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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2003)
Final Season: Quinn Dorsey by Cory Howard Photo by: Walt Grondona of Walt’s Photography But you can only ask the players to do what they are capable of. So I guess it’s a little bit of both. Whether we like it or not our lives are defined by the choices that we make. At one point or another everyone wishes that they could turn back the clock and revisit that one defining moment that made a large impact on their life. However, that is simply not possible. All we can do is hope to learn from our mistakes and move on. That’s exactly what Oregon senior defensive end Quinn Dorsey is trying to do this season after being convicted of trading tickets for rent breaks last year by the NCAA. “Coming up here I didn’t really have a great relationship with the coaches. If there is one thing I could go back and change about the situation it would be to go the coaches first when it was presented to me instead of trying to handle it on my own. That was my biggest mistake. I should have handled it ethically and responsibly because we are in the spotlight,” Quinn said. Yes, Quinn the athletes at the University of Oregon are in the spotlight and that is why I am writing this article to salute you for all that you have contributed to the program the last five years. So here it is. Just a little Q&A with the Oregon senior from Denver, Colorado. DI: Why did you choose to become a Duck? QD: I thought that the UO would give me the best opportunity to succeed as a student and athlete. M ORE A BOut QUINN Favorite Pro Athlete: Jevon Kearse Favorite Food: American, Italian & Mexican Favorite Movie: The Matrix Favorite TV Show: 24 Favorite Music: Hip Hop Dream Play: On the Duck 3-yard line, they run QB option & I pick it off and go 95 yards to the house Players I miss the most from last year: Rasuli Webster Career after Football: Graphic Design Most Influential Person: My little grandma If I was stranded on an island, I’d like to be with... : Beyonce & Halle Berry Team I Enjoy Beating the Most: Colorado Funniest Guy on the Team: Demetrius Williams On my wall I have a poster of: Michael Jordan Hobbies: Building remote- controlled, gas-powered cars 6 NOVEMBER 20, 2003 DucksIllustrated DI: If you were the defensive coordinator what would you do differently? QD: That is a really tough question. I really don’t think I am in a position to say what we could do differently. Maybe if I get to the point in my life of where I feel like coaching I could answer that. DI: What do you think of the team’s chances of winning the Civil War Saturday and going to a good bowl game? QD: We’ve got a real good chance. It all depends on what team shows up and I think for the rest of the season that the good team will be the one who shows up. We are going to win this game and put ourselves in a good position to go to a good bowl game. DI: Do you think the team performs better when you hit more or less in practice? QD: To tell you the truth when I look at some of the games that we’ve won and the practices that we had that week there is no connection. There were some games that we won when the practice days really weren’t that good. UW week I could have sworn we had a really good practice week, so I can’t put my finger on it. A fifth-year senior, Quinn has enjoyed being with this year’s group of defensive linemen. DI: What was your second college choice and where else did you visit? QD: I was committed to Colorado State before Oregon and I visited Colorado but I wasn’t a big fan of Neuheisel. DI: You played as a true freshman, did you expect to play that soon? QD: No, not at all. I really didn’t. To tell you the truth, coming in as a freshman I heard all about the California athletes and when I got here I surprised myself a bit. DI: How tough was it to learn the defense your freshman year? QD: It was tough; you go from high school where you pretty much have maybe five or six defenses and a little bit of slanting to a really complex defense that takes a lot to learn. I didn’t learn the whole defense my freshman year. DI: Describe how you felt your first game as a Duck? QD: Overwhelmed, my first game my freshman year was at Michigan State, that place was pretty crazy. I think that my mouth stayed open the whole game; I probably had a couple of bugs in it. 70,000 fans and being on national television was crazy. DI: Describe how you felt when you first got into the game as a Duck? QD: I was sweating bullets. I was really nervous. I think I forgot the defense the first couple of plays but after that I settled down and I was alright. DI: What has been your favorite moment as a Duck so far? QD: It has to be my performance in the Fiesta Bowl. I had a good game and we were at our peak. DI: How hard was it to sit on the sidelines and watch the team struggle last year? QD: It was tough. That was the first time that I had ever done that, but I understood what it was for and I put it into perspective. DI: What has been the hardest part about being a student athlete for you? QD: The balance of school and athletics. I envy regular students. To tell you the truth I wish I could have just been one of those. Back in the 80’s and early 90’s college athletes got a really bad rap — you know, dumb jocks. They have really tightened that mess down. Nobody does our work for us. It’s legit and it’s hard. DI: Are you going to graduate this year? QD: Yes I will. I am going to graduate this spring. I am taking winter term off to train for the NFL draft and then I only have one math class left to graduate. DI: What has been the difference in the games that you won versus the games that you lost? QD: I don’t think that it’s just one thing. Each game was a little bit different. If I had to point out one thing for the defense it would have to be inconsistent play. It could be a lack of focus or a number of things. I am not really sure. DI: Do you think that the defensive coordinator should tailor the scheme to his players or the players to his scheme? QD: Well it's always their scheme and that's what we do for the most part. DI: If you could give advice to an incoming freshman what would you say? QD: I would tell him not to fall behind in school the first year. My first year up here my GPA was really low and it absolutely killed me. For academics that is the key. As far as football is concerned, it would be to try to make the adjustment as fast as possible and hang around the right people, don't get in trouble, and just try to do the right thing. DI: What are you going to miss about Eugene when you graduate? QD: I don’t think that I will miss Eugene but I will definitely miss my teammates. Since I’ve been here for 5 years I’ve got some close relationships. And to be honest with you, this year has been, in my five years of being here, the funnest times in the defensive lineman group. We are really close with each other, we know each other and it hasn’t been that way, so I am glad that I got to experience that. DI: Do you think you are going to get a chance to play in the NFL next year? QD: I really don’t know. I gotta chance hopefully and I will train and see what happens. I will take winter term off to train, come back for the spring and hopefully hear my name called on April 24th, draft day. DI: This week you play the Beavers, what is the difference between an OSU game and any other game? QD: It has to be the fans. Just the whole atmosphere is crazy. The OSU atmosphere is really one that I don’t like. I would rather got to WSU than play at Reser Stadium. The only time I've ever been to Corvallis is when we have played there. When I got to Portland on the highway, I won’t even stop. Corvallis is just not for me.
