University of Delaware Athletics
Former Blue Hen Greats Share Wisdom With Current Quarterbacks
5/26/2020 10:52:00 AM | Football
As a kid growing up in Delaware, going to Blue Hens football games and hearing stories of the greats from his father, Nolan Henderson grew to idolize the position of quarterback at the University of Delaware.
Now the Delaware starting quarterback himself, Henderson has had a special appreciation for the string of former Blue Hens QBs that have met with the crop of QBs currently on the roster over Zoom as the team adapts its training during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"My dad had season tickets and he would always speak of these former quarterbacks and then they're popping up on my screen speaking to me," Henderson said. "To be able to speak to those guys that you emulated and thought of as the heroes of Delaware football, and to actually be able to have dialogue with them and ask questions of them, is really special and something I truly appreciate."
So far, the Blue Hens have spoken with Rich Gannon, Andy Hall, Tom DiMuzio, Scott Brunner, Pat Devlin and Billy Vergantino.
The idea started with offensive coordinator Jared Ambrose, who had wanted to get the program's stellar quarterback pedigree involved with his current team well before the sports world came to a halt.
Ambrose, now in his second year in charge of the Blue Hens offense after holding the same position at Towson, previously had a stint in Newark as a graduate assistant coach in 2007 and 2008. That 2007 season saw quarterback Joe Flacco lead Delaware to the FCS championship game.
"Just hearing Tubby [Raymond] talk about some of the guys he coached, and speak in reverence about them, all the way back to Tom DiMuzio. Just hearing how all these guys, how they spoke about the quarterbacks, and obviously going through that first year with Flacco, I was like, this is special," Ambrose said. "Now the odd thing was we were, at that point, only five years removed from Rich Gannon winning the NFL MVP. He had just retired, so that was uber-relevant in the moment. So, when I came back here, I was like this has got to be one of the things I want to do at some point."
In his first year as Delaware offensive coordinator in 2019, Ambrose was focused on installing a new offense, and didn't have the time to dedicate to more creative coaching endeavors. But going into this year, he knew that he wanted to revisit the idea.
"It was something I knew I wanted to get done this spring, regardless of the circumstances," Ambrose said. "But the circumstances I think have made it a little bit more powerful and meaningful for all involved."
Each of the former quarterbacks brought a unique perspective to the group. Gannon, the 2002 MVP who is a commentator for NFL games on CBS, had a lot of great things to say about Xs and Os, while Vergantino, a CEO, touched on the importance of team-building.
One common thread from all the former QBs was how special an opportunity it is to be under center at Delaware.
"It's been a great way to wrap up my freshman year," freshman quarterback Cade Pribula said. "They really did a great job of putting everything in perspective, explaining what it means to be a quarterback at the University of Delaware."
"Learning how special this was to them, and what this meant to them to play at this University in this position, it's a blessing to be where we are today and to be in that brotherhood," Henderson said.
Even with the difficulties of the current situation, Delaware football is determined to use the spring to become a better football team, of which these Zoom meetings are just one example.
"It's definitely been different," Henderson said. "We've had to find ways to gain a step on our rivals, on our opponents, to take a step closer to the guys that we're trying to chase down, and get a step ahead of them by how we prepare and how creative we are."
The importance of that preparation was another common theme from all the former quarterbacks.
"All of them have talked about how much you must prepare in order to even get in the realm of being successful," Ambrose said.
The sessions with former Delaware greats have brought a wealth of wisdom that the Blue Hens will use not only to improve as football players the next time they're on a field, but also as leaders for the rest of their lives.
"They talked a lot about leadership and how to be a leader," Pribula said. "What times to choose when to be a leader, and to lead by actions rather than words."
"I have about 15 pages of notes that I'm going to study and try to put into my game," Henderson said. "Just hearing from them has given me a different perspective of the position and the things that I need to be looking at. Really, I'm just excited to be back. I can't wait to get back on the field."
