Teammates Give Ex-Serra Star a Christmas Gift--a Family Visit

It could have been a white Christmas in Colorado for Deon Figures, but instead he got it just the way he would have liked it--a Christmas, albeit a wet one, at home in California.

Figures wouldn’t have been home for the holidays if he and his University of Colorado teammates hadn’t finished the year 8-3 and earned a bid in tonight’s Freedom Bowl.

So Figures, a star at Gardena’s Serra High School, hopped a flight home for the game from Boulder, Colo., where there was a foot of snow on the ground and the temperature was a chilly 36 degrees.

The mercury was at about the same level Christmas eve and Christmas morning at UC Irvine’s sloppy practice field where Colorado worked out amid intermittent rain. But at least Figures and the rest of his California-bred teammates for whom the Freedom Bowl is a homecoming didn’t have to deal with snow flurries at practice.

“When I first got to Colorado, I kind of liked the snow,” said Figures. “But now it’s a little too much. As soon as the snow clears up, some more falls again. Sometimes it seems like it’s just waiting for us to practice so it can snow.”

But neither rain nor sleet nor snow can keep Colorado from its Freedom Bowl date tonight at 5 with Brigham Young (8-4) at Anaheim Stadium. Figures will be the rail-thin freshman speedster at right cornerback in the black jersey with No. 29 on the back.

Figures and the Buffaloes are 5-point favorites in tonight’s game. Things haven’t always been so good for Colorado, however. The last time the Buffaloes tangled with BYU, in 1981, Steve Young and Jim McMahon shot down Colorado in a 41-20 rout. And in 1984, with a woeful 1-10 record, the Buffaloes were the doormats of the Big Eight Conference.

But Coach Bill McCartney has righted the ship. The Buffaloes have gone 28-18 in the last four years and broke into the Associated Press Top 20 for the first time in a decade this season after a victory over Missouri. Colorado is now ranked 21st by the AP poll.

Colorado’s explosive wishbone offense is spearheaded by quarterback Sal Aunese and halfback Eric Bienemy, from Bishop Amat High, the nation’s sixth-leading rusher. But the key to the team’s success is its stingy defense.

Colorado’s young secondary was mistake-prone early in the year. The turning point came after the sixth game when McCartney replaced cornerback Keith Pontiflet with Figures, a raw talent whom he had been bringing along slowly.

Figures had seen a little action in each game to that point. In the Oklahoma State game, Figures defended against All-American receiver Harley Dykes for a few plays. But he spent most of the game watching from the sidelines as Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders rushed for 174 yards to lead the Cowboys to a 41-21 rout of Colorado.

“We were having some inconsistency in our secondary play,” McCartney said. “But we also had this young, talented guy only an opportunity away. We needed to give Figures a chance. It just so happened he got his shot on national television against Oklahoma.”

In that game, before nearly 50,000 fans which turned out for the first night game in the history of Boulder’s Folsom Field, Figures lined up for the first time as the starting corner. Oklahoma won the game, 17-14, but Colorado’s secondary, led by Figures’ gritty man-to-man coverage, put a noose around the Sooners’ passing attack. Oklahoma quarterback Charles Thompson completed only one pass.

“The people I was sticking to didn’t catch any passes,” Figures said. “I was just worried about doing my job and keeping my mind focused on the game.”

With some tips from veteran strong safety Tim James, Figures improved a little game by game. Despite the fact that at 6-1 and 170 pounds he’s small for a Big Eight player, Figures was determined to show he wasn’t awed by the size and speed of his conference opponents.

“I knew they would be big coming in,” Figures said. “But it’s a big jump from high school. Everyone’s either faster than you or bigger than you or stronger than you. The hardest part is adjusting.”

Figures had his game legs by his second start, against Iowa State. Early in the game, Colorado’s pass rush flushed Iowa State quarterback Bret Oberg out of the pocket and he rushed a deep pass intended for the man Figures was covering. Sprinting with his man stride for stride, Figures spun and picked off Oberg’s bomb, then raced 25 yards until dragged down from behind by the receiver.

Figures got his second interception when Oberg lobbed a pass into a crowd in the fourth quarter. Figures came out on top of the pack and made a 32-yard return, and Colorado came away with a 24-12 victory.

Figures was all over the field again in the next game, against Missouri at chilly, rainy Faurot Field in Columbia. But the 37-degree weather didn’t stop Figures from charging between guard and tackle to swat away Jeff Jacke’s first-quarter field goal attempt. Colorado recovered the loose ball and Bienemy plunged across from 4 yards out to give the Buffaloes an early lead.

“It was cold,” Figures said of the blocked kick. “My hands almost broke off on that play.”

Figures proved later in that game that, despite his size, he can make receivers pay for receptions. He went low to submarine a flanker and spun him over like a pinwheel. The receiver landed on top of Figures’ arm on the wet turf, and Figures emerged with a bruised elbow, but he had earned the respect of opponents.

So much so that when postseason awards were announced, Figures had been named an honorable mention All-Big Eight selection at cornerback by AP. The conference coaches also voted Figures as the Big Eight’s top defensive newcomer.

“Deon is poised beyond his years,” McCartney said. “He’s shown he belongs in there.”

McCartney’s deft recruiting of talent like Figures is a major reason for Colorado’s resurgence. McCartney dipped into the California pool two years ago to snag Bienemy. And this year, in addition to Figures and former Serra teammate Eric Hamilton, McCartney plucked Darian Hagan, Locke’s coveted option quarterback, from conference rivals Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Figures and Hamilton helped fill a glaring weakness for McCartney. Colorado’s entire starting secondary had graduated, so Figures knew he’d have a shot to step in right away. He chose Colorado over Oregon, Washington and Hawaii because those schools were packed with defensive backs. Even Hamilton, who was initially recruited as a quarterback and redshirted this season, saw the openings in the Buffaloes’ secondary and will switch to safety next season.

Figures said he wouldn’t have been able to contribute right away at Colorado if his coach at Serra, Dale Washburn, hadn’t provided him with all the mental tools necessary to be a successful college player.

Under Washburn’s guidance, Figures and Hamilton combined to light up Serra’s highlight films last season. The two close friends, who are roommates at Colorado, were seniors on a Serra team that went 9-2 but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Monrovia on a controversial call.

It was Figures’ game-breaking athletic ability that opened Colorado’s eyes. In his senior year at Serra, Figures intercepted six passes and caught 35 of Hamilton’s aerials for 720 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Figures starred in three sports at Serra. He averaged 25.2 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals per game for the Cavaliers’ basketball team. And with 4.5-second speed in the 40-yard dash, Figures ran legs on Serra’s 440 and mile relay teams. He soared 23-2 in the long jump and is considering jumping for Colorado’s track team.

McCartney, for one, would probably prefer that Figures spend his spring in the weight room.

“Like most good college defensive backs, Deon has the great instincts and the natural ability,” McCartney said. “He’s very aggressive and he’s not lacking for the willingness to strike. He just needs to mature a bit more physically.”

Figures would like to add about 20 pounds. His family tried to fatten him last weekend. Figures’ uncles and cousins gathered at his parents’ home in Compton, where they pick up the Colorado television broadcasts on a satellite dish.

Figures’ mother won’t need the dish for the Freedom Bowl--she’s bought $575 in tickets for family and friends from Serra.