Johnny Quinn Mailbag

mad dog · July 15, 2006

How the heck did you make that catch against Arkansas State? Did you really catch it?

Well, it was a lot of luck to be honest with you. I was coming off the line and Scott [Hall] was going to throw the ball to the corner of the end zone. I don’t know if it slipped out of his hand a little bit, but the ball wasn’t at the corner of the end zone. By that time, the DB was in my chest; I was trying to draw the PI [pass interference]. And, as I was going down, the ball was right there, so I said ‘what the hell, I’m gonna try to catch it.” Sure enough, I came in with it, and it ended up being the number two play on Chris Berman’s Top Ten Plays of the Week. So it was pretty exciting… Scott said it was because of the good throw so I give him credit for that one. (laughs)

How did you prepare for your on-stage role in the UNT Drama Department’s Production of Jesus Christ, Superstar?

Oh geez… how’d you know about that? Well, it is a funny deal. My dad actually got the phone call. The guy [from the Drama Department] goes, “I am looking for John Quinn. I hear you are pretty muscular and have long hair.” So I said, “I don’t know about the long hair, but I am pretty muscular.” That’s when I had my long hair, and they were looking for a guy to be the flogger. It was a musical, so I said, “I can’t sing. I never have done anything theatrical.” So the guy said, “Oh, don’t worry about it, all we are going to do is grease you down with baby oil and all you gotta do is flog this whip 39 times.” So I said “I could do that.” So there was three weekends of it: Friday, Saturday, Sunday. And my arm was getting so tired of swinging this whip; I guess it was good that I was still lifting weights with football to keep my arm prepared… It was more of just going out there and being the best flogger I could be. It was a neat deal, I met a lot of cool people, and it’d be neat to do something like that, again. It was a lot of fun.

If you were a superhero, who would you be and why?

I’d be Master Chief from Halo. He can do everything- lift a tank with one arm, take all these shots and not get hurt. I’d definitely be Master Chief… stick people with plasmas, you know. He’s been good to me.

What has been the biggest obstacle to overcome from high school to D1 football?

Probably the speed. I remember from my first scrimmage here, I caught a pass over the middle, because I knew the linebackers were out, and I saw [Former UNT Safety] Craig Jones about fifteen yards away from me. I think, “ok, I’m gonna catch it and turn upfield.” Well, I caught it, and, next thing I know, he’s grabbing me around the ankles. So I’m [thinking] “Wow… how did he get there that fast?” Ever since then… the speed of the game is so fast, that’s one reason why I ran track: just to make sure I can keep up with these guys.

What has been the biggest difference between spring ball this year and last year?

That’s a good question. Last year, we had a battle between Joey Byerly and Daniel Meager, and that didn’t work out with Joey. This year, we have three guys in the mix: Daniel, Matt [Phillips], and Woody [Wilson]. Daniel didn’t participate much because of his shoulder, but really, I was busy doing the same deal [with Track]. I came back for a little bit, so I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with the guys, because I was so busy with track. Everybody was upbeat though. Two years ago, we were coming off a bowl… a bowl game, a conference championship, so enthusiasm was still high. It was impressive, though, after a 2-9 season to see everyone out there focused and still on the grind trying to be successful. The fact was, we did go 2-9, but, from the way people practiced, you’d never have known that.

What is the story behind the infamous (arms crossed) “Celebration?”

Well, it was a little out of character for me, going through stuff like that. I beat the guy deep, and, of course, I was over there by the student section, so you could hear the yelling and cheering pretty loud. So I decided to pose a little bit for the camera. I caught some heat for it from the coach staff, and I don’t plan on getting another personal foul like that.

Can you give your endorsement to “Johnny Quinn’s Hooligans” as the official fan group of your exploits at North Texas?

I can do that. (laughs). I can do that.

shutter · July 15, 2006

Thanks Johnny for taking the time to answer questions and Illuvius for posting them for us.

LongJim · July 16, 2006

Thanks Johnny for taking the time to answer questions and Illuvius for posting them for us.
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I second that! Great feature!

MeanGreenBuzz · July 16, 2006

and a third from me.

gruu · July 16, 2006

Very nice... I want to see...err... read more of these.

the green rokemi · July 16, 2006

good stuff

drex · July 16, 2006

I run across Johnny every once in awhile at an eating establishment in Denton and I can tell you he is a real class act. Lots of 'yes sirs' and ' no sirs.' I am not a big fan of Dickey ball but I will be there to support Johnny and the others on the team.

LongJim · July 16, 2006

I run across Johnny every once in awhile at an eating establishment in Denton and I can tell you he is a real class act. Lots of 'yes sirs' and ' no sirs.'
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Those are the kind you have to watch out for.

bigrobdsp · July 17, 2006

Johnny Quinn Mailbag
Can you give your endorsement to “Johnny Quinn’s Hooligans” as the official fan group of your exploits at North Texas?
I can do that. (laughs). I can do that.
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I am so proud of myself and all my fellow Hooligans. weve worked long and hard to get here. weve celebrated his successes (sports center highlights, game winning circus catches). We have downed litteraly thousands of beers, at great personal risk mind you, in our pre-game efforts to will him to success. We feel that due to what I will call a "limited Playbook", we have not seen nearly enough of him, but rest assured that we will continue to stand in the corner of the stadium screaming "pass the Damn ball!!!" or "Throw it to Quinn you #)%(&$" in the hopes that our coaching prowess will be recognized and our advice heeded. in conclusion I would just like to say thank you to all the fans that support our fan support group.

pollock · July 17, 2006

I am so proud of myself and all my fellow Hooligans. weve worked long and hard to get here. weve celebrated his successes (sports center highlights, game winning circus catches). We have downed litteraly thousands of beers, at great personal risk mind you, in our pre-game efforts to will him to success. We feel that due to what I will call a "limited Playbook", we have not seen nearly enough of him, but rest assured that we will continue to stand in the corner of the stadium screaming "pass the Damn ball!!!" or "Throw it to Quinn you #)%(&$" in the hopes that our coaching prowess will be recognized and our advice heeded. in conclusion I would just like to say thank you to all the fans that support our fan support group.
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Can I join?

Great interview, BTW.

flyonthewall · July 17, 2006

I can't believe Quoner hasn't shown up spewing forth on his screen.

bigrobdsp · July 17, 2006

Can I join?
Great interview, BTW.
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we will be holding rush events by the beerman tent during pre-game of all home games. wear a green NT polo and boots (flip flops are acceptable during the really hot games). Remember the best Hooligans know that the foundation of any succesfull football game is a solid tailgate, and you cant build a solid tailgate in an hour and a half, so show up early and give your pre-game everything youve got.