Hill Finally Makes Name for Himself : Football: Colorado State quarterback, a University City grad, has been impressive while staying out of limelight.
Anthoney Hill laughed at the notion that, from what the hometown folks know of him, he never lived in San Diego.
He laughed in amusement from his apartment in Ft. Collins, Colo.
He laughed in agreement.
“They still think I went to University (of San Diego High),” said Hill, who attended University City High. Now a third-year sophomore at Colorado State, Hill is the quarterback who will lead the Rams against San Diego State at 11 a.m. (PST) Saturday.
The game will mark the one-year anniversary of Hill’s first start, as a redshirt freshman facing Brigham Young.
One week later, he scored his first touchdown, on a 23-yard run. He did it against the Aztecs at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.
Those curious enough to check read in the Colorado State media guide that Hill went to USDHS.
“A lot of people didn’t really know about me then, and they probably still don’t,” Hill said. “I hope I can do things here to make people notice.”
They’ve noticed in Ft. Collins. The Rams are 3-5, 2-3 in the Western Athletic Conference, but Coach Earle Bruce sees the day when those records will be reversed. Bruce, who has tutored some good ones, calls Hill the best quarterbacking talent he has coached.
Said SDSU Coach Al Luginbill, who scouted Hill but never recruited him, “That athlete at quarterback--running and throwing the football--is the best athlete we’ve played this year at that spot.”
Such an evaluation is no surprise to those who watched the 5-foot-11 165-pounder (he now weighs 186) star in two sports at University City. Perhaps better known for his basketball prowess, Hill was the Times All-County point guard as a senior in 1989-90, right after passing for nearly 2,000 yards.
Hill has become a double threat in CSU’s wishbone offense, passing for 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns and completing 50% of his passes. He has also rushed for 424 yards.
Hill ranks higher than Aztec quarterback David Lowery and running back Marshall Faulk in total offense in the WAC. Hill is sixth with 220.4 yards per game; Lowery (199.5) and Faulk (187.0) are seventh and eighth.
“(The Rams) run a lot of option and a lot of traps, things Anthoney Hill can really do,” Luginbill said. “We’re going to make sure we know where Anthoney Hill is all the time.”
Don’t expect Hill to bask in celebrity. He’s never been into self-promotion. He never bothered to correct the media guide’s alma mater snafu, and only recently did he reveal the birth-certificate spelling of his first name is Anthoney. That everyone was spelling his name without the E was of no real concern.
He was overshadowed throughout high school by Jerome Price, a childhood pal who practically lives with Hill when he comes back to San Diego. Nor did he fall in with the partying crowd. Hill is a self-described homebody, who never went out after a ballgame if it took him away from his Nintendo football.
“A lot of people knew Anthoney was a better student in class,” said Price, who was recruited in three sports but fell short of four-year schools’ academic standards. “After school, he would always do his homework first. I would go play basketball. I always put my homework off until the last minute.
“Now, when Anthoney comes home, he just sleeps. He’s lazy. But I’ll always be at his house, or he’ll be at mine.”
Hill and Price were a two-man high-wire act at UC. Both made immediate impact.
“The first day we saw him, we didn’t know who he was,” UC football Coach Steve Vukojevich said of Hill. “But we knew right off, he was going to be a great one. We made him the starter as a sophomore, and he took charge in a very silent way.”
Price, however, made a bigger splash, hurtling his 6-2 frame to a third-place finish in the state in the long jump. He finished second as a junior and finally won the event as a senior.
“My name was always mentioned in front of his,” said Price. “I think I got more attention because of what I did in track.”
On the basketball floor, Hill would lead fast breaks and hit three-point shots, while Price was rebounding, dunking and leaping. UC made it to the section 2-A championship game when they were seniors.
Hill’s coming-out party in football didn’t occur until the last regular-season game of his junior year, when he led the Centurions to the City Western League title. It was Hill’s clutch passing--including 10 completions for 191 yards and two touchdowns--that set up a last-second field goal by Kevin Hall and a 17-15 victory over USDHS.
In a departure from his low-key character, Hill stood amid a wild celebration and allowed himself some credit.
“Coach (Vukojevich) kept telling me I was one of the best quarterbacks in the county,” he said to reporters. “I believe him . . .”
The relationship between Hill and Price, ongoing since fifth grade, tightened when Price decided to try out for wide receiver the next year. As it turned out, Hill and Price were the only weapons on a UC team that had a poor offensive line.
What weapons they were, with Hill sprinting out and scrambling on nearly every play--either running for first downs or connecting with Price on what were often spectacular completions.
Hill threw for 1,903 yards and 16 touchdowns, 12 of them to Price.
“I remember UC didn’t have a line, but they had those athletes,” said SDSU tight end Marc Ziegler, who faced Hill and Price when he played for Mira Mesa High. “I remember Tony Hill made things happen.”
Bruce, the former coach at Iowa State and Ohio State who was in his first season at Colorado State, watched the films. He saw how Hill used his strong arm and quick legs as a survival instinct. He saw his future option quarterback.
“I never really thought about it like that,” Hill said of that year on the run, “but that might be one of the things that got me here.”
Bruce flew to San Diego and spoke with Hill and Price separately. He wanted them as a package deal. Hill jumped at the offer. Price opted to play basketball for two years at Grossmont College. And, after two years at Grossmont, Price said he passed on offers to transfer to Utah, San Francisco State and Cal Poly Pomona. With one year of collegiate eligibility left, Price is now at San Diego Mesa College, rededicating himself to track.
“I wasn’t into football that much; you get hurt,” said Price. “And I wasn’t ready to make that (academic) step yet.”
Hill took Price under his wing their senior year and became a strong influence when it came to studies.
“I wish I could have been better,” Hill confessed. “Jerome should be somewhere, jumping in somebody’s pit or dunking basketballs in somebody’s hoop. He has too much talent.
“I thought we would end up at the same place. At UC, we were inseparable. I thought we’d still be together.”
Truth be told, Hill believed he had a way out of what he called a depressed neighborhood.
“Living in Southeast, I didn’t want to go out at night and be taking chances,” he said. “I felt my ticket out was a scholarship.”
After graduating with a 3.1 grade-point average his senior year, Hill’s ascent to Division I quarterback has been smooth. He won’t turn 21 until Christmas Eve, but Colorado State publicist Gary Ozzello said Hill has shown maturity beyond his years.
“This is his team,” Ozzello said. “You can ask any of the linemen, he’s not shy in the huddle. He takes charge. He’s vastly underrated.”
“My last couple games, my throws have not been very good,” said Hill. “I’ve been overthrowing people or throwing behind people. I’m going to try to solve that this week. But I have all the confidence in the world.
“I’m really pumped for this game. I have a lot to prove to myself. And playing San Diego State . . . oh man, it’s not so much personal, but there’s a lot of guys that I know. You try to play above the level at which you normally play.”
Back home, Price has become one of Hill’s biggest fans.
“I’m not surprised by his success,” said Price. “He was a good quarterback in Pop Warner and in high school. Anthoney was raised to be a quarterback.
“It would be nice if they showed his games on TV.”