Cal State Fullerton Glad Celestine Put Big Foot Forward : Titans: Wide receiver, who wears a size 11 or 12 sneaker, helps team score against Auburn when ball bounces off his shoe.

It’s a running feud between Cal State Fullerton receiver J.J. Celestine and assistant coach Jim Chaney.

Chaney insists Celestine, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior who leads the team in receptions, has big feet.

“He looks like a clown,” the Titan wide receivers coach says. “He’s got the biggest feet for a receiver you’ve ever seen.”

Celestine says it isn’t so. He says he can fit into a size 10 sneaker but wears an 11 or 12 because he likes to have a little room in his shoes.

“I suppose if you see me standing sideways, my feet look pretty big for a guy as short as me,” Celestine said. “But I just like wearing big shoes. The coaches joke about it, but I think it’s a bad rap.”

Chaney and Celestine may never see toe-to-toe on the matter, but on this they can agree: One of Celestine’s big--or normal-sized--feet was in the right place at the right time last Saturday, and the result was a big-play touchdown against Auburn.

Late in the third quarter, Titan quarterback Paul Schulte threw a long pass to Celestine, who was running a streak pattern up the left sideline.

Celestine and Auburn cornerback Mike Pina went up for the ball and Pina tipped it. Both players fell, but the ball bounced off the side of Celestine’s foot and into the air.

Fullerton running back Reggie Yarbrough, trailing Celestine on the play, caught the deflection at the Tigers’ 47-yard line and ran into the end zone to complete a 66-yard scoring play that cut Auburn’s lead to 31-17.

The play was reminiscent of Pittsburgh Steeler running back Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception against the Oakland Raiders in the 1972 playoffs, but Celestine had a hard time reminiscing about it this week. He wasn’t even sure how it happened.

“We went up for the ball and I think we both tipped it,” Celestine said. “We both fell to the ground and I thought the play was over. Then I heard everyone screaming. I figured it was an interception, so I tried to trip some Auburn guys as they ran by.

“Then I saw everyone chasing Reggie. I didn’t even feel the ball hit off my foot, but I was glad it fell in Reggie’s hands.”

Ten passes have made their way into Celestine’s hands for a total of 113 yards in two games this season. He caught a five-yard touchdown pass in the 38-17 loss to Auburn and a seven-yard touchdown pass in a 38-24 victory over Sonoma State.

Celestine, who is Fullerton’s fastest player, also has returned eight kickoffs for 150 yards, giving him a team-leading 263 all-purpose yards entering Saturday’s game at Mississippi State.

After four years at Fullerton, the first one as a redshirt, Celestine is finally playing a prominent role, something he hasn’t done for a football team since his days at Riverside’s Notre Dame High School.

“It feels good knowing you’re playing and have a secure spot, but I haven’t been in that position--being the player they go to--since high school,” Celestine said. “That’s a lot of pressure, from myself and my friends.”

Celestine spent most of his freshman and sophomore seasons putting pressure on other receivers, not catching passes. He was recruited as a defensive back, but when injuries cut into Coach Gene Murphy’s receiving depth midway through the 1988 season, he moved Celestine to receiver.

The switch paid off immediately. Celestine, making his first start late in the season against San Jose State, caught an 87-yard touchdown pass from Dan Speltz on the game’s opening play, the second-longest touchdown pass in Titan history.

But Celestine doesn’t seem surprised by his success. He had played receiver in high school, he had good hands and great speed--he has been timed in the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds. This was only a matter of having the right tools for the right job.

“I was excited about scoring to open the game, but I knew I could play,” said Celestine, a communications major who is on course to graduate in May. “That play was no big thing. I just went back to the sideline afterward.”

That’s where he wound up a few weeks into the 1989 season. Celestine began the year as a starter but lost his job to Tony Dill midway through the season. Playing a reserve role, Celestine finished with 23 receptions for 275 yards and a touchdown.

As the only one of Fullerton’s top seven receivers from 1989 returning, Celestine figured he’d be one of the Titans’ leading targets--and leaders--this season. He has been both.

“He has really come around as a leader and he’s more serious about the game of football,” Chaney said. “Last year, he knew Tony Dill was ahead of him and that affected his attitude. But he came out this season determined to be the best he can be.”

Celestine knows he can be a lot better, though. He has the physical attributes coaches like in a receiver, but he’s still learning the techniques of the position--how to read defensive coverages, how to run certain patterns, how to improvise.

“He just needs more experience,” Chaney said. “Every game he plays, he’s going to get better.”