Aug. 3—It was a picture-perfect pose.
On the afternoon of Dec. 1, 1990, Brigham Young quarterback Ty Detmer was named winner of the Heisman Trophy as college football’s best player.
It was a picture-perfect pose.
On the afternoon of Dec. 1, 1990, Brigham Young quarterback Ty Detmer was named winner of the Heisman Trophy as college football’s best player.
That evening at Aloha Stadium, Hawaii ruined the celebration plans, intercepting Detmer four times in a 59-28 rout. UH quarterback Garrett Gabriel threw three scoring passes, including a 17-yarder to slotback Jeff Sydner.
After crossing the goal line, Sydner handed the ball to the referee, noticed a camera operator he befriended during warmups, and then struck a Heisman pose to the delight of many of the 49, 695 in attendance.
“I saw (the camera operator ) standing there, ” Sydner recalled. “I saw the camera, and went straight to it. And I did it. It was so instinctive. It wasn’t planned.”
Later, Sydner learned, Notre Dame’s Raghib “Rocket ” Ismail, who believed he was more deserving of the Heisman than Detmer, struck a pose similar to Sydner’s.
“It trumped it, ” Sydner said, smiling. “Nobody really recognized mine.”
But Sydner, 53, left an indelible mark as one of the most dynamic playmakers in Rainbow Warrior history. Sydner was a triple threat as a runner, receiver and returner. His quickness, post-catch acceleration and intelligence earned respect from Gary Allen, the program’s career rushing leader. Allen, who died last month, and Sydner wore No. 26 for the Warriors.
At the end of UH’s seventh practice of training camp, Sydner was invited to address the Warriors. He shared his testimony of a band of football brothers formed more than three decades ago.
In 1988, Sydner, who had made an oral commitment to Georgia Tech a week earlier, was set to honor a promise to take a…
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