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BADTC
Burnette: It's time for me to back away and enjoy5
Former UNC quarterback reflects on
By Warren Hynes
Spurts Editor
On Sept. 9, 1989, he stepped onto
Kenan Stadium field, an 18-year-old
quarterback playing in the first college
football game of his career.
It was too early for Chuckie Burnette
to be out there.
On Aug. 24, 1992, he stepped off
Navy Field, a 21 -year-old quarterback
about to put an abrupt end to a tumultu
ous football career.
It was too early for Chuckie Burnette
to be out of there.
But after officially quitting the UNC
football team Wednesday, Burnette dis
cussed the complex reasons behind his
decision to give up football.
"It was just frustrations that built up
over time," he said. "I just got to a point
where I said, 'I need to reevaluate my
life. I haven't been myself for three
years, so maybe I need to back away
from football and start concentrating on
my future.'"
The fact that Chuckie Burnette is
looking toward the future tells some
thing about the man. The last four years
of his life have been a test of endurance.
The tag 'high-school-golden-boy-turned-college-flop'
can do a lot to a
person's outlook on life.
But this is a man who prides himself
on his perseverance. After his parents
split when he was 4 years old, Burnette
and his brother Robbie grew up with
their mother Betty in the Maple Brook
housing projects in Burlington. It was
riot the kind of living conditions one
would wish to grow up in.
"You had a guy selling liquor across
the street and you've got the big drug
dealer standing next to you or across the
street, and people pulling up to you on
the street asking you, 'Do you have any
dope, man?'"
Chuckie and Robbie turned away
from the troubles of their neighbor
hood, looking to athletics for shelter.
"My brother and I, our only outlet to
a college education was through athlet
ics," Chuckie said. "It was sports all
year round football, baseball, bas-
Expos, Brewers
Nothing like a good pennant race to
make a baseball fan happy.
So, even though my beloved Boston
Red Sox are mired behind Cleveland,
yes Cleveland in the cellar of the Ameri
can League East, there are some good
pennant races out there to keep me
interested.
Conveniently, the 1992 season has
produced four three-team races, just
begging to be analyzed.
So here it comes.
The American League East sports
the most intriguing race in the majors.
Toronto, which has led the division for
much of the season, hopes that newly
acquired David Cone can bolsterapitch
ing staff hampered by an injury to Juan
Guzman and ineffectiveness by the rest
of the staff, with the exception of 16
game winner Jack Morris.
Toronto has the best talent in the
division, and the acquisition of Cone
shows that they will do what it takes to
win it all.
But Baltimore and Milwaukee are
both still in this race. One team needs a
Major League Standings
American League
Eastern Division
W L Pet. GB
Toronto 74 57 .565 -
Baltimore 72 58 .550 1 12
Milwaukee 69 61 .531 412
Detroit 63 68 .485 11
New York 61 70 .466 13
Boston 60 70 .457 1312
Cleveland 59 71 .457 1412
Western Division
W L Pet. GB
Oakland 79 51 .605
Minnesota 72 59 .550 712
Chicago 68 60 .535 10
Texas 65 68 .492 1512
California 59 72 .454 2012
Kansas City 58 71 .445 2012
Seattle 54 77 .415 2512
National League
Eastern Division
W L Pet. GB
Pittsburgh 74 56 .566
Montreal 70 59 .543 312
Chicago 67 63 .512 7
St. Louis 63 65 .492 10
New York 60 67 .437 13
Philadelphia 53 75 .414 19
Western Division
W L Pet. GB
Atlanta 75 52 .591
Cincinnati 71 58 .550 412
San Diego 69 60 .539 7
Houston 60 70 .462 1612
San Francisco 59 71 .454 1712
Los Angeles 53 77 .408 2312
' . ---v vs i-sv- fen'
--In - i
I Li
Chuckie Burnette's 1,694 passing yards at
ketball we never knew which one we
would excel in."
By the time he got to high school,
Chuckie was well aware of the sport he
would excel in. He led Cummings High
to the North Carolina 3-A champion
ship in 1988 by throwing for 3,240
yards and 24 touchdowns. He set 10
state passing records. The Associated
Press named him state player of the
year. USA Today, The Sporting News
and virtually every other newspaper
with a functional printing presstnamed
may surprise
John C. Manuel
Assistant Sports Editor
pitcher, the other needs a hitter, and
both need to find one in a hurry.
