Lowery Not Selling Himself Short : Former Trabuco Hills Quarterback Taking a Shot at Canadian Football

If he wears two pairs of socks and thick-heeled shoes, he stands six feet tall, and while that still makes David Lowery a mighty short quarterback, he plays on.

Lowery, who wasn’t impressive enough to start until his senior season at Trabuco Hills High School and who lost his job as San Diego State’s starting quarterback last year, has accepted a contract offer from the British Columbia Lions in the Canadian Football League.

“I still got a lot of heart and determination and the rest of my life to work from 9 to 5,” Lowery said. “So why not try and do something I enjoy and get paid for it?”

Go ahead, tell him he can’t make it.

There were people who tried to deliver a similar message years ago at Trabuco Hills. Primed to start at quarterback his junior season, he was asked instead to play linebacker so a transfer--John Barnes--could call signals.

“I was a painfully average linebacker,” Lowery said, but he became the state’s leading passer with 3,325 yards when given the chance to play quarterback his senior season.

He guided Trabuco Hills to a Southern Section Division VIII title, but the short quarterback failed to measure up to the standards set by recruiting colleges.

“At the last minute--the last day--San Diego State offered a scholarship,” Lowery said. “It was kind of an iffy thing for them, but I took it and figured I’d get a free education.”

He was just happy to be at San Diego State as a freshman, and was overcome with joy when allowed to hand the ball off for one play against Hawaii.

Two years later, after a redshirt sophomore season, he was sitting with teammates at the Aztec postseason banquet and listening to his name being announced as the team’s most valuable player.

Man bites dog; David Lowery beats out Marshall Faulk for MVP honors.

“I told my parents there was no reason to come to the banquet,” Lowery said. “I was shocked.”

Lowery started that storybook season on the bench, but stepped in to start for the Aztecs after 6-7 Cree Morris had flopped. Lowery led his team to a 6-1-1 finish, including a 52-52 tie with BYU when he threw for a school-record 568 yards.

“Maybe if I had thrown for 569 yards it could have produced one more point and a win,” Lowery said. “It’s neat to have the record, but big deal. I’m mentioned in the media guide, but I don’t have a ring for winning a WAC championship.”

Lowery’s junior season ended in disappointment once again with a last-minute loss to Fresno State, costing the Aztecs a Holiday Bowl berth.

In his final season at San Diego State he injured his leg in the opener with Cal State Northridge, played on against California and Air Force before his leg gave way.

“It was broken--a clean break--and no one really knew it until I just couldn’t stand on it any longer,” Lowery said. “Guess I was fortunate that nobody hit me in the leg and did worse damage.”

Lowery, too short to play major-college football, had started 23 consecutive games before being sentenced to crutches.

In late October Lowery recovered sufficiently to return to the lineup, but the starting job now belonged to Tim Gutierrez.

During his three previous years with the Aztecs, Coach Al Luginbill had a policy that any injured starter regained his position once healthy.

“He said that didn’t apply to quarterbacks,” Lowery said.

“I went from being the guy who has to get ready to do this and that to beat the next opponent to being the guy who stops by and says, ‘Hi.’ I remember thinking at the time I could handle it, but looking back it was a harder time than I could imagine.”

The Aztecs played New Mexico, Utah, BYU, Fresno State, and Lowery, the school’s No. 3 passer in yardage, completions and total offense, watched as his senior season slipped away.

“It hasn’t been a banner year for David Lowery,” Lowery told the San Diego Union-Tribune at the time. “How bad has it been? My girlfriend broke up with me the night of the BYU game.”

One more game and one more chance to claim a share of the WAC title, and Luginbill turned to Lowery. For one play.

“He let me start the final game and play one play,” Lowery said. “I got drilled as I threw the ball. It fell incomplete, and they told me I had a guy wide open on the other side of the field.”

Thanks for the memories.

On the final play of the first half, however, Gutierrez suffered a shoulder injury, and Lowery was in command for the final 30 minutes of his career. The Aztecs trailed 31-17, but Lowery pushed his team into position to win with 15 seconds to play.

Wyoming had a 43-38 lead, but the Aztecs had the ball at the Cowboys’ nine-yard line with two more plays to run. Lowery tried to lob the ball to the corner of the end zone to wide receiver Darnay Scott, but his throw sailed high and incomplete.

On the final play of the game the same play came in from the sideline and produced the same incomplete results.

“I remember vividly the walk from the field after the game,” said Lowery, who threw 44 touchdown passes to tie Brian Sipe in third place on the Aztecs’ all-time list. “It was the last game of the year, possibly the last game of my career, my parents were there, my friends, and I took my time walking.

“I had made up my mind after the game that it wasn’t in the books for me to play anymore. I was going to graduate in May, go to Europe with some friends, travel and get on with my life.”

Did someone say Doug Flutie?

“I decided Europe will always be there, but the chance to play football won’t,” Lowery said. “I looked at the rosters of the CFL teams and the tallest quarterback is like 6-2. Flutie (Calgary Stampeders) threw for 6,000 yards and 44 touchdowns last year.

“It’s just too bad he’s so short, or he’d be one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.”

If only Lowery had been taller . . .

“I knew I wouldn’t be that tall because my mom’s 5 feet tall and my dad is about 5-11. I always wanted to be 6-2, but I stopped growing at 5-11 and 3/4. You can’t get mad at what you’re dealt.

“When I go back home my friend and I look at tapes of when we were juniors in high school playing defense. It’s pretty incredible what has happened since then. I have to pinch myself when I look at what has happened; I just wanted to get on the field at San Diego State and I ended up starting 23 straight games.”

The Aztecs lost their final four games last season with Lowery on the sideline. He has repeatedly declined to criticize the Aztec coaching staff for not playing him, and said he is now looking forward to training camp in Vancouver beginning June 2--two days after graduation.

“Things might not have gone how I would have liked my senior year, but if you dwell on negative things you’re not going to go anywhere in life,” he said. “I could be home two weeks after going to Canada and not make it. But you know, I was driving back from Orange County the other night after a family outing, and I was thinking to myself just how content I am right now. I’m pretty happy with the way things have gone.”