For most children, following their dad to work means sitting in
an office somewhere or studying the walls of a cubicle.
For Brian Callahan, following his dad to work was the best thing
in the world.
As the son of college and NFL coach Bill Callahan, Brian grew up
with football like most children grow up with a best friend. Going
to his dad’s practices meant sitting in on meetings with Jon
Gruden or playing catch with greats like Jerry Rice.
But following his dad to practice isn’t the only way
graduating senior and former backup quarterback Callahan would like
to travel in his father’s footsteps. He is continuing his
role in UCLA football as a graduate assistant coach in hopes of
eventually landing a head-coaching job and joining the ranks of his
father.
But Callahan’s route to coaching was not the most
direct.
Callahan came to UCLA as a walk-on quarterback knowing he would
not get much playing time, but hoping to work his way up the depth
chart and earn a scholarship. Much like in high school at De La
Salle Catholic, he did think about transferring to a smaller school
where he would have started, but the benefits of UCLA outweighed
the football aspect.
“I’d rather walk on at Division I and try my chips
than ever have to regret it,” Callahan said. “The only
reason I’d leave UCLA was for football. There’s just so
much more to college than just playing football, and I was like,
“˜I really enjoy being here and I really like UCLA, what would
I leave for?’ I don’t regret not going anywhere
else.”
After backing up current Michigan quarterback Matt Gutierrez at
one of the premier football high schools in the country, Callahan
could have had a successful career as a starter at smaller
universities but chose not to.
“I loved it so much,” Callahan said. “I loved
being there. I loved what the school was about, what the team was
about. I was like, other than football there’s no reason for
me to leave. So I didn’t and it was the best decision I ever
made. Honestly, I owe a lot to that place in getting me to where I
am and making me who I am today.”
As part of the Spartan program that won 151 consecutive games,
Callahan rushed for 370 yards and four touchdowns his senior year,
often teaming with friend and former UCLA running back Maurice Drew
in an option attack.
“He was a phenomenal player and such a hard worker,”
Callahan said about Drew. “He embodies everything you’d
want in a football player. … He’d always make fun of me
because we’d run the option and I’d always keep the
ball and never give it to him. It was funny. … It was kind of a
special deal ““ the bond that we had, and then coming
here.”
Callahan finally got his shot to play as a Bruin this past
season, though it was not as quarterback, but as the holder. Taking
advantage of the opportunity, he earned a scholarship at the start
of the season.
“I worked so hard for it and I didn’t think it was
going to come,” Callahan said. “I thought I had worked
that hard and have nothing to show for it. I had a lot of ups and
downs … and when coach Dorrell called my name out and said he was
going to give me a scholarship and the whole team went crazy, it
made everything worth it. … I’d do it all over again for
that moment; for being able to say I walked on to a Division I
school and earned a scholarship ““ it’s hard to
do.”
Earning the scholarship was not Callahan’s only collegiate
accomplishment. He was also a co-chairman of the Bruin Athletic
Council for two years, an organization that performs community
service and bridges the gap between athletes and the
administration.
“I’ve enjoyed that almost as much as I enjoyed
playing,” Callahan said. “I like helping people and
that gave me an avenue to do that.”
As if football and the athletic council weren’t enough,
Callahan tacked on another sport this year ““ the UCLA club
hockey team, which is only natural for someone growing up playing
the game in Wisconsin.
“I had such a good time playing with those guys,” he
said. “They’re such a fun-loving group of guys. It was
kind of like my way to wean myself away from competition. It
wasn’t as serious as football but we were still playing for
something. It was a great way to finish up college.”
Mark Mangelsdorf, who played with Callahan on both teams, had
nothing but positive things to say about the player who started his
football career on the offensive line in seventh grade.
“He cares about winning and the people he plays
with,” Mangelsdorf said. “He keeps to himself but
he’s someone you can trust. He’s one of those people
that no one has a bad thing to say about. He’s a really good
friend of mine and a good kid.”
As the saying goes, nice guys finish last, but football teammate
Pat Cowan has no worries about Callahan.
“He’s going to be a real good coach one day,”
Cowan said. “I wish him the best for everything he
does.”