O’Neil Isn’t One to Duck Work : Football: Former Mater Dei quarterback has taken charge at Oregon.

It is late summer and, if he were at home in Newport Beach, Danny O’Neil could be shark fishing off the coast of Orange County. That has been one of his favorite pastimes for more than 10 years.

But time and distance have prevented him from posting the “gone fishing” sign more than once this summer. He has been too busy preparing himself, mentally and physically, for his final season as Oregon’s starting quarterback. The start of practice was near, and O’Neil, formerly of Mater Dei, wanted there to be no mistake about it: His commitment is clearly, unquestionably to football.

He spent the summer in Eugene, working out and hoping to be in the best possible shape for the season.

But soon he will be back in shark-infested territory. This time, though, the sharks will be those massive but thunderbolt-quick pass rushers, who will have O’Neil as their prey. But they’d better be fighting sharks if they want his respect. He can quickly tell the difference.

“When you’re fishing, there are a lot of blue sharks that come around,” O’Neil said. “They’re big, but those aren’t the ones you want to catch. They just lay around. They’re not good fighters. They just get in the way. . . . There are some football players like that.

“The ones you want are the makos. When one of them strikes, you know it. When they grab your line, it really starts jumping. The makos are quick, and they’ll fight non-stop until they die. And you know when it’s all over, you’ve had a real fight. If I were a shark, I’d want to be a mako.”

Those who know O’Neil best as an athlete say he is mako all the way.

This season, however, will be an important test for him. It’s not so much a matter of putting eye-popping statistics on the board. He did that a year ago when he passed for 3,224 yards. He threw for more than 300 yards six times, and became one of only four Pac-10 quarterbacks to pass for more than 3,000 in a season.

One problem from a recognition standpoint was that two other former Orange County high school players, Steve Stenstrom of Stanford and Rob Johnson of USC, also did it in the same season, and both their passing numbers were slightly better. O’Neil, however, finished ahead of Stenstrom in passing efficiency and edged Johnson in total offense.

But it’s more a question of whether O’Neil can dramatically turn Oregon into a winner. The Ducks were close last year, finishing with a 5-6 record, but were left out of the postseason bowl lineup after ending the season with three consecutive losses.

That has gnawed at O’Neil since the season ended.

“The good numbers just weren’t translating into wins,” he said. “I’d give up a ton of personal stats for a few more victories.

“But I’m trying not to think about last season now, even though it was disappointing to me. It was really disappointing after we get off to a 3-0 start, and then have a 30-point lead in the fourth game to be 4-0 for the SC game the following weekend.”

Even though O’Neil threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter and finished with 313 yards in that game at Cal, the wheels fell off in the second half when the Bears scored 35 points and won, 42-41. The Ducks weren’t quite the same team again in 1993.

The year before, O’Neil passed for more than 2,000 yards. That immediately allowed him to be mentioned in the same breath with such former Oregon quarterback stars as Bill Musgrave, Chris Miller and Dan Fouts.

As a freshman, O’Neil had suffered a dislocated thumb on his passing hand that ended his season in the fifth game, but he still wound up throwing for 703 yards. His three-year passing total stands at 6,089 yards, third among the school’s career leaders, trailing only Musgrave (8,343 yards) and Miller (6,681).

Oregon Coach Rich Brooks is confident O’Neil is as good as any quarterback in the conference, and will be among the nation’s best this year. “He probably would have gotten more recognition last season if we had made it to a bowl game,” Brooks said.

But O’Neil doesn’t have any ego-inflated ideas that he can do it alone, regardless of how many yards he gets. One of his frustrations has been the fact that the team is no better than .500 (14-14) in games he has started in three years.

Oregon also hasn’t been a come-from-behind team during that time. The Ducks are 0-14 during that span in games in which they’ve trailed at halftime or fallen behind in the second half. O’Neil hopes that image will change this season, as well.

“It’s going to take a strong desire by everyone,” O’Neil said. “It’s not going to be just how well the coaches call the game. The players are going to have to step up and make a great block, or a great catch, or some great play. Great players do that. That’s what it’s all about.

“What we’ve been missing is a winning attitude. Last year we were in some situations where we could have won games, but nobody seemed to know exactly what to do. You have to really want to win . . . above being nervous, or scared, or anything else.”

That’s one of the reasons O’Neil was so diligent about his off-season training. “If people are just hanging out in the summer, not thinking about football and not improving their strength or their speed, they don’t want it badly enough,” he said. “If you don’t put much into it, it doesn’t become as important to you.”

That searing will to win has been a part of O’Neil’s makeup since he first played sports.

Tom Marumoto of Newport Beach, a personal coach to O’Neil since he was in the fourth grade, said O’Neil’s competitive drive is special. “I’ve worked with a lot of athletes who have been successful, but Danny has the ability to make people believe in him.” he said.

Marumoto worked with O’Neil primarily as a shooting coach in basketball. “People don’t realize how hard he works,” Marumoto said. “I remember especially the time right before Mater Dei was going to the State tournament his senior year. He called me and wanted to work out three extra nights that week to be sure he was ready for the tournament. That’s the way he is.”

