That’s Donnie Salum third from the right with Rob Gronkowski on his left and Chris Gronkowski on the far left of the photo. Photo courtesy BearDownDonnie.com

The party is over.

It was a good one. The Arizona Wildcats football family — and then some — showed up at a resort in Chandler last Friday for a day of golf, a dinner, an amazing silent auction full of donated memorabilia, all in emotional and financial support of one of their own, Donnie Salum.

Dick Tomey. Rob Gronkowski. Nick Foles. Rob Waldrop. Mike Stoops. Byron Evans. Rich Rodriguez.

Salum’s high school coach. NFL quarterback Chris Miller, Salum’s former teammate with the Atlanta Falcons. Even Lute Olson.

“It was a pretty incredible day and night,” Salum said. “The love that was shown was off the charts.”

The Wildcats can’t, won’t, stop there. For Salum, the fight goes on. He has an extremely rare bone tumor at the base of his skull, touching his brain stem. It might be cancerous. It might not. Doctors can’t know unless they do a biopsy, which they recommend not doing at this time, due to the delicate location of the tumor.

What’s most basic is this: Salum has something in his head that doesn’t belong there.

He has suffered, among other things, severe weight loss, debilitating headaches, numbness on his right side, loud ringing in his head, difficulty swallowing. When friends held a dinner for him last fall, Salum said he “looked like he had one foot in the grave.”

He’s improved physically, gained back some weight, but the symptoms persist. A good day involves a good walk. But when he stops, stands still, “everything gets dizzy,” he said.

“They keep me fairly medicated up,” Salum added.

He regularly sees six doctors, five of them specialists. He will fly to Pittsburgh later this month for more testing, to see if this bone tumor is growing, to face whatever the next move might be.

Yes, last week’s event was great.

But Donnie Salum still needs our help.

Tomey insists on it.

* * *

Salum, 46, is one of the many walk-on-makes-good stories of Arizona football, playing in 1988 for Tomey as a junior college transfer linebacker and leading the team with 113 tackles in 1989, earning co-Wildcat of the Year honors with Darryll Lewis.

The Falcons selected Salum with the 250th pick of the 1990 draft. He stuck on the practice squad for a couple of seasons, but he spent most of his time on injured reserve and didn’t appear in a game. Several years later, he had a thriving fitness business, first in the Phoenix area and then beyond, which is how he met a guy from Buffalo who was in the same field — Gordon Gronkowski Sr.

If UA fans are fuzzy about Salum’s career, just know this: Without Salum, there is no Rob Gronkowski at Arizona.

“We ran into each other at a trade show and we were having some fun,” Salum said of Gronkowski Sr., “and then every trade show after that, we would plan to be together.

“We hit it off and started talking weekly. He was always telling me about his boys. I went out there to look at his organization in the exercise equipment business, and that was the first time I saw Robbie. He was in the seventh grade. His dad always called him, ‘My freak.’”

Rob could have gone to any school in the country. He picked Arizona because of Salum.

“Without Donnie, there’s no Rob,” Stoops said.

“That’s 100 percent true,” Salum said. “Robbie would have never even opened a letter from them. But his dad was comfortable with it, knowing there was someone up the road who cared about his family.”

Donnie Salum, with Dick Tomey and Tedy Bruschi at last month’s alumni reunion to celebrate Tomey’s 75th birthday. Photo courtesy of BearDownDonnie.com

Rob spoke at the event, calling Salum one of his best friends, one of the people he can trust the most. Afterward, Gronk went back to Salum’s house to sign more items that can be used later to raise more funds.

Business was so good more than a decade ago that Salum donated several hundred thousand dollars worth of equipment to a new weight room in McKale Center, which opened in the summer of 2002. Salum donated a lot more than that to UA over the years, too.

Stoops inherited the benefits of the weight room when he was hired after the 2003 season.

“That was a first-class weight room,” Stoops said. “That was the one cornerstone we had in the whole building.”

But Salum’s business eventually went south and collapsed. He sold cars. He worked in real estate and land investment. Now, he can’t work. He announced his medical condition on Facebook last September, writing “I’m not sure how to say this as never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be in this position.”

Salum has been one of the most loyal, most passionate, of Arizona alums. He cheered so hard on the sideline during the 2007 Arizona-UCLA game that he collapsed a lung.

“He’s just a great person,” said Stoops, now the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma who helped provide several auction items.

“You just try to help great people out any way that you can. He’s a great Wildcat, but he’s also a great friend. It’s important that all of us be there for people when they need you. …

“To see the passion he has for Arizona football, that’s loud and clear. If there was somebody more passionate and intense than me, it was Donnie, and he wasn’t even coaching.”

That passion and intensity is being reciprocated when Salum needs it most.

He is on COBRA insurance for the short term. Expenses are piling up, including travel costs. He has a wife, Missy, and three kids, ages 8, 6 and soon-to-be 3.

“He’s in the fight of his life,” Tomey said.

“It breaks my heart to see him go through this, but he’s going through it like the champion he is.”

* * *

Tomey spearheaded the fundraising event last week and even put the weekly use of his house in Oahu up for auction.

Former Wildcats Heath Bray, Ty Parten and Paul Glonek won the bid. That’s a trio that could do some damage.

“As soon as we won it, Coach Tomey put his head in his hands,” Bray said.

