SHELTON -- The light from the television camera that had stopped him in the parking lot for an interview shut off and Dan Orlovsky took the first steps toward Finn Stadium. He went through the chain-link fence gate and walked on the old, cracked asphalt driveway that led to the football field.
Just like that, Orlovsky was walking backwards in time. Back to a day when he was a wide-eyed freshman, getting his first chance to dress with the varsity.
Before that, Orlovsky had dreamed of playing for the Gaels. He started playing flag football when he was 8. Pop Warner started a couple of years after that. The ultimate goal was to play for the Gaels and coach Joe Benanto.
"Oh yeah, just to start in high school. When you're in
high school and you're in this area, high school football is big," Orlovsky said. "And when you start in high school, you're considered a big deal.
"I knew about Shelton football. I remember I'd sit in the stands as a kid and watch Kevin Ranger go like 95 yards for a touchdown, he was a big deal back then. I knew my football history and knew about Shelton and all the historical aspects of it. That meant a lot to me."
Big deal? Orlovsky is a very big deal. As a senior, he led Shelton to a 12-0 record and the Class LL state championship. As a senior at UConn, he led the Huskies to the Motor City Bowl championship. Now, one day, he hopes to lead the NFL's Houston Texans to the Super Bowl.
"It's been a long journey, it's
been one filled with ups and downs," he said. "Some great moments and some difficult ones to fight through, but I'm thankful for each and every one of them, because it allowed me to become what I always wanted to become."
He is a professional quarterback in the NFL, but on Wednesday night, Dan Orlovsky was Shelton's hero once again as the town turned out at Finn Stadium to retire his No. 7 in a ceremony after the annual Black and White spring football scrimmage.
"It's neat. It's something you never think about happening. It probably won't hit me until I'm older," he said. "It's something I know is special because I know what it took to get there. I don't think I deserve it, but it's something that I'll treasure."
Orlovsky got the starting job for the Gaels during his sophomore season and never let it go. As a senior, Orlovsky led Shelton to the Class LL championship. That year, he passed for 2,489 yards and 22 touchdowns, which opened the eyes of such big-time schools as
Michigan, Virginia, Purdue and Boston College.
Dan's father, Dan Sr., wanted his son to go to Purdue. Dan, however, had other plans.
There was a school close by. A school in the process of making the move toward Division I status. There would be hardships and frustrations, but the son was convinced that's where he wanted to go.
And UConn's Randy Edsall was thrilled.
Four years, a bowl game victory and several new school records later, Orlovsky left UConn for the Detroit Lions and the NFL. His Husky numbers? Try 916 completions in 1,566 attempts (a 58.4 percent completion rate), 10,706 yards and 84 touchdowns. All are tops in the UConn record book.
After three seasons with the Lions (basically holding a clipboard and wearing a headset), Orlovsky got his chance last fall when Jon Kitna went down with a back injury in Week 4. He threw for 265 yards against Houston and 225 against Washington, both losses. Orlovsky broke his thumb on the first play of the game the next week against the Chicago Bears, but still managed 28 completions, including two for touchdowns. He threw for 292 yards, but the Lions still lost.
Overall, his 143 completions, eight TDs and 1,616 yards passing were pretty good. Orlovsky felt those numbers were good enough to give him a fair shot at the starter's job for 2009. The Lions didn't. So he signed a three-year free agent deal with the Texans to back up Matt Schaub worth $9.15 million.
But it all started right here at Finn Stadium, getting to dress with the varsity for a couple of games as a freshman in 1996. The year before, the Gaels won their second Class LL title. Three years later, Orlovsky would lead them to their third.
"I was fortunate to dress as a freshman for some of the varsity games, but the first time when it was really meaningful was a scrimmage we had against Masuk when I was a sophomore, and I knew I was fighting for a starting job," he said. "I ended up doing some good things in the scrimmage and it just went from there.
Just like that, Orlovsky was walking backwards in time. Back to a day when he was a wide-eyed freshman, getting his first chance to dress with the varsity.
Before that, Orlovsky had dreamed of playing for the Gaels. He started playing flag football when he was 8. Pop Warner started a couple of years after that. The ultimate goal was to play for the Gaels and coach Joe Benanto.
"Oh yeah, just to start in high school. When you're in
high school and you're in this area, high school football is big," Orlovsky said. "And when you start in high school, you're considered a big deal.
"I knew about Shelton football. I remember I'd sit in the stands as a kid and watch Kevin Ranger go like 95 yards for a touchdown, he was a big deal back then. I knew my football history and knew about Shelton and all the historical aspects of it. That meant a lot to me."
Big deal? Orlovsky is a very big deal. As a senior, he led Shelton to a 12-0 record and the Class LL state championship. As a senior at UConn, he led the Huskies to the Motor City Bowl championship. Now, one day, he hopes to lead the NFL's Houston Texans to the Super Bowl.
"It's been a long journey, it's
been one filled with ups and downs," he said. "Some great moments and some difficult ones to fight through, but I'm thankful for each and every one of them, because it allowed me to become what I always wanted to become."
He is a professional quarterback in the NFL, but on Wednesday night, Dan Orlovsky was Shelton's hero once again as the town turned out at Finn Stadium to retire his No. 7 in a ceremony after the annual Black and White spring football scrimmage.
"It's neat. It's something you never think about happening. It probably won't hit me until I'm older," he said. "It's something I know is special because I know what it took to get there. I don't think I deserve it, but it's something that I'll treasure."
Orlovsky got the starting job for the Gaels during his sophomore season and never let it go. As a senior, Orlovsky led Shelton to the Class LL championship. That year, he passed for 2,489 yards and 22 touchdowns, which opened the eyes of such big-time schools as
Michigan, Virginia, Purdue and Boston College.
Dan's father, Dan Sr., wanted his son to go to Purdue. Dan, however, had other plans.
There was a school close by. A school in the process of making the move toward Division I status. There would be hardships and frustrations, but the son was convinced that's where he wanted to go.
And UConn's Randy Edsall was thrilled.
Four years, a bowl game victory and several new school records later, Orlovsky left UConn for the Detroit Lions and the NFL. His Husky numbers? Try 916 completions in 1,566 attempts (a 58.4 percent completion rate), 10,706 yards and 84 touchdowns. All are tops in the UConn record book.
After three seasons with the Lions (basically holding a clipboard and wearing a headset), Orlovsky got his chance last fall when Jon Kitna went down with a back injury in Week 4. He threw for 265 yards against Houston and 225 against Washington, both losses. Orlovsky broke his thumb on the first play of the game the next week against the Chicago Bears, but still managed 28 completions, including two for touchdowns. He threw for 292 yards, but the Lions still lost.
Overall, his 143 completions, eight TDs and 1,616 yards passing were pretty good. Orlovsky felt those numbers were good enough to give him a fair shot at the starter's job for 2009. The Lions didn't. So he signed a three-year free agent deal with the Texans to back up Matt Schaub worth $9.15 million.
But it all started right here at Finn Stadium, getting to dress with the varsity for a couple of games as a freshman in 1996. The year before, the Gaels won their second Class LL title. Three years later, Orlovsky would lead them to their third.
"I was fortunate to dress as a freshman for some of the varsity games, but the first time when it was really meaningful was a scrimmage we had against Masuk when I was a sophomore, and I knew I was fighting for a starting job," he said. "I ended up doing some good things in the scrimmage and it just went from there.
