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By Kent Larsen
RM's Rose Bowl Heroics Forgotten As He Seeks New Challenge
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN -- Returned LDS missionary Darrell Bevell was
once the hero of the University of Wisconsin Badgers, assaulting
every school passing record and providing heroics in the Rose Bowl
that gave the team its first Rose Bowl victory. But while Bevell is
fondly remembered, he has left that behind for another football goal
-- on the sidelines. Bevell is now an offensive assistant for the
Green Bay Packers, helping that team win games in a much more
inconspicuous way. And he hopes one day to be running an NFL team
from the sidelines.
Bevell went from LDS missionary to become an outstanding quarterback
at Wisconsin. He still holds Wisconsin records of 59 career
touchdowns and 7,686 passing yards, records that aren't likely to be
broken soon. But he is especially remembered for the 1994 Rose Bowl,
when Wisconsin played UCLA. While the Badgers led for the entire
game, late in the 4th quarter the Bruins had narrowed the lead to
14-10. Bevell, who had thrown for 2,390 yards and 19 touchdowns
during the season, then surprised the Bruins by running himself on
second-and-eight from the UCLA 21, scoring the touchdown that gave
Wisconsin the game.
In spite of these heroics, Bevell never played in the NFL,
unsuccessfully trying to make the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles
Raiders before becoming an Assistant Coach for Iowa State. He then
was an assistant at the University of Connecticut before getting his
current job with the Packers.
But, his position, offensive assistant/quality control coach, is
confusing. "Not a lot of people know what that title means," Bevell
admits. He actually does a little of everything to get the team ready
for the next game. He breaks down film of the upcoming opponent's
defense, reporting on everything from coverages to tendencies to
formations. He designs playbooks for the players for each game and
puts plays into a game plan sheet for the coaches.
Its not glamorous or something that puts him in front of the fans,
but Bevell says he enjoys it. And, more importantly, he is learning.
"It's fun. I'm learning a lot about our offense and the intricacies
of the West Coast offense. And I'm learning a lot from coach Sherman
and coach Rossley, two great coaches that have been in the system for
a while. That helps me a lot."
Tom Rossley, the Packer's offensive coordinator, says that Bevell is
a big help. "He's jumped right in with both feet and done a great
job," Rossley said. "He's early to work and he's late to leave. He's
eager to do it the right way. His ears are always open and he wants
to get better." And, realizing that his comments will be in print,
Rossley adds, "I better watch myself, though. If I say too many nice
things, someone's going to scoop him up."
Bevell is aware of this also, and admits that his dream is to follow
others, such as Packers coach Sherman, Philadelphia's Andy Reid (also
Mormon), Steve Mariucci and Marty Mornhinweg, into head coaching
positions from obscure assistant positions. Can he do it? "I hope
so," said Bevell. "I'd like to continue to work my way up here. I
don't know how far up I can get here, but I'd like to work and
continue to see. A lot of coaches have been in this seat and gone on
and done well. So I'd like to one day have the quarterbacks by
myself, work up from there to a coordinator and from there to a head
coach."
But for the moment, Bevell is content to stay where he is, learn, and
be close to where he earned his reputation; where people remember his
rose bowl heroics. If he's lucky, he might even be able to make head
coach somewhere near Wisconsin, "It's fun to relive that moment
because it's a special moment for the people of Wisconsin. So if I
could work my way up here, that would be great."
Source:
In control: Bevell enjoys his role
Milwaukee WI Journal Sentinel Packer Plus 28Nov01 S2
By Rob Reischel: Special to Packer Plus
1994 - Wisconsin 21, UCLA 16
ESPN 14Nov00 S2
By Dan O'Sullivan: BCSfootball.com
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