It could have been worse. Gronkowski, the New England Patriots star tight end who is noted as an NFL party boy, was also bidding for a while.

But as the page turns from that fun, happy event, Tomey remains vigilant that everyone stays with the playbook: Donnie Salum needs our help.

“Coach Tomey has been just unbelievable,” Salum said.

“He has done more for me than anyone has ever done for me in my life. It’s not even close. Tomey is on a mission with this.

“I’m blessed. I feel incredibly touched by everything. It gives me a whole lot more fight, knowing the people that are supporting me.”

Earlier this week, Tomey posted a letter on BearDownDonnie.com, which will continue to chronicle Salum’s fight and provide a means to donate. Here is what Tomey wrote:

“We wanted to boost the morale and spirit of Donnie, Missy and the family, and to raise awareness of the difficult path they are on as we begin to raise funds for the days and months ahead. That MISSION was ACCOMPLISHED.

“Now, as we turn to the future, the real fund raising starts! There are no golf tournaments or silent auctions now. We are asking those of you who were there Friday and those who couldn’t make it to spread the word. We need to widen the circle to include more people each day. This is not a one day, one week, or one month challenge. It must go on as long as Donnie needs it. So go to the website www.beardowndonnie.com and contribute as much as you are able. Big and small checks are appreciated.

“The doctor’s appointment in Pittsburgh later in May hopefully will provide some clarity. No one can be sure. Donnie, Missy and their family are so grateful for all the love and support shown them so far. We need all of you for the long haul – your love, your prayers and yes, your financial help to fight and win this fight!! I for one will be there for Donnie and his family. Are you in?”

The Salum family. Photo courtesy of BearDownDonnie.com

Dick Tomey has a new hobby: Stand-up paddling.

Picture it. The former Arizona Wildcats football coach, nearing his 75th birthday, taking on the Pacific Ocean with a surf board and a paddle during those times when he’s home in Hawaii and not traveling all over the mainland to dote on his eight grandchildren.

Tomey was introduced to the sport by one of his star players at the University of Hawaii, Rich Miano.

“He and I used to go out, and I was awful,” Tomey said in an interview with TucsonCitizen.com.

“The only exercise I got was getting knocked off the board and climbing back on. I can’t handle the really, really rough water or the high surf. It took six to eight months, but I got a lot better.”

Life is good.

Tomey is healthy, happy and he’s back in the desert for an Arizona alumni weekend, wrapped around the Wildcats’ spring game on Saturday, eager to bring some of his grandchildren to watch Rich Rodriguez’s team at Kindall/Sancet Stadium.

“I’m totally excited about what he has done at Arizona,” Tomey said. “I’m excited to see a bunch of old friends and help celebrate what Rich Rodriguez is doing at U of A.”

Dick Tomey coaches during a game at Washington in November 2000, with only a few weeks left in his Arizona career. Photo by Otto Greule Jr./Allsport

He’s being humble. The alumni weekend isn’t really about Rodriguez. It’s about players from Tomey’s era (1987 to 2000) — and even those from before and after — gathering for the keynote event of the weekend, a Friday party to celebrate Tomey’s 75th birthday. (It’s actually on June 20, but who’s counting?)

More than 160 former Arizona players and coaches, as well as current and former administrators, are expected to attend. Many players also are helping Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs at his youth football camp at Tucson High on Saturday.

The player list for the weekend reads like a who’s who of Tomey-era football: Briggs, Tedy Bruschi, Bobby Wade, Dennis Northcutt, Chris Singleton, Joe Tafoya, Chuck Levy, Ortege Jenkins, Richard Dice, Dan White, Warner Smith, Glenn Parker …

So many more, such as College Football Hall of Famer Rob Waldrop, wanted to be here but couldn’t.

Rodriguez will be right in the mix, too.

“They have alumni weekend every year, and there has been some lackadaisical attendance the last couple of years,” said former player and assistant coach Heath Bray.

“I have been around Coach Rodriguez a number of times. I love the guy. He’s a guy I would want my kids to play for some day. There is a lot of excitement about RichRod, but I’ve got to tell you, most are coming because of our guy, Dick Tomey.”

* * *

From a distance that is strewn with the wreckage of too many losing seasons, fondness for the Tomey era grows.

He was 95-64-4 at Arizona, developed one of the great defenses in college football history (Desert Swarm), produced 10 first-team All-Americans and delivered a couple of the finest seasons ever at UA.

At some point Friday night, the Cats are sure to resurrect the old debate: Who would win a game between the 1993 Fiesta Bowl-winning team and the 1998 Holiday Bowl champs that went 12-1?

But the celebration isn’t about the numbers. It’s not about wins. It’s not about certain games, specific players.

“If I could put one word on my tombstone when I die, I would want that to be ‘loyal,’” Bray said.

Coach Dick Tomey with Chris McAlister (left) and Barrett Baker celebrating the win over Nebraska in the 1998 Holiday Bowl. Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images Sport

“I learned that from him. The loyalty thing breeds so much of the successful attributes of what you want in a football team. You’re loyal to each other, you know the coach has your back and you have his back. It makes average players good, it makes good players great and it translates into a damn good football team.”

Tomey’s loyalty didn’t go away when the business side of the profession unceremoniously shoved him out of town following the 2000 season. The University of Arizona, and Tucson, remained entrenched in his DNA, even as he took on other coaching pursuits, including being the head coach job at San Jose State from 2005 to 2009, helping to save that program from near extinction.

