Tuesday, November 20, 2001
Fired-up Rolo may Nick Rolovich is considering becoming a firefighter after graduation from the University of Hawaii.
wind up firefighting
The hot Hawaii QB may also
Football notebook
have a shot at the NFLBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comBut the Warrior quarterback's blazing performance Saturday night could open other options for the senior from Novato, Calif.
Rolovich was named national player of the week yesterday by The Sporting News, USA Today and College Football News after passing for 500 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns in UH's 52-51 victory over Miami (Ohio). He was also honored as the Western Athletic Conference offensive player of the week.
Hawaii quarterback coach Dan Morrison said Rolovich showed a lot of what NFL scouts are looking for.
"Some of us believe that game Saturday will probably put him in an NFL camp for a tryout," Morrison said. "He did some of the things NFL people look at very carefully. He was extremely accurate deep, right on the money. That's one thing they look for. Strong arm and accuracy deep.
"He could get a shot at the NFL, which two months ago he wasn't thinking about at all."
That's because Rolovich was standing on the sideline. Since he replaced the injured Tim Chang, Hawaii is 6-1.
"He's grown into the position and playing quite well," Morrison said. "He's had to fill some big shoes and has grown into one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He's seeing things better, running better, throwing better."
Rolovich comes from a family of several generations of firefighters and police officers. He had planned to take a test to become a firefighter during Hawaii's first road trip this season.
But the trip was postponed because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and so was Rolovich's test.
"A lot of things really got thrown off by that," he said. "My uncle and dad were planning to go to New York (from California) if needed. It especially hurts when you see firemen and police go down when your whole family does that."
Rolovich said he still thinks he might become a firefighter.
"I think I might enjoy it," he said.
A future in pro football doesn't enter his mind unless someone mentions it, even after last Saturday. He and his Hawaii (7-3) teammates just want to get ready to play Air Force (5-5) this Saturday at Aloha Stadium.
"I just want to win these last two games before I think about that, to tell the truth," he said. "We just want to win.
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