O’Neil said Marumoto “has been a big influence on my life” because of his emphasis on “the team concept and the work ethic.”

Bruce Rollinson was the first-year coach at Mater Dei for O’Neil’s senior season. “I was very fortunate to have someone like him,” Rollinson said. “He had a burning desire to excel at whatever he did. He can’t stand to deal with anything that’s not successful.

“We were 0-3 at the start of the season, and Danny came up to me after practice one day the next week and told me that he also could play positions if I thought that would help the team win. So we decided to also have him play free safety the next game, although we told him to be careful. All he did was intercept two passes, cause one fumble and recover another one.”

Not only did O’Neil star in football and do well in basketball at Mater Dei, he also played on the varsity golf and volleyball teams. The double practice sessions kept him constantly on the run in volleyball season. “The main reason I was able to do it was because the volleyball coach was a walk-on and they didn’t start practice until around 6:30 each evening,” he said. “It was a lot to do, but I had a blast.”

O’Neil had no doubt that football was going to be his sport in college. The question was where he was going to play.

“Both my brothers went to USC, and they wanted me to go there,” O’Neil said. “In fact, my whole family did. I grew up as a USC fan and went to every one of their home games my senior year. USC recruited me, then backed off for a while. Then when their first choice backed out, they got back on me strong after that. It really came down to the fact that I wanted to go where I could play right away. I didn’t want to sit behind Todd Marinovich for two years.”

O’Neil said he’s been happy at Oregon. “There is life beyond the traffic and the smog,” O’Neil said, smiling.

O’Neil will enjoy Oregon even more if this season goes as he hopes. “I think we’ll be fine,” he said. “I’m very happy with the receiving corps. Cristin McLemore had a great season last year, and there are other good receivers as well.” McLemore, who played at Marina, caught 50 passes for 791 yards in 1993 as a sophomore.

How well he and the Ducks do this season could have an impact on his chances to play pro football. Some so-called experts already have their doubts. Pro Football Weekly draft analyst Joel Buchsbaum says O’Neil probably won’t be taken in the seven-round draft next year and will likely have to catch on as a free agent. “He’s a decent college quarterback,” Buchsbaum said. “I don’t want to say anything bad about the kid, but he’s no Chris Miller, or Bill Musgrave for that matter.” Others still are reserving judgment, and some of those who have been closer to O’Neil than Buchsbaum are betting that O’Neil will find a way if he sets his mind to it.

“When he went to Oregon, I told people there that he was the kind of player who would set all the passing records, and I think he’ll find a way to play pro football, too, if that’s what he wants,” Rollinson said.

Brooks also thinks he can play on the pro level, even though at 6-2 and 178 pounds he doesn’t have the physique of the prototypical pro quarterback.

“Chris Miller is only 6-2 and he’s done well,” Brooks said. “Danny has a lot of skills. He has real good anticipation, and he throws a real catchable ball. He has that knack of putting the ball where it needs to be.” But hopes for a pro career don’t consume him. In fact, O’Neil said he might go into the ministry, sooner or later. He’s a born-again Christian.

“I grew up in a Christian home, but in high school I got into the whole party thing . . . alcohol . . . a messed-up lifestyle,” he said. “I’ve been a Christian for 2 1/2 years. I’ve played football with Jesus and without him, and I can tell you it’s a lot better with him.”

O’Neil said he’s more at peace with his life now.

“From a pro football viewpoint, I sort of feel as though it’s out of my control,” O’Neil said. “If someone thinks I’m good enough, then I’ll try out for their team. But I’m very relaxed about what might happen. The idea pushes me to me to work hard, but I don’t look at it as an ultimate goal. Right now, I just want to do the best I can for this team, and try to win games.”

Danny O’Neil

Oregon

Hgt.: 6-2

Wgt.: 178

Year: Sr.

College career statistics: Has passed for 6,089 yards and 40 touchdowns in three seasons, with 28 interceptions. His completion percentage is .578.

Oregon’s record with O’Neil as starter: 14-14

High school highlights: Passed for 2,198 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior at Mater Dei, giving up only two interceptions during the season. Named to the Division I CIF Southern Section all-star first team for two consecutive seasons.

College records: Passed for 3,224 yards and had 3,087 yards in total offense in 1993, both school records. He also threw for more than 300 yards six times, another school record. Tied for most touchdown passes in one game at four.

Miscellaneous: Needs 2,254 yards this season to pass Bill Musgrave as the school’s career passing leader. . . . Might be the team’s punter on occasion this season.

The Series

Sunday: Three quarterbacks who played high school football in Orange County will be starters in the Pac-10 this season; two more will be key backups. A look at the area’s quarterback-rich tradition.

Monday: Steve Stenstrom, El Toro and Stanford.

Tuesday: Rob Johnson, El Toro and USC.

Today: Danny O’Neil, Mater Dei and Oregon.

Thursday: Tim Carey, Los Alamitos and Stanford; and Pat Barnes, Trabuco Hills and Cal.