The Orioles are flying high behind
outfielders Brady Anderson and Mike
Devereaux. But other than Mike
Mussina, the O's don't have a pitcher
who consistently gives them quality
starts. Could it be Arthur Rhodes? Ben
McDonald? Birds fans can only hope.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, has
pitching with Jamie Navarro, Chris
Bosio, Bill Wegman and rookie Cal
Eldred, but the Brew Crew could really
use one of Baltimore's bats.
Manager Phil Garner, a strong candi
date for Manager of the Year, has his
punchless team running at a record rate
to generate offense. The Brewers need
to either pick up a power hitter by
Tuesday's trading deadline or get slug
ger Greg Vaughn to pick up the pace.
If one of those two scenarios to hap
pen, Milwaukee will slide in safely with
the division title. Otherwise, they will
fade, leaving Toronto to edge the O's
for the title.
The AL West is also an intriguing
race. I penned the Chicago White Sox in
to win the division in April, with Oak
land second and Minnesota third. Close,
but no cigar.
Oakland has put aside internal feud
ing to forge a sizable lead over the
world champion Twins. Chicago got
off to a miserable start, and while they
are playing great baseball now, it will
only be good enough for second place.
Oakland is hungry this season, and
the AL East winner will just be fodder
for Tony LaRussa's troops. Mark
McGwire, Jose Canseco and the A's
take the pennant for the fourth time in
five years.
The National League has two fine
races of its own. Only one will be close.
The NL East race offers the most
contrasts, with Pittsburgh, winner of
the division for two straight years, hold
ing off the upstart Montreal Expos and
perennial loser Chicago.
The Pirates consist of great starting
pitching, Andy Van Slyke and Barry
Bonds. Jim Leyland, the NL's top man
ager, wants one more relief pitcher or
another hitter to hold off the Expos.
If shortstop Jay Bell picks up his
production to his 1991 levels, when he
hit 1 6 homers and had 67 RBI, the Pirate
offense could improve. Trading Steve
Beuchele, while improving the Pirate
10Thc Daily Tai HeelMonday, August 31, 1992
life, football career
UNC were not enough to silence his critics
Chuckie Burnette to their all-state teams.
He was invincible.
Little did they know.
"I always told them in high school,
'It's not just me. If.I didn't have this
line, if I didn't have these four receiv
ers, who I played with while growing
up.'"
So in he came, the man of the future
for a North Carolina team that had plum
meted to a 1 -1 0 record the year before.
UNC was thin at quarterback, and coach
Mack Brown decided in the season's
in stretch run
rotation with Danny Jackson, has weak
ened the offense.
But Felipe Alou has charmed all
Quebec with the play of his Expos, led
by Delino DeShields, Larry Walker,
Marquis Grissom and Ken Hill, all
younger than 26 years old.
Acquiring Hill from the Cardinals
for Andres Galarraga has made the
Expos' season. That they are contend
ing without hard-hitting Ivan Calderon
is a testament to the enthusiasm Alou
has instilled in this ballclub.
The Cubs have strong pitching from
free-agent-to-be Greg Maddux and Mike
Morgan, but not much after that. The
offense hasn't changed in five years:
Ryne Sandberg, Mark Grace and Andre
Dawson, and not much else.
Look for Montreal to take the divi
sion. Pittsburgh can not keep winning
with guys like Cecil Espy, Lloyd
McClendon and Roger Mason playing
key roles.
The Expos' youth will be served.
Walker, Grissom and Felipe's son
Moises have come together as one of
the leagues' finest outfield.
DeShields has emerged as an MVP
candidate, competing with Atlanta's
Terry Pendleton, San Diego's Gary
Sheffield, and the two Pirate outfield
ers. The NL West race is over. Fans of the
Cincinnati Reds can blame injuries for
keeping their team from challenging
the Atlanta Braves the rest of 1 992, and
Padres fans can blame the San Diego
front office for a third-place Padre fin
ish. The Braves are struggling now, but
pitching ends slumps, and Atlanta has
the best pitching in baseball. The Reds
and Padres hit better than Atlanta, but
need at least one more starter to catch
the Braves.