“What we did was more appreciated outside of Tucson than inside of Tucson. I think that is often the case. I’ve seen that happen to others,” Tomey said.

“But in all the places I’ve been, especially at Arizona, because I was there so long, the thing I’m most fortunate to have is relationships with young people. Whether they were first-stringers or walk-ons or guys who played in the NFL, the human part of it is the most fulfilling.”

Five years ago, Tomey helped with a fundraising event in Phoenix for former All-American Tony Bouie, who was battling stage-four lymphoma. Next month, Tomey is hosting a golf tournament/dinner/auction in Chandler in support of ex-Cat Donnie Salum, who has been fighting a tumor in his skull and spine.

His tenure in Tucson ended; the relationships never did.

“I coached for 50 years,” Tomey said.

“Almost not a day goes by when you don’t get a contact from somebody who has made a difference in your life and, hopefully, you have made a difference in theirs. That’s the amazing thing of it.”

* * *

Tomey has been back to Tucson several times, including twice to help coach in the Casino Del Sol College All-Star game in the past two years. He calls it his coaching fix.

But he has not yet seen the nearly completed Lowell-Stevens Football Facility in the north end zone of Arizona Stadium, the kind of facility that was sorely lacking during his stay as head coach.

“I’m very excited Greg Byrne has brought the understanding that Arizona had to do something about the facilities in order to keep up and insert themselves into the college football rat race as a viable contender,” Tomey said.

“We were so far behind in that regard. The arms race in facilities is incredible. Whether that’s a good thing or not for the game, I don’t know. It’s spending a lot of resources. But Arizona is getting caught up.”

* * *

Tomey’s eight grandchildren range in age from 2 to 9. He spent time this week in Phoenix with his son, Rich, who has three children. Other grandchildren live in Washington, D.C., New York, northern California, which means frequent visits to the mainland for Tomey and his wife, author Nanci Kincaid.

“We spend a lot of time traveling to see them,” Tomey said.

“It’s fun to not be working full time. I just enjoy playing with the kids. We’re playing basketball, tennis, football, playing with race cars. I just enjoy all of it. When we’re in Hawaii with the kids, we just get in the water, spend a lot of time in the ocean.”

Bray chuckles at the thought of Tomey, a midwestern kid who attended DePauw University in Indiana, stand-up paddling off the shores of Hawaii as he nears 75.

“That’s the sign of a successful life,” Bray said.

And that’s what Arizona will be celebrating tonight.

Tomey is more than a dozen years removed from coaching his last Arizona Wildcats game, but he remains the strongest bridge we have to UA’s football past.

“Tucson will always be a tremendous part of my life,” he said.

“I enjoyed it all. I didn’t just enjoy coaching football, but I enjoyed playing summer-league baseball, playing golf with my friends, just being a part of the community. I have so many good friends there still. I have no regrets about any of it.”

Kyle Quinn leaves Monday morning for a week of practice and interviews at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Photo by Matt Kartozian-USA Today Sports

About a week after the Arizona Wildcats’ win in the New Mexico Bowl, senior center Kyle Quinn got a call from a number he didn’t recognize. He answered anyway.

Hello?

“This is Coach Tomey.”

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,” Quinn said about hearing from Dick Tomey, the winningest coach in Arizona history.

“I got nervous. I actually got goosebumps. Just hearing from him with the amount of respect I have for him and the passion he has for this school and this city, it’s really amazing.”

There was a practical purpose for the call. Tomey, serving as a head coach and procurer of talent for the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game, was inviting Quinn to participate in the game, which took place Friday at Kino Stadium.

Quinn and two other ex-Wildcats — fullback/defensive end Taimi Tutogi and defensive lineman Dominique Austin — helped the West squad to a 40-7 victory.

“I was really proud of all those guys,” Tomey said after the game. “Taimi was terrific. Kyle is a great leader.”

Tutogi and Quinn, having absorbed lessons from Tomey and the Casino Del Sol coaching staff, are moving on this week to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which will be played Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Quinn figured a week of practice at the Casino Del Sol game will give him an edge.

“The good thing was that I got the rust off, because we all felt the rust. A lot of guys had been off for a few weeks,” Quinn said.

“Going into next week, I feel like I have the advantage over most of the guys because a lot of them haven’t played yet. I’ll take that and use it to my advantage. I have learned you have to strap that helmet up really tight because these guys can hit.”

Quinn split time at center on Friday night with Utah’s Tevita Stevens. Austin had two tackles, including one for loss. Tutogi carried five times for 28 yards.

“It was nice,” Tutogi said of his workload, “seeing that I only got the ball once at the U of A this year. I tried to take the ball and have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder and did what I could with it. I think it worked out well.”

Quinn and Tutogi will get more good coaching this week. The head coaches for the NFLPA game are Herm Edwards and Dick Vermeil. Former NFL players fill many assistant coaching spots. Former Arizona defensive coordinator Larry Mac Duff is assisting, as well.

“I have to memorize a whole new playbook,” Quinn said. “So I have to burn this playbook in the back of my mind and get ready. But that’s the life of an NFL player. You have to be a student every week. It’s a lot of fun.”

