Claremont’s McGwire Is the Recruiters’ Pen Pal

For someone who doesn’t write that often, Dan McGwire, 17, receives lots of mail.

But when you’re 6-8 and can throw a football from now until tomorrow, its amazing how many college recruiters want to be your favorite pen pal.

“I have a couple of drawers full of letters in my desk,” the Claremont High senior said. “I get a lot of letters every day. I was getting them last year but they really started coming in September.”

Along with the letters comes a steady stream of phone calls from hopeful recruiters, usually two or three a night, not to mention the extra attention the 220-pound All-American quarterback has received on the field.

He’s in the Fishbowl

No doubt about it, McGwire is in the fishbowl.

It’s enough to drive a 17-year-old crazy.

But it doesn’t. McGwire is enjoying the attention.

At least for the moment.

McGwire, considered by some scouts the top college quarterback prospect in the nation, said that the only part of the recruiting that disturbs him on occasion is the phone calls.

“He tends to get more calls at the beginning of the week,” said McGwire’s mother, Ginger. “The coaches call almost every night and it requires a lot of time talking to them. But you want to be courteous.”

On nights when McGwire has a large amount of homework, he takes evasive action.

“I’ll go to my girlfriend’s house and study there because I have to keep my grades up,” McGwire said. “That’s the No. 1 thing. The recruiters are secondary.”

‘Handling It in Stride’

McGwire’s mother said her son has handled the attention as well as she could have expected.

“We didn’t know what to expect when all the newspapers and magazines printed those (college prospect) lists with him at the top (before the season),” she said. “He has received so many letters and phone calls. But he’s handling it in stride and he hasn’t acted any different because of it. He’s really a very mature 17-year-old.”

After passing for 2,246 yards and 24 touchdowns to lead Claremont to the CIF Eastern Conference championship as a junior, McGwire received national honors before this season.

He was named to the 50-player Street & Smith and 25-player USA Today high school All-American squads and the Herald-Examiner Super 11. Dick Lascola, who runs the Fallbrook-based Scouting Evaluation Assn., called McGwire the top quarterback prospect in the nation.

17 Touchdown Passes

McGwire has lived up to his preseason billing. He has completed 130 of 221 passes for 2,112 yards and 22 touchdowns to lead the Wolfpack to an 9-1 regular season record. He will lead his top-seeded team against Workman Friday in the first round of the CIF Eastern Conference playoffs.

Opposing coaches have devised numerous defensive strategies against him.

“They’re bringing eight people in at once on some occasions,” Claremont Coach Bob Baiz said. “Sometimes they’ll try to camouflage it and some teams just take their chances. But most of the time we pretty much know what an opponent is sending at us because of the way we prepare.”

Pomona and Don Lugo, which handed Claremont its only loss, may have had the most success against McGwire. In the Pomona game, McGwire was held to a season-low 87 yards passing and had two passes intercepted. Against Don Lugo he was intercepted three times and sacked four times and lost three fumbles.

Nonetheless, McGwire left a lasting impression on the coaches of both teams.

‘A Lot of Tools’

“He’s one of the best pure passers I’ve seen in a long time,” Don Lugo Coach John Monger said. “He has a lot of tools and I think he could very well be the best in the nation. I’ve been at Don Lugo for 14 years and . . . he’s about the best I’ve seen.”

Jim Walker, who coaches Pomona, said it is not necessarily McGwire’s statistics that impress him.

“He didn’t have a great passing game against us, but I don’t know if that was even their game plan,” Walker said. “I still think he is a great player. When you have a guy with that much leadership ability, it pretty much speaks for itself.”

A few players who have faced McGwire have not been quite as complimentary.

“Some players tackle me and then tell me I stink or I’m no good, but that just comes with the territory,” McGwire said. “You have to take it in stride and not let it get to you.”

McGwire has been treated much better by Claremont fans, teammates and classmates.

Faithful Following

“After games there are a lot of people who come up to me just to talk. A lot of people come up to me and ask me where I’m going, and I just say I don’t know. I tell them to ask me again in February,” when high school players can sign national letters of intent.

McGwire has made recruiting trips to the University of Illinois and Purdue and expects to take three more before making his decision.

As for the pressure, McGwire said the worst is probably yet to come.

“The real pressure hasn’t started yet,” he said. “As soon as the home visits (by recruiters) begin, that’s when the pressure will start.”

That will happen in December after the season.

In the interim, McGwire said he is more concerned about his schoolwork and leading the Wolfpack to another conference championship.