Colquitt was destined to wear orange

Flip left trips, option at nine. Those words exited the mouth, the team exited the huddle and a few seconds later, the career of former Tennessee quarterback Jerry Colquitt changed forever.

"It was more like ouch, what was that?," Colquitt stated thinking back to his thoughts laying on the turf inside the Rose Bowl. "I've twisted ankles before. It didn't seem right, but it didn't seem like it wasn't something I couldn't shake off. I tried to stand up and when I put the pressure on the leg it was a sharp pain."

An ACL tear on the seventh play of the 1994 season was an abrupt end to Colquitt's career. A Tennessee tale that was cut short, but the Oak Ridge native still has plenty to be proud of nearly 22 years later.

Colquitt attended his first Tennessee game in the fall of 1980. It was a game the Vols lost to visiting Virginia, but the foundation was laid that day. The love and admiration for what Tennessee football is, not only flourished, but became his dream.

"Just the tradition at Tennessee always meant so much," Colquitt said. "The fanbase was so passionate about the Vols. There is so much support around the area that you can't help but get caught up in it. That was that way for me from an early age. Kwayu (Graham) and I used to go to all the games. When we were going, it was Reggie White and Willie Gault and Dale Jones. I remember my first game, they were playing Virginia and it wasn't significant looking back, but it was significant to me. They lost that day and I set there and balled like they had lost the national championship."

The dream that Colquitt built off of that first game started to become reality as a junior at Oak Ridge. He dazzled as a runner and a thrower for the Wildcats.

"Kwayu and I went to Tennessee's camp going into my junior year," Colquitt said. "We lit it up over there and by the end of my junior season they were on me pretty hard. Tim Minge was the recruiting coordinator and then Randy Sanders became the first recruiting coordinator to be on the coaching staff. That's when the rule changed."

The Oak Ridge native excelled during his junior and senior years playing in the secret city. That led to him signing with the Vols and the dream hatched a decade earlier had become a reality. He wore the orange with such pride because it meant so much being a native east Tennessean.

"It was so special to play there," Colquitt said. "To me when you are a Tennessee Vol and you grow up around it, then it means that much more. You almost feel like you are wearing the community on your back with pride. Yeah they are studs here, but I'm a stud also and it means more to me when we run through the T."

After redshirting and waiting patiently, Colquitt entered fall camp in 1992 competing against Heath Shuler. He looks back and knows he did everything he could and honestly feels like he earned the starting job even though it went to Shuler.

"What I did in my sophomore and junior years gave me so much confidence," Colquitt said. "There were a lot of people that thought I won that starting job. I felt like I outright won that job the last two weeks of the pre-season going into the 1992 season. I thought that was some of my best ball. When the coaches decided to go with Heath, I never gave in. I felt like I needed to be ready and take advantage of any snaps that came my way. I was down there in Randy's ear telling them to put me in when we had a few bad drives. I was always hungry to play."

Colquitt did take advantage of his limited opportunities in the '92 and '93 seasons. Not just in practice, but in some game action that will always stick with him and make him proud to this day.

"The 92 LSU game on the road," Colquitt said. "I was always itching for another shot. Our offense was stalling and they put me in and we go right down the field. We got a scoring drive. The following year against LSU again I went 6 for 6 with a touchdown. Then against Georgia that year, I played well and had a touchdown. I did it a few times and I just wanted to maximize my opportunity."

Former Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe loved everything about Colquitt. The determination. The competitiveness. Coupled with his drive and ability all still are very real to Duke's head coach. All of the intangibles impressed him, but it was another area that he excelled.

"Jerry was physically gifted," Cutcliffe said. "He made every practice a masterpiece. That was very evident in 1994 during fall camp and just how good he was. It was near perfect. The interesting part of Peyton Manning's development, was people forget he got a fall camp with Jerry Colquitt on how to prepare and play quarterback. That doesn't come up near enough. If you ask Peyton, he would remember that Jerry did every little thing right. I marveled at the patience, but for a backup quarterback he was the gold standard with preparation. He did everything right."

In what was finally going to be his time and moment. The leg injury on play #7 against UCLA left friends, family and fans saddened. It made for a tough time for some, but Colquitt always held his head high.

"I almost felt bad for the fans as I did myself," Colquitt said. "I got to know Kevin Mays really well through the whole recruiting process. We had scrimmaged each other so much in high school. It's those type of relationships that you build over time. That's why I felt bad because I didn't get to finish things out for the fans and my teammates. That's what burns up inside."

"It's the only time in my coaching career that I went into shock," Cutcliffe said. "I couldn't even call the game hardly. I couldn't get past it. If it hadn't been for Todd Helton getting on the phone with me and telling me to get off my rear end then I wouldn't have recovered in that game.

"I vividly recall the post game and knowing the news, the misery of that night and that trip back home. All I could think about was Jerry's mom and it was very difficult."

As Colquitt exited the turf inside one of college football's best cathedrals, future Hall of Famers Todd Helton (Baseball) and Peyton Manning (Football) entered. That's where Colquitt tried to leave his mark as a leader on that 94 squad. He was a real cheerleader for the rest of that quarterback room.

"I respected those guys because they were my teammates," Colquitt said. "All these years, I didn't really look at it as to what they would go on to do. I appreciated everything Peyton (Manning) did and brought to the table. I appreciated Brandon's (Stewart) athleticism and everything Todd (Helton) was able to do. I knew Todd well because I had played against him in high school."

Colquitt applied for a medical red-shirt and a 6th year of eligibility, but was denied by the NCAA. It was a blow, but he never took anything for granted or as a given. He prepared each day for different scenarios.

"How often it happens these days, it would be a slam dunk now if I played," Colquitt said. "I was disappointed and I didn't find out till after Tennessee's season was over. I didn't get to participate in the combine and all that stuff. I worked my butt off and my leg healed up nicely. Either way I was going to be prepared to compete in the NFL or against Peyton and Brandon at Tennessee."

Today, Colquitt lives in Seattle, Washington now and works in medical sales for a division of Johnson and Johnson. He was back in Oak Ridge during August and attended a Tennessee practice with his brother, Don.

"I thought the talent is definitely there," Colquitt said. "That's what pops out at you. They have some guys and there are teams that would die to have some of those players. They look stacked and it reminded me of when I came to campus. You can see so much talent out there and the program is good go to for the next 4-6 seasons."