Two more former Wildcats will be in action this week. Quarterback Matt Scott (the top prospect among ex-Arizona players) and receiver Dan Buckner will play in the East-West Shrine Game from St. Petersburg, Fla., on Saturday.

The NFL Network will carry the East-West Shrine Game, starting at 2 p.m. Tucson time. ESPN2 will show the NFLPA game beginning at 4 p.m.

Ka’Deem Carey scores on a 46-yard run vs. Colorado. Photo by Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona Wildcats head coach Dick Tomey got a first-hand look at sophomore running back Ka’Deem Carey when he attended last weekend’s rivalry game against Arizona State.

Carey rushed 25 times for 172 yards, despite being limited in the second half because of injury. Carey improved his national-leading rushing average to 146.4 yards per game.

Not surprisingly, Tomey said he thought Carey was “phenomenal,” and the veteran coach came away impressed with one particular aspect of his game.

“I could not believe his leg strength,” Tomey said.

“I was so impressed with the fact that people would hit him and he would keep right on going. He made so many yards after first contact where he moved the pile with pure strength and determination. He was fabulous.”

Carey is rewriting the record books, setting the Pac-12 single-game rushing record with 366 yards against Colorado and the UA season rushing record with 1,757 yards, and counting. Trung Canidate, who held the game and season marks at Arizona, is still the standard for career rushing at UA with 3,824 yards from 1996 to 1999.

Carey, who is sitting at 2,182 yards, can take aim at that mark next season.

While Carey leads the nation with 54 carries of at least 10 yards, he doesn’t have the breakaway speed that landed Candidate in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

“I have never seen anybody like Trung in his ability to go the distance, like, ‘Wow,” Tomey said.

Tomey said it’s almost unfair to start comparing guys, concluding about Carey, “He leads the nation in rushing and you just don’t do that unless you’re outstanding. And I think he’s doing it against some really good defenses in the Pac-12, starting with Stanford.”

The first major All-America team was released Wednesday, but Carey did not make first-team honors from the American Football Coaches Association. Oregon’s Kenjon Barner and Wisconsin’s Montee Ball were the first-team backs.

Related:

Dick Tomey to be a head coach at Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game

Carey earns first-team All-Pac-12 honors

Ex-Cat Trung Canidate ‘amazed’ at record-setting Carey

With ‘eyes of an eagle,’ Carey breaks off more long runs than anyone

Every game day is a holiday for Ka’Deem Carey

Former Arizona Wildcats head coach Dick Tomey will be returning to Tucson as one of the head coaches for the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game.

The second annual event will be held Friday, Jan. 11, at Kino Stadium.

Tomey also carries the title of “Ambassador to the Game” and is helping to procure players for the game. He was an assistant coach for one of the teams in the inaugural game in Tucson.

“It will be better than a year ago,” Tomey said. “I think we already have some big commitments from players. We’ll grow the game every year.”

He isn’t able to saw which players are committed at this time, but it is hoped the game can have a strong local flavor, as was the case last season when several Arizona Wildcats played in the game, including safety Robert Golden. He has stuck with the Pittsburgh Steelers this season as an undrafted free agent.

“I have been in touch with coach Rich Rodriguez and I have let know we’re really interested in Matt Scott and Dan Buckner and in knowing who else he might recommend,” Tomey said. “I’ve talked to (ASU) coach (Todd) Graham about some of their guys.”

Tomey said he will have ex-UA assistant Ron McBride — the former head coach at Utah and Weber State — helping on his coaching staff.

Players report Jan. 6, have meetings and interviews with pro scouts the next day, practice for a few days and then have the game.

“It’s fun. It’s really fun,” said the 74-year-old Tomey, who otherwise retired from coaching after coordinating the Hawaii special teams in 2011.

“The last thing I want is to be coaching at this point in time. I don’t want that all day and all night, all the time. I get a chance to get a taste of it for a week, and it’s going to be exciting. It’s so much fun to come to Tucson because I see so many former players. It makes my day.”

Tomey and his wife, author Nanci Kincaid, live in Hawaii.

Dick Tomey, pictured here in a game at Washington in November 2000, had only a few weeks left in his Arizona career. Photo by Otto Greule Jr./Allsport

There’s a happy addition to coverage of the Arizona Wildcats — a podcast hosted by Brad Malone called Bear Down Bias.

His description from the website: “The Bear Down Bias podcast honors the history of Arizona Athletics by talking to the people who were there when that history was made.”

Longtime UA basketball assistant coach Jim Rosborough was the subject of the first interview. Former Wildcats football coach Dick Tomey was the second interviewee in a podcast posted Tuesday.

Tomey talks with Malone about several subjects, including being considered for other jobs during his tenure at Arizona (1987 to 2000). Tomey said he had a “real, definite opportunity to go to Miami” after the 1994 season — Butch Davis ended up replacing Dennis Erickson — and was approached by Washington following Arizona’s 12-1 season in 1998.

“I really dismissed that quickly,” he said of the job that went to Rick Neuheisel.

(I don’t recall ever hearing about the Washington job, although the Miami scenario was a topic at the time. In January 1995, then-UA athletic director Jim Livengood told me that Miami had asked for permission to talk to Tomey. “I would think Dick was one of the first ones (Miami AD Paul Dee) called, if not the first,” Livengood said at the time. “Dick didn’t show an interest, but I think Miami was very interested in him.”)

Tomey, who was forced out after the 2000 season, said he had no regrets about staying.

