TERRY MOSHER
JON KITNA
TOP OF THE TOWN ‑ I’m curious more than committed to this, but I’m thinking former Seattle Seahawks quarterback is kind of an underdog warrior. That may not make sense but if you have followed his career the underdog tag fits him. The six-foot-two Kitna was a good athlete at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, playing football, basketball and baseball, but was not good enough to attract a college scholarship. So he went to Central Washington and, bingo, he rose out of that underdog status pretty quickly, winning the starting quarterback position as a freshman, beating out junior Beau Baldwin, who has had his own flight of fantasy to stardom. Baldwin played football (and baseball) at Curtis High School at University Place and as the Viking’s quarterback led them to the 1989 state 3A football championship. Baldwin then went to Central Washington where he was the starting quarterback his first two seasons, but then was beaten out by Kitna his last two seasons, serving as the backup QB. Baldwin then went to Sweden where he played professional football and also coached for his team. Baldwin returned to Central Washington as the quarterbacks coach where he coached, bingo, Kitna, who led the Wildcats to the 1995 NAIA Division II National Championship. Baldwin went on to become head coach at Central Washington and then Eastern Washington where he led the Eagles to the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Championship. He is currently is the head football coach at California Polytechnic State University. Kitna went undrafted by the NFL in 1996, but that didn’t stop him. He was signed by the Seahawks as undrafted free agent in 1996, assigned to the practice squad, and was sent to NFL Europe at the end of his rookie season. There he led Barcelona Dragons to the World Bowl Championship and was named MVP. He returned to the Seahawks where he served as a backup to Warren Moon for two seasons and then alternated with Brock Huard as the starting quarterback before signing with Cincinnati where he started for a season while mentoring Carson Palmer. He then signed with the Detroit Lions and then the Dallas Cowboys and then from 2012-2014 he was teaching math and the head football coach at Lincoln. He began a journey to coach high schools in Texas and Arizona, then to the Cowboys as quarterbacks coach, now is back to Texas again as head coach and athletic director at Burleson High School. Meanwhile, a son, Jalen, has transferred to Burleson from Rick Reedy High School in Frisco, Texas, and is sort of doing his own underdog thing. The six-foot-four Jalen, a senior and 4-star recruit, will play for his dad. Jalen originally committed to play college at Boston College but decommitted in January and now has announced he will play for Florida. Of course, I’m assuming that the virus will be gone by the time high school and college football seasons begin. Otherwise, everybody will be the underdog…. to the virus. That’s enough for today.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.