Phone Finally Rings for Voorhees; CSUN Lineman Drafted by Giants

The phone call Barry Voorhees had waited the better part of a lifetime to answer came Monday at 9:30 a.m.

The New York Giants had made the 6-foot-5, 302-pound Cal State Northridge offensive guard an eighth-round selection in Monday’s National Football League draft. A staffer from the team’s player personnel department was on the line waiting to tell him about it.

So where was Voorhees?

Asleep in his room.

“I hadn’t slept much all night and when I finally did, that’s when the call came,” Voorhees said. “My mom had to wake me up.”

There were 217 players picked ahead of Voorhees, 33 of whom were offensive linemen. But that mattered little when the call finally came. He was the only offensive lineman chosen by the Giants.

“Hopefully, it’s the start of something,” said Voorhees, who was scheduled to fly out of Santa Barbara this morning headed for a two-day mini-camp in New Jersey. “I went a little later than I expected. I thought maybe the fourth through sixth round, but I’m just happy that it happened.”

In all, five players with ties to the region were selected in the 12-round draft.

Indianapolis, the team which had shown the most pre-draft interest in Voorhees, picked two former local standouts in the fourth round. Bill Schultz, a guard from Kennedy High and USC, was taken 94th overall and defensive back Alan Grant, from St. Francis High and Stanford, went eight players later with a choice the Colts obtained in a trade with Washington.

Running back Michael Pringle, of Kennedy High and Cal State Fullerton, was taken by Atlanta in the sixth round. Former Montclair Prep standout Tim Stallworth, a wide receiver from Washington State, went to the Rams later in the same round.

Ken Whitney, a 6-3, 300-pound offensive lineman from Cal Lutheran, was not selected but he has drawn interest as a free agent.

Whitney will work out with Raiders today, and the Rams and Saints have expressed interest, Whitney’s agent said.

Among the players Voorhees was chosen ahead of were quarterback Major Harris of West Virginia, a Heisman Trophy finalist; Brad Leggett, a starting guard for USC; and Texas A&I; running back Johnny Bailey, a three-time winner of the Harlon Hill Award as the nation’s top Division II player.

However, Voorhees does not hold the distinction of being the only Northridge player ever drafted, as was previously reported.

After six months of saying Voorhees could become the first, the school discovered Monday that there was predecessor. In 1973, defensive back Doug Jones was a sixth-round choice of the Kansas City Chiefs.