“I was very convinced you could be special at Arizona,” he said. “And I still believe that.”

Below is an excerpt … and you can listen to the 20-minute interview at this link.

On whether Arizona fans better appreciate what he did now than when he was coaching:

“Oh, certainly. Because we didn’t have the great facilities. We hadn’t spent great monies on coaches’ salaries. We hadn’t done a lot of the things that they’ve done now or with some of the other coaches who have been there. …

“That 14 years was a magical time for myself and my family, for our coaches, for the players. There is a tremendous bond among those players. And there was tremendous emotion when that time was over. But I think the time needed to be over, because people didn’t appreciate it. I think many people do now; probably some still don’t.

“But as (former athletic director) Ced Dempsey said to me one time, ‘You know, there will be a day when instead of people saying, “Why didn’t they do more while they were here?” they will say, “How did they do that?”‘ Because we didn’t have so many of the things that they now have or that you’re supposed to have to have a great program.

“The thing that we did have was tremendous respect among the other programs in the conference and in the country. Because they knew more of what we were all about and how hard we were to beat. And it certainly wasn’t me as much as we had fabulous assistant coaches that stayed at Arizona.

“I mean (defensive coordinators) Larry Mac Duff and Rich Ellerson were both offered jobs at Florida by Steve Spurrier, and decided to stay at Arizona for not close to the money they were offered. Duane Akina was offered many opportunities.

“The guys stayed because they loved Tucson, but more because they loved working with our staff. They loved the kind of the dynamic we had. It was just a magical time.”

Tomey also talks about new coach Rich Rodriguez and expressed his gratitude toward the inclusiveness of athletic director Greg Byrne. Byrne honored Tomey at halftime of a 2010 game, brought him to New York City last winter when Rob Waldrop was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and called Tomey to give him the heads-up that he was hiring Rodriguez.

One final quote from Tomey: “Arizona is building the nice facility and all, which is great. But we tried to get them to do that 12 years before — 14, 15 years before. And they were just not far-sighted enough to see that they could seize the moment and build the facility then and get ahead of everybody. Now what they’re doing is just catching-up.”

UA quarterback Ortege Jenkins vaults into national prominence by scoring a last-second, highlight-film TD at Washington in 1998. Tucson Citizen archives

The new Pac-12 Network debuted its “Classic College Football” series on Thursday night, an engaging two hours that eliminates the dead spaces of the game and intersperses perspectives from players, coaches, fans and media.

Well done.

The Pac-12 will initially begin with one game from each school that highlights a memorable victory (limited by the games to which the league has the rights). The Pac-12 opened the series with Oregon’s double-overtime thriller vs. Arizona in 2009.

It will be replayed plenty of times in case you missed it.

The Wildcats take to the winner’s circle on Sunday night, starting at 5 p.m., when the Pac-12 Network will show their epic Leap by the Lake win over Washington in 1998.

On the 10-year anniversary of that game, I took a long look back at that game for the print edition of the Tucson Citizen. So, to get you ready for Sunday night’s Classic College Football, here is that story of Arizona’s 31-28 victory over the Huskies on a late Saturday night in Seattle:

Originally published Oct. 3, 2008

Arizona had called its final timeout. There were 12 seconds left, the Wildcats down four points. Coach Dick Tomey’s message to his quarterback was clear.

“Don’t get sacked,” he told Ortege Jenkins that night in Seattle exactly 10 years ago Friday. “If you run, you better make it.”

Arizona was at the Washington 9-yard line. Dennis Northcutt and tight end Mike Lucky were split to the left. Malosi Leonard and Brandon Nash were to the right. Washington had 3-on-2 coverage on both sides.

Jenkins took the snap, looking left for Northcutt, his top receiver. Double-covered. He looked right into the end zone. Nothing. Jenkins continued to drift back.

Running back Trung Canidate swung out to the right, taking a defender with him. Also covered. Jenkins, still backpedaling, was in trouble, retreating all the way to the 20-yard line.

His only choice seemed to be an incompletion to stop the clock.

Well, there was one other option.

All the defensive pass coverage was deep or to the outside. The middle was invitingly clear. Jenkins could run. Do or die. Score or lose. Hero or goat.

With Tomey’s words still echoing – “If you run, you better make it” – Jenkins planted his right foot and charged into history.

• • •

You might never guess what Ortege Jenkins is doing these days. He’s living in his hometown of Long Beach, Calif. He’s engaged.

He’s a longshoreman.

“It will shock you,” he said. “It’s one of the few six-figure incomes you can have that’s manual labor.

“It’s a good job. We have great benefits. We have one of the strongest unions in the United States of America. You have beautiful flex-time hours. It’s a real good job. I have a good time doing it.”

The football thing never really worked out for Jenkins.

He struggled in his only NFL camp with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He was cut during camp and, to pile on, his humbling dismissal was caught by cameras filming for the HBO’s inside-the-camp series “Hard Knocks.”

Jenkins spent a couple of seasons in the Canadian Football League.

He worked as the general manager of an L.A. Fitness from 2002 to 2006, and, on the advice of a friend who was a longshoreman, did occasional work on the docks just to have a backup career plan.

It’s his main plan now, but that didn’t stop him from finishing his UA degree last summer with a bachelor’s in business administration and family studies.