Atlanta is looking for relief help, and
may acquire a reliever before Tuesday
(Reardon?).
Atlanta has had difficulty with the
Expos in '92. Tom Glavine has four
losses all year, with three coming at
Montreal's hands. Atlanta has the play
off experience of a year ago, however,
and should repeat as NL champs.
So we are left with the losers of three
of the last five Fall Classics. Oakland,
with several prospective free agents try
ing to go out in style, will face Atlanta,
last year's bridesmaids.
Glavine bests the A's in Game 1.
John Smoltz outduels Ron Darling in
Game 2. Atlanta smells victory.
Braves in six. See you on Peachtree
Street.
fourth game a Homecoming matchup
with Navy to start Burnette.
Navy defeated North Carolina 12-7
that day, as Burnette completed an un
spectacular 8 of 29 passes with one
interception. He would go on to start
three more games that year and would
finish 44 of 133 with two touchdowns
and 14 interceptions.
Things were not golden anymore,
and Burnette was not enjoying it at all.
"When I came in as a freshman, I just
felt so lost," he said. "I was like, 'I have
no business being in here. I don't even
know the offense. I don't .know why
they're trying to push me in here. It's
not like I'm a superman that I can rear
range this team.'
"Looking back, I wish I had been
redshirted, because I think that that one
year of learning and experience and
getting to know what college football
was going to be like that can do
wonders for a kid as far as his confi
dence level."
And for a freshman trying to tackle
college classes, it did not help Burnette
to have a playbook to memorize.
"I never had a chance my freshman
year to balance athletics and academ
ics," he said. "I spent most of my time
trying to learn my plays.
"It sort of frustrated me while I was
in the classroom, because I could be
sitting there doing some classwork and
thenl'dbelike, 'Ohshit.whatdoldoon
70? Who's my primary receiver?' I'd
be like, 'Damn.' And I'd get off track,
and then I'd have to get back to my
work."
Burnette's sophomore and junior sea
sons brought some highs. He started
eight more games and completed 97 of
162 passes for 1,174 yards, four touch
downs and six interceptions. As a sopho
more, he led the team to victories against
Wake Forest and Duke. As a junior, he
helped the squad jump out to a 4-3 start
But in the final four games of the
1991 season, a freshman named Jason
Stanicek wowed opponents and onlook
ers with his field command and scram
bling skills as the Tar Heels won three
of their final four games.
This summer, Stanicek and redshirt
freshman Mike Thomas were named
co-starting quarterbacks. Burnette was
Brown, UNC football coaches
give clinic for different crowd
UNC head football coach Mack
Brown and members of his staff held
their second annual Ladies' Football
Clinic in the Kenan Center Thursday
night.
Brown and his staff strove to erase
any doubts, raised after last years'
clinic, that this was a sexist forum.
Brown set the tone for the evening
by telling the stories of two current
players who came from deprived be
ginnings to become successful in the
North Carolina system,
Nearly avoiding the subject of foot
ball altogether, Brown concentrated
on his job and the difficulties it causes
for his family. He declared himself
"the father of all these young people
on the field."
Brown, in his fifth year as UNC's
head coach, kept his comments short,
relinquishing the podium to ACC foot
ball official Tommy Hunt, who also
avoided discussion of the basic rudi
ments of football.
Hunt instead discussed the cosmet
ics of the football itself and inserted a
few friendly jabs at Brown.
The only major subject Hunt pre
sented was the technicality of the
offsides and holding calls, two topics
about which most casual fans have no
clue.
While Brown and Hunt emphasized
the personal aspects of their jobs, UNC
defensive coordinator Carl Torbush
got right down to the charts.
Torbush presented UNC s defenses
as though he were teaching them to
incoming freshman.
For those in the audience who were
not a coach's wife or a member of the
football staff, this directness was ap
preciated. "I've learned a lot about the de
fenses in terms of the gapping and
plays," said Vicki Pineles of Chapel
Hill. Gapping is a common tactic in
which defensive linemen do not line
up directly opposite the offensive line
man. After a short break for refreshments
and door prizes. North Carolina equip
ment manager Dominic Morelli
brought out UNC wide receiver Corey
Holliday and center Randall Parsons
to explain the padding the players re
quire.
