Greg Hansen ranks Chuck Cecil's top 10 games as an Arizona Wildcat
- Updated
Chuck Cecil's 106-yard interception to beat Arizona State tops the list.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Rather than lift weights and run sprints in the summer of his teenage years, Chuck Cecil worked on the family dairy farm in Jerome, Idaho, a few miles south of Shoshone and a few miles north of Jackpot, Nevada.
Cecil woke up at 4 a.m. to help milk 1,200 Guernsey cows, lay cement, build fences, bale hay and get his hands dirty.
When he was discovered to be a rare gem among 20 walk-ons midway through Arizona’s 1983 football season — when defensive coordinator Moe Ankney referred to him as a "heat-seeking missile" — Cecil gave his first interview.
"There’s no place I’d rather be than on the farm," he told the Star.
The rest was like something out of a movie.
Three years later, Cecil authored the Play of the Century in Arizona football, returning an interception 106 yards to help beat Rose Bowl-bound Arizona State.
No one ever mentions that the celebrated interception might not have been Cecil’s best play in the 1986 Territorial Cup. On ASU’s first series of the game, driving 77 yards to the UA’s 3-yard line, Cecil speared into Sun Devil fullback Channing Williamsand popped the ball loose. Arizona recovered and the momentum changed until the final minute of the first half.
ASU drove to Arizona’s 4 as the clock ticked toward 0:00. On fourth down, trailing 14-7, Sun Devil quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst retreated to pass. Cecil blitzed from his strong safety position. Just as Van Raaphorst was about to release the ball, Cecil hit him.
The hurried pass fell incomplete.
After Arizona won 34-17, Cecil entertained a semi-circle of reporters under the west grandstands at Arizona Stadium.
"I hate ASU," he said. "I’m never going to lose to them."
A year later in Tempe, Cecil stood at ASU’s 40-yard line with 21 seconds remaining. The Devils led, 24-21, and Cecil was about to lose to the rival for the first time. He had partially blocked a punt by Mike Schuh with 10 minutes remaining, and as the game clock drained away, Cecil had a prodigious 15 tackles.
On the snap of the ball, Cecil got off the line and around an ASU blocker so quickly that he thought he was going to block the punt and win the game.
"And then (Schuh) dropped it," Cecil said.
In a panic, Schuh kicked the ball off the turf. It smacked into the back of a lineman and popped into the air. Guess who caught it? Chuck Cecil.
Given possession at ASU’s 13, Arizona kicked a field goal on the game’s final play and tied ASU 24-24. Cecil never did lose to the Sun Devils.
"I can’t go out and be an average player," he said. "And I’m not, as far as I’m concerned."
Cecil would become the 1987 Pac-10 defensive player of the year, a consensus All-American and, in 2009 was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame. In researching his UA career, game by game, I found a statistic more impressive than his six blocked punts and 20 interceptions.
In his junior season, 1986, official UA statistics credit him with playing 882 downs. Opposing defenses snapped 763 plays that season. It means that Cecil seldom left the field, almost surely playing in coverage and as a blocker on 107 total punts (both teams) and on 12 other special team plays.
Here’s how I rank the Top 10 games of Cecil’s Arizona career:
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Cecil was chosen MVP in a 30-21 victory over North Carolina, forcing two fumbles that led to Arizona scores and making 12 tackles despite suffering a concussion with 10 minutes remaining. "When Chuck is done," said UA coach Larry Smith, "something comes out at the other end, whether it’s the ball carrier, or the ball, or Chuck himself."
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Cecil was chosen the defensive MVP of a 13-13 tie with Georgia, with a blocked punt and 12 tackles.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
The Sun Devil Killer was at his best in Arizona’s stunning 16-13 comeback victory in Tempe, knocking ASU out of the Rose Bowl. He made 11 tackles and intercepted a pass with 1:02 remaining to kill the clock and ensure the victory.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Cecil intercepted four passes in a 23-13 victory at Stanford, three of them in the second half, returning one 40 yards to set up a touchdown. After the game, UA president Henry Koffler walked into the Arizona locker room and embraced Cecil, posing for photographs as Cecil won the Pac-10 defensive player of the week award for the third time.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
As a relatively unknown sophomore, Cecil was named Pac-10 player of the week for the first time in a 20-8 victory, recovering a fumble in the end zone, intercepting a pass and batting down a 2-point conversion attempt. He did all of that with a heavily-bandaged broken left thumb.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
After Cecil blocked another punt in a 45-28 loss at Washington State, long-time Seattle Times beat writer Bud Withers turned to me in the press box and asked, "does Cecil block a punt EVERY game?" It only seemed like that.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
In his first career start, a 23-10 victory over Toledo, Cecil ignited his reputation. He basically "hit for the cycle" in ’85, blocking punts against Georgia and UCLA, tackling a Toledo punter on the 1-yard line and recovering an Oregon punt in the end zone. He also had his first of 20 career interceptions that night.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Although Arizona lost a Rose Bowl-determining game 24-19, Cecil blocked a punt that was recovered for an Arizona touchdown and made 10 tackles.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Cecil hit standout Bruins receiver Flipper Anderson so hard that Anderson fumbled into the end zone, recovered for an Arizona touchdown and a 10-0 lead over the heavily-favored Bruins. He finished the bitter 34-24 loss, Dick Tomey’s third game at Arizona, telling reporters "we lost, so I must’ve sucked."