“He has done a great job of understanding when the football thing was over,” Tomey said this week. “Usually, it takes too long for guys at that point to get going into something else.

“I’m really proud of him.”

Jenkins has moved on, but he’ll always have the Leap by the Lake and all the memories associated with it.

He recalls trying to sneak in late to a computer science class the following Monday.

“It was a big lecture hall, and as soon as I walked in, they started cheering and all that kind of stuff,” Jenkins said. “You cherish moments like that.”

• • •

Jenkins started to run and the coaches in the press box jumped out of their chairs.

“It was like, ‘No . . . no . . . no!” remembered defensive coordinator Rich Ellerson, now the head coach at Cal Poly. “Actually, I was more like, ‘Don’t do that, you . . .’ ”

There’s sometimes a fine line between bravery and foolishness, but Jenkins, who never lacked for confidence, had made his decision, seeking out pay dirt in the purple end zone of Husky Stadium.

“He goes,” says Fox Sports Net announcer Steve Physioc.

As Jenkins reached the 10, Washington defenders Brendan Jones and Marques Hairston came up from the end zone. Linebacker Lester Towns moved in from Jenkins’ right.

Nash watched helplessly from the end zone; there was no one he could block.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh my god, he’s tackled,’” Nash said. “Just for a second, I was thinking, ‘What is he doing?’”

Jenkins knew he couldn’t make it if he tried to dive low. He knew he wasn’t going to run over a big guy like Towns. Only one way to go.

At about the 3-yard-line, Jenkins left his feet.

“He dives!” Physioc yells.

Jenkins could see the goalpost … and then suddenly he couldn’t. All three Washington defenders hit him low, flipping him heels over head.

“I remember seeing the black sky, the stars in the sky,” Jenkins said.

And then he saw the goalpost again.

“HE’S IN!” screams Physioc.

Jenkins landed on his feet in the end zone, tumbled to the ground and popped right back up, having somehow held on to the ball throughout the flip.

“Once I realized where I was, I knew the game was over,” Jenkins said.

Arizona made the extra point and then needed only to kick off to end the game, winning 31-28. The Leap at the Lake turned out to be the greatest play of Jenkins career.

UA star cornerback Chris McAlister also made the greatest play of his career that night.

And he wasn’t even at the game.

• • •

McAlister was a senior All-American, as good-looking an NFL prospect as Arizona has ever had. But the NCAA suspended McAlister for the Washington game, ruling that week he had taken out an excessive loan for an insurance policy.

The NCAA denied Arizona’s appeal on Friday afternoon, and UA decided at the last minute to let 6-foot-7 quarterback Peter Hansen fill the last spot on the travel roster. More on him later.

“It was like, ‘What are we going to do without Chris McAlister? We have no chance,’” Nash said.

While Jenkins’ leap became an enduring TV highlight, there were no cameras around when McAlister did something coaches and players still speak of in reverent tones.

When the Wildcats’ chartered flight arrived in Tucson at around 3 or 4 in the morning, McAlister was there to greet the team – by himself, in the rain, full of tears.

“He was crying when we left because he was so upset. And when we got back, they were happy tears,” Tomey said. “I remember holding him it seemed like forever.

“I told the NFL scouts when they would come by that it was the greatest play Chris ever made. He never made a play that was as important or will be as important to his team than what he did that night.

“That probably had as much to do with us being a 12-1 team, a great team. He showed real unselfishness. He didn’t feel sorry for himself. Outstanding.”

Tomey, to this day, uses that moment to teach players what it means to be a team.

• • •

Speaking of unselfish, Jenkins is quick to point out there wouldn’t have been a flip, if there hadn’t been “The Drive,” if there hadn’t been heroes, unlikely or otherwise, all over the field.

Peter Hansen, the last guy on the trip? He was a kick-blocking specialist, and he blocked an extra point late in the first half.

Linebacker Marcus Bell blocked a field goal in the third quarter. Nash caught a 2-point conversion.

Little-used defensive backs had to come in for McAlister and Leland Gayles, who was taken to the hospital after suffering a scary neck injury.

Two of the biggest plays came from defensive tackle Keoni Fraser, a true freshman who made two unassisted tackles on running back Willie Hurst near the goal line. A touchdown essentially would have put the game out of reach.

Instead, Jim Skurski missed a 23-yard field goal wide right. He never kicked for Washington again.

Arizona took over at its 20 with 2:52 left, needing a touchdown.

The Wildcats were short-handed at wideout. Brad Brennan didn’t make the trip because of an ankle injury, and Jeremy McDaniel left the game because of a groin injury.

“We started our 2-minute drill and had to go to three receivers, and we didn’t have enough bodies,” said then-offensive coordinator Dino Babers, now an assistant coach at Baylor. “The receivers were getting so tired.”

On first-and-10 from the UA 32, the coaches put in tag-team quarterback Keith Smith, giving the receivers a break by putting Jenkins out wide. Smith fielded a low shotgun snap and fired to Jenkins for a 22-yard catch.

“Imagine,” Babers said. “The guy who flipped into the end zone caught a pass on that drive as a receiver.”

Arizona converted three third-down plays on the drive, and nearly scored a couple of plays before the leap.

Jenkins completed a 23-yard pass to Nash over the middle to the 1-yard-line. Nash, a reserve playing extensively because of the injuries, left his feet to make the catch.

