NOTES : First Harvey Flips Burgers, Then Upends Ballcarriers
With a 31-inch waist and 7% body fat on his 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame, linebacker Ken Harvey is the McLean Deluxe of the Phoenix Cardinal defense.
But if not for a decision to return to school eight years ago, Harvey might have been flipping burgers under the Golden Arches instead of upending ballcarriers Sunday under the Big A.
Harvey, who had two sacks and a fumble recovery in the Cardinals’ 24-14 victory over the Rams, dropped out of Lanier (Tex.) High School after his junior year to work in a McDonald’s franchise as a line cook.
His former agent, Joe Martin, spotted him working out in an Austin gym and made a call to the Laney (Tex.) Community College coach, who invited Harvey to join the team.
Harvey accepted, finished his high school requirements and played football at Laney before transferring to California, where he earned first-team, All-Pacific 10 honors in 1988.
“I had my ups and downs, but I always believed I could make it in life,” Harvey said. “At the time, I was missing a lot of school and would have flunked out if I didn’t drop out. But at McDonald’s, I saw how I could work all those hours and not get much money. I realized there had to be something more.”
Running back Cleveland Gary was dressed and out of the Rams’ locker room before Robert Delpino could strip the tape off his ankles. Delpino was doing a postgame radio interview as Gary rushed by and slipped out the door.
“Nice game, Robert,” Gary called over his shoulder.
“Thanks, Cleve,” Delpino yelled, looking up in time to see the door close.
Gary, who fumbled 12 times last season, dropped the ball again Sunday, resulting in one of seven Ram turnovers.
“I have a lot of empathy for Cleve,” said Delpino. “My rookie season (with the Rams), I got the opportunity to be a ballcarrier and I fumbled two times.
“There’s not a running back, a fullback or a quarterback in this league who doesn’t put the ball on the ground sometimes. If there is, he’s Superman. Cleve’s a great back. He’ll bounce back.”
Phoenix linebacker Eric Hill was as surprised at his 85-yard touchdown return of a fumble recovery as the Rams must have been.
After quarterback Jim Everett fumbled the snap from the Cardinal 15-yard line, Hill fell on the ball in the middle of the field. He remained on his stomach for a split second before getting up and rambling into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
“There was a pause before I took off running,” Hill said. “I was shocked no one touched me on the ground. But once I got up and started running, it helped that all their speed guys (receivers) had gone up field.”
Here Today . . . but Tomorrow? After Sunday’s game, someone in the press box asked, “Who was Vernon Turner with before he was cut?”
And somebody answered with another question: “You mean last week or today?”
The Rams acquired Turner, who was waived last week by the Buffalo Bills, to return punts and kickoffs. Sunday against Phoenix, he touched the ball five times and fumbled it twice. The first resulted in a Cardinal touchdown; the second in a field goal.
“The first one, the guy caught my funny bone,” Turner said. “The second time, he timed his hit perfectly. Coach John Robinson knows that things like this happen. If I just concentrate out there, I’ll be OK next week.”
If there is a next week.
“Hopefully I’ll get a second chance,” Turner said.
Times Staff Writer John Weyler contributed to this story.