Not hardly, as John Wayne would say.
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- Greg Hansen
Rather than lift weights and run sprints in the summer of his teenage years, Chuck Cecil worked on the family dairy farm in Jerome, Idaho, a few miles south of Shoshone and a few miles north of Jackpot, Nevada.
Cecil woke up at 4 a.m. to help milk 1,200 Guernsey cows, lay cement, build fences, bale hay and get his hands dirty.
When he was discovered to be a rare gem among 20 walk-ons midway through Arizona’s 1983 football season — when defensive coordinator Moe Ankney referred to him as a "heat-seeking missile" — Cecil gave his first interview.
"There’s no place I’d rather be than on the farm," he told the Star.
The rest was like something out of a movie.
Three years later, Cecil authored the Play of the Century in Arizona football, returning an interception 106 yards to help beat Rose Bowl-bound Arizona State.
No one ever mentions that the celebrated interception might not have been Cecil’s best play in the 1986 Territorial Cup. On ASU’s first series of the game, driving 77 yards to the UA’s 3-yard line, Cecil speared into Sun Devil fullback Channing Williamsand popped the ball loose. Arizona recovered and the momentum changed until the final minute of the first half.
ASU drove to Arizona’s 4 as the clock ticked toward 0:00. On fourth down, trailing 14-7, Sun Devil quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst retreated to pass. Cecil blitzed from his strong safety position. Just as Van Raaphorst was about to release the ball, Cecil hit him.
The hurried pass fell incomplete.
After Arizona won 34-17, Cecil entertained a semi-circle of reporters under the west grandstands at Arizona Stadium.
"I hate ASU," he said. "I’m never going to lose to them."
A year later in Tempe, Cecil stood at ASU’s 40-yard line with 21 seconds remaining. The Devils led, 24-21, and Cecil was about to lose to the rival for the first time. He had partially blocked a punt by Mike Schuh with 10 minutes remaining, and as the game clock drained away, Cecil had a prodigious 15 tackles.
On the snap of the ball, Cecil got off the line and around an ASU blocker so quickly that he thought he was going to block the punt and win the game.
"And then (Schuh) dropped it," Cecil said.
In a panic, Schuh kicked the ball off the turf. It smacked into the back of a lineman and popped into the air. Guess who caught it? Chuck Cecil.
Given possession at ASU’s 13, Arizona kicked a field goal on the game’s final play and tied ASU 24-24. Cecil never did lose to the Sun Devils.
"I can’t go out and be an average player," he said. "And I’m not, as far as I’m concerned."
Cecil would become the 1987 Pac-10 defensive player of the year, a consensus All-American and, in 2009 was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame. In researching his UA career, game by game, I found a statistic more impressive than his six blocked punts and 20 interceptions.
In his junior season, 1986, official UA statistics credit him with playing 882 downs. Opposing defenses snapped 763 plays that season. It means that Cecil seldom left the field, almost surely playing in coverage and as a blocker on 107 total punts (both teams) and on 12 other special team plays.
Here’s how I rank the Top 10 games of Cecil’s Arizona career:
- Greg Hansen
Cecil was chosen MVP in a 30-21 victory over North Carolina, forcing two fumbles that led to Arizona scores and making 12 tackles despite suffering a concussion with 10 minutes remaining. "When Chuck is done," said UA coach Larry Smith, "something comes out at the other end, whether it’s the ball carrier, or the ball, or Chuck himself."
- Greg Hansen
The Sun Devil Killer was at his best in Arizona’s stunning 16-13 comeback victory in Tempe, knocking ASU out of the Rose Bowl. He made 11 tackles and intercepted a pass with 1:02 remaining to kill the clock and ensure the victory.
- Greg Hansen
Cecil intercepted four passes in a 23-13 victory at Stanford, three of them in the second half, returning one 40 yards to set up a touchdown. After the game, UA president Henry Koffler walked into the Arizona locker room and embraced Cecil, posing for photographs as Cecil won the Pac-10 defensive player of the week award for the third time.
- Greg Hansen
As a relatively unknown sophomore, Cecil was named Pac-10 player of the week for the first time in a 20-8 victory, recovering a fumble in the end zone, intercepting a pass and batting down a 2-point conversion attempt. He did all of that with a heavily-bandaged broken left thumb.
- Greg Hansen
After Cecil blocked another punt in a 45-28 loss at Washington State, long-time Seattle Times beat writer Bud Withers turned to me in the press box and asked, "does Cecil block a punt EVERY game?" It only seemed like that.
- Greg Hansen
In his first career start, a 23-10 victory over Toledo, Cecil ignited his reputation. He basically "hit for the cycle" in ’85, blocking punts against Georgia and UCLA, tackling a Toledo punter on the 1-yard line and recovering an Oregon punt in the end zone. He also had his first of 20 career interceptions that night.
- Greg Hansen
Cecil hit standout Bruins receiver Flipper Anderson so hard that Anderson fumbled into the end zone, recovered for an Arizona touchdown and a 10-0 lead over the heavily-favored Bruins. He finished the bitter 34-24 loss, Dick Tomey’s third game at Arizona, telling reporters "we lost, so I must’ve sucked."
Not hardly, as John Wayne would say.
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