Document text
Heat adds three players to roster By Kris Henry Sometimes who you know is as important as what you know. For Andy Hixson, Tony Redd and Cody Webster, that fact has led the trio to the Rogue Valley as the newest members of the Southern Oregon Heat indoor football team. Hixson, Redd and Webster were introduced at a press conference Friday. They are here because of the Heat defensive back Omar Daniel�s endless list of connections and his seeming ability to sell reading glasses to a blind man. As a former standout at Humboldt State, Daniel was a teammate of Hixson�s and Redd�s. So when the need for a quarterback arose after Eric Vanderwegen was injured in the Heat�s season-opening loss to the Yakima Shockwave last week, Daniel immediately offered a solution in Hixson. Figuring all he would be out was some gas money and the cost of a hotel room for the weekend, Hixson drove up to Medford to see for himself what all the fuss was about. In hindsight, Hixson says, he�s glad he put his faith in Daniel�s word that he would keep an eye out for any opportunities down the road for his former teammate. "Omar�s the type of guy that if he says he�s going to do something, he�s going to do something," said Hixson, 25. Daniel�s efforts proved beneficial to Redd and Webster, also. They had planned to play indoor football in the Bay Area before the team there disbanded. Once again, Daniel intervened with news that the Heat was still trying to get its roster shaped up and the opportunity to play was alive in Medford. Redd, 25, hopes to find time at safety, while Webster, 25, is a defensive back. Both positions see plenty of action in the high-octane indoor game. "I wouldn�t have it any other way," said Webster. "I wouldn�t play defense if I didn�t like the pressure." As teammates at Humboldt State, Redd and Daniel shared time in the secondary as well as time on the injured list. Both had their season cut short in 1998 on the same play. Daniel broke his tibia and fibula, while Redd injured his knee a mere 2 yards away. Of the new group, Hixson is the player the Heat needs to get up to speed quickly. This week has been an off-week for the Heat, but it hits the road next week for its second game April 14 in Kearney, Neb., against the Tri-City Diesel. "Andy�s a little behind as far as knowing the playbook and the personnel, so we�re playing a lot of catch-up right now," said Vanderwegen, who is also the Heat�s head coach and offensive coordinator. "He�s a big kid with a strong arm. Once he gets comfortable in this offense, he has some great physical tools that he brings to the table, and I�m hoping he�s really going to be able to help us." If Hixson does pan out, however, that could mean the end of Vanderwegen�s playing days. "I�ve said since I first started here that I wanted to put the best team on the field that I can," said the 26-year-old coach. "If that means replacing myself with another player, then I�ll do it and won�t have a problem with it." The fact that he is returning to the game of football is a bit of a surprise for Hixson, who began his college career at Fresno State. Tired of only seeing time on the practice field and realizing Fresno State probably wasn�t the place for him, Hixson turned to Humboldt State. Things took an odd turn when he was denied eligibility in his first year there, later being told he needed to go back to Fresno State and pass 12 units to become eligible. The following spring, Hixson went back to Fresno State, paid his own tuition and passed the aforementioned 12 units. He then went back to Humboldt and passed his summer classes. But he was denied eligibility a second time after going through another fall camp at Humboldt State, learning he still had not gained his athletic release from Fresno State. "I had a pretty bad attitude after that with anything sports-related," said Hixson. "I got to the point where I didn�t even watch football. It just made me so upset about my own situation, which I can�t blame on anybody but myself, I guess." Hixson resigned himself to a life outside athletics, attending classes at Humboldt State while working at an automotive shop in Arcata, Calif., for the past year and a half. Dreams of professional football took a back seat to working toward certification for suspension and front-end work � at least until Daniel and the Heat came calling. "The thing that sealed it was I talked to my dad on the phone and he said, �The only thing I�m going to say to you is you can�t do that at my age,�" Hixson said. "I didn�t want to be one of those guys sitting in a bar telling all their friends that I used to be this awesome player and had a chance but I worked on cars instead." That chance comes with a new batch of dings and dents, many of which will be a first for Hixson, who said the only parts of indoor football he knows is what he learned from watching ESPN. Everything else has been trial by fire so far. "Eric�s been really good to work with me," Hixson said. "He�s really been helpful, and I�ve gotten a lot of reps the last couple practices. Basically we�ve just been out there trying to knock the rust off." Hixson�s goal for the near future is merely to get the ball to the open man and do whatever he can to win some games for the Heat. "This last week, I�ve been on cloud nine," he said. "I�m just enjoying this opportunity." All thanks to Daniel, who may not be through recruiting. "I�ve got a couple more partners out there, so you never know," Daniel said. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.