Obviously, equipment needs differ
"I always told them in
high school, 'It's not just
me.
demoted to third-string. He was no
longer the future of UNC football.
But, as with every bump that he has
experienced at UNC, Burnette took his
third-string role with class. He reached
out to the young quarterbacks.
"I have all the respect in the world for
them. I told Mike, 'With your tools and
your skills, all you have to do is work on
your mental game. If you work on your
mental game, you can be one of the best
quarterbacks in the nation.'
"I told Jason, 'Your field awareness
and your instincts were so great when
you came in as a freshman, I knew that
you would do good.'"
But the frustrations were building
up: his struggles on the field, some
personal problems, and a troubling quote
in the Chapel Hill Herald.
Burnette is a member of the Black
Awareness Council, a group formed
this summer with various goals in mind,
one of which is to push for a free
standing black cultural center on cam
pus. In a student rally this summer,
Burnette was quoted by the Herald as
saying that white people were "lying,
immature, manipulative bastards."
He says he was misquoted. "That
kind of added to the problems. I was
like, 'I don't need it. I don't need the
frustration. I don't need nobody trying
to tarnish my reputation.'"
So, with the kettle boiling inside him
last Monday morning, Burnette walked
off Navy Field and out of football.
"At some point in life, everybody's
going to have to let go of football, and
they're going to have to prepare them
selves for the challenges that lie ahead.
I figure now.
"I've been frustrated for so long. It's
time for me to back away and enjoy
being me again."
He intends to graduate with a politi
cal science degree in May, and he is
hopingtogo to law school. If law school
does not work out, Burnette is already
planning other options. As a good quar
mmmm
J N
-- -
DTHDale Castle
UNC head coach Mack Brown makes a point at the Ladies' Football Clinic Thursday
Diana Koval
Staff Writer
for a 6-foot-2, 200-pound wide receiver
expected to slash and burn his way
through a defensive secondary, and a 6
3, 270-pound center expected run over
people.
So Morelli explained the proper fit
and the differences in Holliday's and
Parson's equipment needs.
AP Top 25 college
football poll, p. 7
terback should.
"There are a lot of uncertainties be
cause law school is never a sure thing,"
he said. "Right now, I'm just looking at
different options, whether it be trying to
get some job in an administrative posi
tion, or with rehabilitation counseling
with athletes who are faced with drug
problems. For some reason, I had some
appeal on certain people who I knew."
Burnette wants to give back to his
community and make his Burlington
neighborhood better than it was when
he was younger.
"Growing up, my main thing was
always that I would come back and help
my community if I ever made some
money," he said.
"My mom would always say, 'You'll
never have any money because you'll
always be too busy giving it back to
people.' I don'tthink that anyone should
live in those conditions in this society."
Part of Burnette's work will be
through the B AC. "People get miscon
strued and they think that BAC is just
this real, real militant organization with
out knowing what the BAC is. It's a lot
deeper than everybody thinks it is."
They often say that the difficult times
help put things in perspective. For
Chuckie Burnette, the last four years of
his life have done just that.
"I had some ups, I had some downs,
my football career has been like a roller
coaster. For me it was like a test, like,
'You had a storied high school career,
and then you come to college and you
have things not go your way.'
"My mother always used to say, 'You
know, God can do strange things. He
can put you on the top of the world and
He can knock you off that high horse at
any time. I was just looking at it like all
things happen for a reason.
"He put me on a pedestal I was at
the top of the world at one moment
and at the bottom of the world the next
moment. He let me know how it felt to
be at both ends of the spectrum."
And now He is letting Burnette go on
toward the future.
"I'm looking forward to the future. I
always said that football didn't define
me. Now I can try my best to prove to
everybody that football doesn't define
me and that I go deeper than that."
One of the evening's most unex
pected moments came when Holliday
innocently dropped his warmups to
show the ladies the AstroTurf scars on
his legs.
The evening as a whole was an
explanation of football as "a vicious,
hard-nosed man' s game," as Hunt said.
Although the talks this year were
not sexist, those women needing just
the basic football background didn't
find much more knowledge than they
already had.