ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 13, 1996 TAG: 9611130049
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
THE PLAY OF North Carolina quarterback Chris Keldorf has remained red-hot as the temperatures have cooled.
Chris Keldorf's adjustment to East Coast living at North Carolina was proceeding smoothly until temperatures dipped into the 20s this week and he found his wardrobe to be woefully inadequate.
``Sweaters are bad enough,'' said Keldorf, originally from Manhattan Beach, Calif. ``This is ridiculous. It hurts just to go outside. All I've got is what I wear back at home in California.''
Keldorf was planning to call his mother Tuesday night for an express shipment of cold-weather gear, but it was a minor inconvenience compared with the on-field pleasures Keldorf has enjoyed since coming to UNC.
And, the feeling is mutual. Keldorf almost certainly will be named All-ACC at quarterback, the first for the Tar Heels since Chris Kupec in 1974.
It's been an improbable journey for Keldorf, who began his college career at Utah State, but left when he was moved to tight end by assistant coach Jim Zorn after one week.
``The Jim Zorn from the Seattle Seahawks,'' Keldorf said. ``I knew all the fame he had at the pro level and I figured, `Hey, this guy is big-time. He knows what the heck he's talking about.'
``I went there as an athlete and I tried out as a quarterback and tried out as a defensive end, linebacker, tight end. He told me, `Son, it's going to be three or four years until you develop into a quarterback.' That was probably one of the lowest points in my life.
``You could [compare the feeling] to a family member dying. It was so disappointing. It was so devastating. I just felt like my quarterback days were over. But what I learned [and what] my family told me was, `Don't give up your dream.'''
Keldorf left Utah State after breaking a hand in a blocking drill and enrolled as a part-time student at El Camino Community College in Torrance, Calif., where he intended to play football until he learned the competition included Steve Sarkisian.
The presence of Sarkisian, an All-America candidate at Brigham Young, prompted Keldorf to sign with Palomar (Calif.) Junior College, where, in his only season as a starter, he passed for more than 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in 1995.
Oddly, Keldorf's numbers did not attract widespread Division I-A interest. Indeed, Carolina did not recruit him - and would not have recruited him - until back-up quarterback Oscar Davenport suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament Nov.4, 1995, at Clemson.
Starting quarterback Mike Thomas was in his final season of eligibility and Davenport, the heir apparent, faced a year's rehabilitation from reconstructive surgery.
``Coach [Cleve] Bryant called and said, `We're looking for a quarterback,''' said Keldorf, who had gone to basketball camp at North Carolina. ``A big smile came on my face and I said, `I'm more than interested.'
``Before that, there were some Division II schools and I-AA schools that were calling. It was a little nerve-wracking when we got down to the sixth, seventh and eighth games of the season and nobody seemed interested.''
Unlike some transfer quarterbacks, Keldorf had met NCAA eligibility guidelines out of high school, so he did not have to graduate from junior college before enrolling at North Carolina. In fact, he had enough credits to transfer at midyear and participate in spring practice.
This is Keldorf's fifth year out of high school. The NCAA gives a student-athlete five years to play four, but Keldorf can return to the Tar Heels in 1997 because he was not a full-time student in 1992-93, the year he was at Utah State.
``What I did when I transferred to El Camino was I `gray-shirted,''' Keldorf said. ``That means I didn't take 12 units, so my athletic eligibility hadn't started.''
The Tar Heels didn't just get an older quarterback when they signed Keldorf, who turned 22 in June. They also got one of college football's biggest quarterbacks.
``A lot of people say 245 or 250 [pounds] is too heavy to be a quarterback,'' said Keldorf, who was closer to 260 when he arrived at North Carolina, according to Tar Heels coach Mack Brown, ``but it protects me very well.''
Keldorf won't divulge his current weight but, at 6 feet 5, he has the height and drop-back style that are certain to attract NFL scouts.
``That's probably every person's dream in college football,'' Keldorf said. ``Hey, if that happened, that would be great. Right now, I'm nowhere near the caliber of what it takes to be an NFL quarterback. There are so many things I need to learn and do that I haven't come close to yet.''
Obviously, humility is a virtue for Keldorf, who has passed for 2,126 yards and 22 touchdowns, shattering the previous UNC record of 18 set by Matt Kupec in 1979. He had thrown 143 passes without an interception before Saturday and has been picked off only three times all season.
Sixth-ranked Carolina has gone 8-1 with Keldorf at quarterback, scoring 177 points during a recent four-game stretch.
``In high school, we were 4-6 and 3-7,'' Keldorf said. ``At Palomar, we were 5-5 both years. Now, I'm learning how to win and I expect to win. Losing just doesn't fly with me anymore.''
But if it's cold and windy and rainy at Scott Stadium on Saturday, will that fly with him?
``This past weekend, against Louisville, it was hard to keep warm,'' he said. `` But it's like my Pops told me the other night, `Just gotta tough it out.' As long as it doesn't snow, hopefully I'll be all right.''
LENGTH: Long : 104 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: JERRY WOLFORD/Landmark News Service Chris Keldorf hasby CNBthrown for a school-record 22 touchdowns to lead sixth-ranked North
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