Gilbert's Star

You may remember that I'm a sports fan, and a football fan in particular (but let's not talk about the UA/ASU game at the moment). So I have to pass on part of this article in the Republic about one of Gilbert's bonafide stars, Ryan Fitzpatrick:

Ryan Fitzpatrick arrived early at the Rams practice facility on Monday morning, still dizzy from his part in the team's come-from-behind victory over Houston.

"Who are you?" a security guard said.

Fitzpatrick, the most sought-after interview in St. Louis this week, smiled and kept walking.

"Seriously," the guard said. "Who are you?"

Who are you? Who are you? Only the NFL's most unlikely success story. Only a rookie quarterback from Gilbert who transformed from afterthought to hero Sunday in Houston. Only a player who's the antidote for the league's highly publicized bad boys, an Ivy Leaguer who can break down both economic theory and the Cover 2 defense.

The security guard incident "was fitting and funny," Fitzpatrick said Monday. "I've always been a guy who's under the radar. I guess I still am."

Not for long.

Until Sunday, Fitzpatrick, 23, was a third-string quarterback with zero NFL experience. That changed at the end of the first quarter when Jamie Martin, who was subbing for the injured Marc Bulger, left the game because of a blow to the head.

Interim coach Joe Vitt approached Fitzpatrick and told him to get ready. Receiver Torry Holt called the offense into a huddle and told everyone to stay focused. Players offered the rookie words of encouragement. Sure enough, the quarterback who had "ice water in his veins as a high school sophomore," according to former Gilbert Highland coach Mike Reardon, still did. He threw three touchdown passes, including the game winner in overtime, to overcome a 24-3 deficit.

Read the rest of the article; I especially enjoyed the description of his parents' and family's reaction to his amazing performance.

I've mentioned that my two oldest daughters attended Highland with Ryan, and he truly is a stand up guy (for the younger crowd that means "fly"). I agree with the reporter that he is just what the NFL needs: a guy who can think, speak and play football, all while displaying a little humility.