“I just wanted to catch the ball,” said Nash, a sports reporter for Tucson’s Fox affiliate, KMSB-TV.

“I caught it falling down, basically. And then I’m on the ground and look around and I’m like, ‘Dude, the end zone is right there. I should have stayed on my feet. What the heck?’”

A false start penalty moved the ball back to the 6. Jenkins was sacked for a loss of 3 yards before UA used its final timeout.

Then came the play that everyone remembers.

When FSN put together the “Best Damn Unbelievable College Football Moments Top-50 Countdown” in October 2007, Jenkins’ flip was No. 41.

Tomey said 10 years ago it was the most unbelievable play he had ever seen.

Does he still feel that way?

“Oh, sure,” Tomey said. “But it was also the whole improbable setup of the thing.”

“What it came down to,” Jenkins said, “was that a lot of people made plays.”

• • •

The victory moved Arizona to 5-0 and set up one of the biggest games in UA history the following week. Ninth-ranked UA played host to No. 3 UCLA, the first Pac-10 meeting of top-10 teams in seven years.

The Wildcats lost 52-28 to the Bruins but ended the regular season 11-1 and went to the Holiday Bowl, where they beat Nebraska and finished fourth in both major polls.

Ten years later, Arizona is trying to get back to a bowl, any bowl.

Does it seem like forever ago or just yesterday that Jenkins flipped into the end zone?

The play was nominated for an ESPY award that year. It stands as an iconic moment, perhaps the iconic moment, in Arizona football history.

“Yeah, I guess it’s changed my life,” said Jenkins, 30.

“Any time I meet anybody who knows anything related to football, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re the guy who did the flip in Washington.’”

Hawaii assistant Dick Tomey (left) talks with San Jose State head coach Mike MacIntyre before a game this season. Photo by Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Dick Tomey, at age 73, returned to coaching this season as the special teams coordinator at Hawaii.

He had his health, the energy, the passion, and he was living in Honolulu anyway in “retirement” … so why not?

But head coach Greg McMackin stepped down last week after posting a 29-25 record in four seasons at Hawaii, so Tomey’s coaching future is cloudy as the Warriors go through a transition.

“I don’t know,” Tomey said late last week in a phone interview.

“If I have a chance to coach again, that would be great. I had as good a time as you can have this year. But if that’s all there is, that’s fine.”

Under Tomey’s watch on special teams, Hawaii was 10th nationally in kick return defense, ranked in the top 25 in net punting and kick return yardage, and was in the top half of the nation in punt returns and punt return yardage defense.

Tomey was the head coach at Hawaii from 1977 to 1986, at Arizona from 1987 to 2000, and at San Jose State from 2005 to 2009.

He has nothing to do with the Warriors’ coaching search but did say he hopes the job would go to somebody with a background at Hawaii.

“There are too many University of Hawaii ex-players, ex-coaches for Hawaii to not greatly consider somebody in that family,” Tomey said.

Tomey spent time Saturday with two of those from the Hawaii family — Salpointe High grad Rich Ellerson and Ken Niumatalolo, both of whom are former Hawaii players and assistants. Tomey was in attendance for his first Army-Navy game as Ellerson’s Black Knights lost to Niumatalolo’s Midshipmen, 27-21 at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

My two cents is that Hawaii would be wise to take a long look at Texas secondary coach Duane Akina, a Honolulu native whose family has long football ties in the region. He was an assistant at Hawaii under Tomey before spending 14 seasons with Tomey at Arizona.

Akina, popular among his peers and one of the most energetic coaches anywhere, likely would be able to compile an excellent coaching staff. At 55, the clock is ticking on whether Akina will ever get a chance to become a head coach.

Related link:

New Hall of Famer Rob Waldrop thanks ex-Arizona coach Dick Tomey

Dick Tomey, who last strolled the sidelines for San Jose State in 2009, is back at Hawaii.
Photo by Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona Wildcats head coach Dick Tomey is coming out of retirement at age 72, according to a story by Ferd Lewis in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Tomey, who has lived on the islands since retiring as head coach of San Jose State after the 2009 season, is expected to be announced Thursday as the special teams coordinator for the University of Hawaii, where he began his head coaching career.

Couldn’t he have come back to Arizona and coach the secondary?

Tomey isn’t the slow-down type. Even in his supposed retirement last year, he worked as an analyst for several games on the new WAC Sports Network.

Tomey is the winningest coach in Arizona history, with a 95-64-4 record from 1987 to 2000. He was 63-46-3 at Hawaii from 1977 to 1986.

At Hawaii, he will be working under head coach Greg McMackin.

Duane Akina, right, celebrates a win at Nebraska last season with Texas head coach Mack Brown.
Photo by Bruce Thorson-US PRESSWIRE

Duane Akina is the middle of explaining his difficult decision to leave the University of Texas when he starts flashing back to all things Arizona.

Chuck Cecil pouncing on ASU punter Mike Schuh’s dropped snap in 1987 … Darryll Lewis turning Oregon quarterback Bill Musgrave sideways at the goal line in 1990 … the Desert Swarm days … coaching All-American cornerback Chris McAlister …

Akina is a Wildcat again, lured from Texas, where he had spent 10 seasons as an assistant, to return to Arizona, where he had spent the previous 14 seasons under Dick Tomey.

Now, Akina will coach the secondary for Mike Stoops.

