It was a scripted play, and for once, UCLA quarterback Brian
Callahan was supposed to have a starring role in it.
He was supposed to run out of the tunnel all decked out in blue
and gold for his father to see.
So what if Callahan would have to trade in his helmet for a
baseball cap and the ball for a clipboard, so long as the name
stitched on the back of the uniform was the name they shared.
A college walk-on son and his NFL coaching father ““ worlds
away from each other in stature, but brought together by the sport
they love. Heartwarming tale, isn’t it?
In the movies, the line goes, “Hey kid, you ever dress
““ I’ll be there.” And it magically happens.
In reality, Brian Callahan did dress. But his father Bill
Callahan wasn’t there.
It was no fault of anyone’s, really, because on the one
December day when busy Bill should have had the time to see his son
trot out onto the field at the Silicon Valley Classic, he was fired
as the Oakland Raiders coach.
Bill asked that the official announcement come after the bowl
game so as not to overshadow his son, but word had gotten out and
reporters would be on the lookout for the disgraced coach at the
game.
Just before game time, Brian received the bad news by phone.
“I’m not going to go,” Bill said.
The younger Callahan took it well, yet he also understood what
it meant.
“That was the only time he probably would have been able
to see one of my games,” he said.
Bill ended up watching the game on ESPN. The same channel on New
Year’s Eve the following day aired his firing as coach of the
Raiders, “the dumbest team in America,” one year after
leading them to the Super Bowl.
On the road to the top and to the eventual fall, the Callahans
moved around, living in Illinois, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Arizona
and California. But no matter where Brian has gone, he has been a
backup, typecast as a team player.
Not only on the field, but also in the family.
“My full name is Brian Callahan, son of former Oakland
Raiders coach Bill Callahan,” Brian said. “My friends
and I laugh about it. It’s just the way it is.”
Bill eventually got back onto his feet, getting the head
coaching job at Nebraska.
Now it’s Brian’s turn. After considering a transfer
to Nebraska and meeting with UCLA coach Karl Dorrell, he decided to
stick with his dream of playing Bruin football.
Callahan is no loser; he never lost a game at De La Salle High
School in Concord. Then again, he didn’t win much of the
glory, either, not getting into games until starter Matt Gutierrez,
now a possible starter at Michigan next season, made sure they were
well in hand.
Now a sophomore, Callahan is currently the No. 3 quarterback on
the depth chart behind starter Drew Olson, but has received reps
with the regular offense for the first time this spring and has had
as many reps as backup David Koral.
But at a school that has recruited and developed quarterbacks
like Troy Aikman, Tommy Maddox and Cade McNown, Callahan will be
lucky if he ever even steps on the field.
Hey, it could happen.
“You never know. There’s always that chance,”
Callahan said. “It’s like in “˜Dumb and
Dumber’ when it’s one in a million, and (Jim Carrey)
goes, “˜So you’re saying there’s a
chance.’
“Not everyone’s going to be the Matt Wares and the
Maurice Drews of the world.”
So Callahan settles for the day when he becomes, well, Rudy.
“It’s not easy to come out everyday, bust your ass,
and know it might not do much for you,” Callahan said.
“But look at my dad ““ sometimes you get one shot, and
that’s it.
“I might as well chase a dream.”
Leung was a football beat writer in 2002. He can be reached
at dleung@media.ucla.edu.