary to that story: Montana's other quarterback phenom was a guy named Dave Dickenson. He also went to CMR, coached by Jack Johnson, etc. Won a I-AA national championship at University of Montana and went on to play in the CFL. He had the maturity and humility that Leaf lacked, but didn't have the largess or talent. The very day that the Chargers released Leaf, they signed Dickenson. It would have made for a great story and Dickenson did well during the preseason, but they ultimately determined that he was too small. They put Drew Brees in the starting slot and cut Dickenson. Still, despite despite all of the gifts that Leaf had, if you ask any Montanan who the state's greatest athlete is, they'll answer Dave Dickenson.
Or Evel Knevel.
I'm thinking maybe this deserves to be a post of its own...
I didn't know Evel was from Montana...wow. Good story, though, Leaf really was a tool growing up.
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