“It was extremely hard,” Akina said by phone Monday night after packing up his locker at Texas.

“It was the exactly the same thing emotionally, with all the anxiety, that we went through the first time when I was leaving Tucson to come to Austin. It was like, ‘Oh no, not this again.’ Stomach churning. Couldn’t sleep.”

In the end, Akina said he felt the timing was right. He had felt a pull to head back west. His family was “fired up” to return to Tucson. He talked about his “unfinished business” as a Wildcat.

“We had a great stand when we were there in the 1990s,” Akina said.

“We were close. And that’s still the goal: I want to line up and be part of the first Arizona team in the Rose Bowl. We need to go there and get that.”

With Akina’s experience, success and Wildcat ties — plus, he inherits a terrific group of young defensive backs — there will be no shortage of topics in the coming weeks and months. For now, here are eight things about Akina’s hiring to hold you over:

1. The coaching title

Arizona didn’t release an official statement of Akina’s hiring (almost certain to happen Tuesday), but he is here to coach defensive backs. Tim Kish is expected to remain the sole coordinator.

As for having an additional title, such as “assistant head coach” or “associate head coach,” Akina said that might be a possibility. Two things about that: We’ll have to wait for the official release … and he doesn’t much care.

“Let’s just go win. The fun is in winning,” Akina said. “Nobody cares who gets the credit. No egos.”

Tomey noted in an interview Monday that Akina is “the most unselfish coach I’ve ever been around.”

When Akina was Arizona’s offensive coordinator in 1995, he volunteered to move back to defense if Tomey could bring in renowned Homer Smith to lead the offense. Then, Akina was in line to be defensive coordinator in 1997 but said he’d stay as secondary coach if Tomey could bring back Rich Ellerson as coordinator.

“People aren’t doing that today,” Tomey said. “They are so invested in their own careers, and Duane is a team guy. …

“He doesn’t need a title to have respect. Some people I think do.”

2. Recruiting

Akina is expected to be in town Tuesday and hit the ground running as soon as possible. His ties to Texas and his native Hawaii are right in Arizona’s recruiting wheelhouse. Akina said he has been busy contacting Arizona’s defensive back recruits.

3. Working with Kish

Akina said he is eager to learn from Kish and bounce ideas off him. One of the things that hasn’t been talked about much in Tucson is that Kish served 11 years as an assistant — at Purdue and Army — to former Arizona head coach Jim Young.

“Tim Kish’s reputation precedes him,” Akina said. “In the coaching fraternity, Jim Young and that staff carry so much credibility.”

Related: Ex-Cat on Akina: ‘I would chew nails and spit blood for that guy’

4. Philosophy

Let’s use Akina’s words to sum it up: “We coach ‘em hard and we love ‘em hard, too.”

Tomey told the following story about a practice during his first season at Arizona, where he and Akina inherited All-American senior safety Chuck Cecil in 1987.

“Chuck was kind of like, ‘Here’s this new guy from Hawaii,’ and it wasn’t a confrontation but it was a test of wills on the field one day between Duane and Chuck. The whole team was there.

“They loved each other, but Duane was not going to back down to the All-American. They were going to be out there all day. He just stayed at it. ‘Do it again, do it again, do it again.’

“Duane is stubborn and persistent and technical, and there is nobody more enthusiastic on the field. Nobody.”

Coach ‘em hard and love ‘em hard.

5. Working with them, not against them

Three members of Arizona’s offensive staff — coordinator Seth Littrell, outside receivers coach Dave Nichol and new offensive line coach Robert Anae — coached at Texas Tech under Mike Leach. Over the years, they gave Akina plenty of headaches trying to scheme against the pass-happy spread.

“My blood has been all over that field at Texas Tech,” Akina said.

Akina said he has known Anae, also from Hawaii, for a long time. Anae coached the offensive line at Tech from 2000 to 2004.

“One year, we threw every blitz at him that I can remember,” Akina said. “And our defensive line coach said to me, ‘What a great job your buddy did picking all that up.’”

Chris McAlister made this interception late in the 1998 Holiday Bowl to preserve a 23-20 victory over Nebraska.
Tucson Citizen photo

6. Simply the best

Akina has coached three winners of the Jim Thorpe award — given to the nation’s top defensive back — but remains mystified about how Arizona cornerback Chris McAlister didn’t win it in 1998.

“That was criminal,” Akina said.

Akina coached five first-round defensive backs at Texas, but McAlister is still the gold standard among his pupils.

“Out of the all the defensive backs, Chris Mac is still the measuring sticks for all the pro scouts that come out,” Akina said. “They say, ‘How does he compare to Chris?’”

7. Arizona pride

When Akina hits the recruiting trail for Arizona, he’ll be talking to kids who know all about his success at Texas.

When he started at Texas, recruits knew all about his success at Arizona.

“I used the success at Arizona to really help me at Texas,” he said.

“Many times when I would go to speak at events or was introduced, they always said, ‘He was part of Arizona’s Desert Swarm’ … and, I tell you, I swelled with pride. There was a tremendous, tremendous standard of play here.”

8. Final word

“I coached a lot of things, but I prided myself on being a secondary coach. So the secondary coach was kind of the whipping boy for me because I was so critical. But Duane, he became the best one I had ever been around … There’s nobody better at what he does. Nobody.” — Dick Tomey

Related: The official release from Texas about Akina’s resignation