Now the Delaware starting quarterback himself, Henderson has had a special appreciation for the string of former Blue Hens QBs that have met with the crop of QBs currently on the roster over Zoom as the team adapts its training during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"My dad had season tickets and he would always speak of these former quarterbacks and then they're popping up on my screen speaking to me," Henderson said. "To be able to speak to those guys that you emulated and thought of as the heroes of Delaware football, and to actually be able to have dialogue with them and ask questions of them, is really special and something I truly appreciate."
So far, the Blue Hens have spoken with Rich Gannon, Andy Hall, Tom DiMuzio, Scott Brunner, Pat Devlin and Billy Vergantino.
The idea started with offensive coordinator Jared Ambrose, who had wanted to get the program's stellar quarterback pedigree involved with his current team well before the sports world came to a halt.
Thanks to former @DelawareFB great @RichGannon12 for speaking with our Quarterbacks on our zoom call today. #BlueHens#BleedBlue302#FindAWayUD pic.twitter.com/orvUuB3UbL
— Jared Ambrose (@CoachJambrose) May 5, 2020
Ambrose, now in his second year in charge of the Blue Hens offense after holding the same position at Towson, previously had a stint in Newark as a graduate assistant coach in 2007 and 2008. That 2007 season saw quarterback Joe Flacco lead Delaware to the FCS championship game.
"Just hearing Tubby [Raymond] talk about some of the guys he coached, and speak in reverence about them, all the way back to Tom DiMuzio. Just hearing how all these guys, how they spoke about the quarterbacks, and obviously going through that first year with Flacco, I was like, this is special," Ambrose said. "Now the odd thing was we were, at that point, only five years removed from Rich Gannon winning the NFL MVP. He had just retired, so that was uber-relevant in the moment. So, when I came back here, I was like this has got to be one of the things I want to do at some point."
In his first year as Delaware offensive coordinator in 2019, Ambrose was focused on installing a new offense, and didn't have the time to dedicate to more creative coaching endeavors. But going into this year, he knew that he wanted to revisit the idea.
"It was something I knew I wanted to get done this spring, regardless of the circumstances," Ambrose said. "But the circumstances I think have made it a little bit more powerful and meaningful for all involved."
Each of the former quarterbacks brought a unique perspective to the group. Gannon, the 2002 MVP who is a commentator for NFL games on CBS, had a lot of great things to say about Xs and Os, while Vergantino, a CEO, touched on the importance of team-building.
Honored to have another Blue Hen great on our zoom call today, Tom DiMuzio. First Blue Hen QB to pass for 2,000 yards in a season. #FindAWay#BlueHens pic.twitter.com/yYIxcwodsc
— Jared Ambrose (@CoachJambrose) May 14, 2020
One common thread from all the former QBs was how special an opportunity it is to be under center at Delaware.
"It's been a great way to wrap up my freshman year," freshman quarterback Cade Pribula said. "They really did a great job of putting everything in perspective, explaining what it means to be a quarterback at the University of Delaware."
"Learning how special this was to them, and what this meant to them to play at this University in this position, it's a blessing to be where we are today and to be in that brotherhood," Henderson said.
Even with the difficulties of the current situation, Delaware football is determined to use the spring to become a better football team, of which these Zoom meetings are just one example.
"It's definitely been different," Henderson said. "We've had to find ways to gain a step on our rivals, on our opponents, to take a step closer to the guys that we're trying to chase down, and get a step ahead of them by how we prepare and how creative we are."
The importance of that preparation was another common theme from all the former quarterbacks.
"All of them have talked about how much you must prepare in order to even get in the realm of being successful," Ambrose said.
The sessions with former Delaware greats have brought a wealth of wisdom that the Blue Hens will use not only to improve as football players the next time they're on a field, but also as leaders for the rest of their lives.
"They talked a lot about leadership and how to be a leader," Pribula said. "What times to choose when to be a leader, and to lead by actions rather than words."
"I have about 15 pages of notes that I'm going to study and try to put into my game," Henderson said. "Just hearing from them has given me a different perspective of the position and the things that I need to be looking at. Really, I'm just excited to be back. I can't wait to get back on the field."
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