Gino Torretta

Gino Torretta, who won the Heisman Trophy as college football's top player but was virtually overlooked in the NFL draft, signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikings. Torretta guided Miami to an unbeaten regular season and No. 1 ranking last season, but the Hurricanes lost a national championship showdown to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. He was selected in the seventh round of the draft. * The Seattle Seahawks announced the signing of quarterback Stan Gelbaugh.

Once again J.A. Adande [Aug. 28] strikes his singular note of being the poster artist of the "Gimme Mine" generation. Today's subject is Maurice Clarett. But before young Mr. Clarett decides to take Adande's advice and go running off to the NFL, he might want to talk to some other folks for additional opinions. He could start by talking to any number of "sure thing" college running backs who saw their pro careers evaporate in the blitzkrieg of NFL defenses. Rashaan Salaam is probably free to take a call, or Ki-Jana Carter.

Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta of Miami was awarded the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award in Ft. Worth.

The Seattle Seahawks added Gino Torretta, released by the team Aug. 11, to their roster as their No. 3 quarterback while starter John Friesz recovers from his broken right thumb. Friesz, injured Sunday's loss to the New York Jets, will be sidelined eight weeks. Warren Moon becomes the Seahawks' starting quarterback and Jon Kitna, who hasn't thrown an NFL pass, moves up to No. 2. To make room for Torretta, the Seahawks waived cornerback Dexter Seigler.

Quarterback Bryan Fortay said he would leave the University of Miami to transfer to another school after losing his battle with Gino Torretta for the starting job.

I think it would be fitting for Steve McNair to win the Heisman Trophy this season. I started thinking the award was pretty meaningless when they gave it to Tim Brown after his mediocre season in 1987. I was just about convinced when they gave it to Miami's fourth- or fifth-best player (Gino Torretta) in 1991. Why not give it to a junior college quarterback this year and remove all doubt? ROB OSBORNE Redondo Beach Steve McNair, the second coming of David Klingler.

The Seattle Seahawks added Gino Torretta, released by the team Aug. 11, to their roster as their No. 3 quarterback while starter John Friesz recovers from his broken right thumb. Friesz, injured Sunday's loss to the New York Jets, will be sidelined eight weeks. Warren Moon becomes the Seahawks' starting quarterback and Jon Kitna, who hasn't thrown an NFL pass, moves up to No. 2. To make room for Torretta, the Seahawks waived cornerback Dexter Seigler.

Just when I thought nothing could make me laugh as hard as Robin Williams, along comes the Heisman Trophy vote. Gino Torretta is a great competitor and team leader, but at best, he was leading his team in prayers from the sidelines when Florida State blew a last-second field goal, and when time ran out on Syracuse at the Miami three-yard line. Credit fate, a phenomenal Hurricane defense, a faulty field goal and Marshall Faulk's knee injury with giving Gino an award that should either go to the entire Miami team, or to a single player who truly personifies individual excellence.

On the headachy morning of New Year's Day, a suffering soul sprinkles aspirin over his corn flakes and straps his hand to the TV zapper. He then sees a Rose Bowl parade of six kajillion roses arranged in the shape of Idaho. He wants to take a shotgun to that ratzenfratzing battery bunny marching through the Bermuda Triangle. By midnight of a long, happy, hallucinatory day, the poor headachy football fool has seen 1,179 student-athletes do 8,759 celebrations.

Once again J.A. Adande [Aug. 28] strikes his singular note of being the poster artist of the "Gimme Mine" generation. Today's subject is Maurice Clarett. But before young Mr. Clarett decides to take Adande's advice and go running off to the NFL, he might want to talk to some other folks for additional opinions. He could start by talking to any number of "sure thing" college running backs who saw their pro careers evaporate in the blitzkrieg of NFL defenses. Rashaan Salaam is probably free to take a call, or Ki-Jana Carter.

After waiting four seasons for his chance to throw a pass, Gino Torretta didn't exactly have the game of his dreams. But the fourth-string Seattle quarterback avoided mistakes, and against the self-destructing Oakland Raiders, that's usually enough to win, as it was Sunday in the Seahawks' 28-21 victory. Torretta was only five for 16 for 41 yards, but the Seahawks took advantage of six Oakland fumbles to rally from a 14-3 deficit at the Oakland Coliseum.

The San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday signed quarterback Gino Torretta, the 1992 Heisman Trophy winner who has never thrown a pass in an NFL game. Torretta, the University of Miami's career passing leader with 7,690 yards, was waived by the Detroit Lions in September. Elvis Grbac, who threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns in San Francisco's 38-20 upset of Dallas on Sunday, will remain the 49ers' starting quarterback until Steve Young can return. The team's No. 3 quarterback is Cary Conklin.

I think it would be fitting for Steve McNair to win the Heisman Trophy this season. I started thinking the award was pretty meaningless when they gave it to Tim Brown after his mediocre season in 1987. I was just about convinced when they gave it to Miami's fourth- or fifth-best player (Gino Torretta) in 1991. Why not give it to a junior college quarterback this year and remove all doubt? ROB OSBORNE Redondo Beach Steve McNair, the second coming of David Klingler.

One question might be: How could Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta slip through Monday to the next-to-last round of the NFL draft? But the better question, the one they were probably asking in most NFL precincts, is: Why would the Minnesota Vikings bother to draft him in any round? Torretta was a successful quarterback last season on one of the best teams in college football, the Miami Hurricanes, who had won the national championship a year earlier. But he has never shown an NFL arm.

Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta of Miami was awarded the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award in Ft. Worth.

On the headachy morning of New Year's Day, a suffering soul sprinkles aspirin over his corn flakes and straps his hand to the TV zapper. He then sees a Rose Bowl parade of six kajillion roses arranged in the shape of Idaho. He wants to take a shotgun to that ratzenfratzing battery bunny marching through the Bermuda Triangle. By midnight of a long, happy, hallucinatory day, the poor headachy football fool has seen 1,179 student-athletes do 8,759 celebrations.

After waiting four seasons for his chance to throw a pass, Gino Torretta didn't exactly have the game of his dreams. But the fourth-string Seattle quarterback avoided mistakes, and against the self-destructing Oakland Raiders, that's usually enough to win, as it was Sunday in the Seahawks' 28-21 victory. Torretta was only five for 16 for 41 yards, but the Seahawks took advantage of six Oakland fumbles to rally from a 14-3 deficit at the Oakland Coliseum.

Even now, nearly three weeks after the big party, the handwritten sign sits against a second-story window above Antler's Tavern. "Gino Wins Heisman," it reads. And there the sign will stay until the Torretta family, which owns the bar and the building, grows tired of seeing those magical words staring down on the corner of San Pablo Avenue and Pinole Valley Road. It was some celebration that day. More than 125 people squeezed their way into Antler's, enough to make the town's fire marshal wince.