Who Will Be Next King of Jacks? : Super Bowl Offers Nobodies an Opportunity Become Somebody; Just Ask Former Raider Jack Squirek

Jack Squirek.

If the man does nothing else in life--and for the rest of his career as a football player he didn’t--the name will forever be recognizable: “Yeah, that guy who intercepted a pass and scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl.”

A nobody becomes somebody.

“The week before the game all the players were available for the reporters, who were looking for Marcus Allen, Jim Plunkett, Howie Long and guys like that,” Squirek said. “Ed Muransky and I sat at the same table: We played cards a lot. Crazy eights.

“The next thing I know I’m on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Man, I mean I dreamed of playing in a Super Bowl as a kid. But never, I never dreamed of scoring a touchdown.”

Even Rudy didn’t score a touchdown for Notre Dame. But Squirek, a second-year Raider linebacker, who had only been inserted into Super Bowl XVIII for a few plays, was holding the ball high over his head in the end zone after intercepting a Joe Theismann pass intended for Joe Washington with seven seconds remaining in the first half.

“I went in on that play for Matt Millen,” said Squirek, who operates a janitorial service in Cleveland. “The Redskins had run that same play for 70 yards in our game against them earlier in the year. The last thing our defensive coordinator told me before I went in was don’t go for the interception. He said just knock it down; don’t be a hero.”

In the Redskins’ huddle, Theismann called “Rocket screen left.” Theismann backpedaled, looked right, then threw almost blindly left. Squirek broke on the ball, dashed in front of Washington, caught the ball and strolled into the end zone for a five-yard touchdown to give the Raiders a 21-3 halftime lead on the way to giving the AFC its last Super Bowl victory, 38-9.

“I can still see it happening like it was yesterday,” said Jack Squirek Sr., his father. “My wife was telling me to shush because I had been screaming for Jack at some of his college games and I had been mistaken thinking he had made the big play. She didn’t see the interception in the Super Bowl until they showed the replay on the scoreboard, but I knew it was my boy the whole time and I was yelling.

“I knew it, I knew at some point in his life something like this was going to happen. And the thing I remember the most is him holding that ball high in the air. So high, if you look at the cover of Sports Illustrated it’s way up there. No dancing. He didn’t spike the ball. I like that--that’s class.”

The ball now sits in Jack Squirek’s house under a plastic protective cover along with a copy of Sports Illustrated. Friends and family have grown weary, Squirek said, of the same old story, but there isn’t a day that goes by that somebody doesn’t recognize the name and want to hear what happened.

“I got a lot of publicity, but nothing much else,” he said. “No ‘Good Morning, America’ or anything like that. A couple of Nike shoe store appearances for $500. People always remember me as that guy who scored the touchdown; I’d like people to look at my whole career, but it really didn’t turn out the way I had hoped.”

Reminders of that Super Bowl moment eventually drove Squirek from the game. A broken jaw had forced him to lose weight, making him less effective and leading to his release from the Raiders in 1986. He played briefly with the Dolphins then signed with the Chargers only to quit after his first practice.

“I know I have a place in history, but the pressure from that Super Bowl of making that play made expectations higher than they should have been and it frustrated me when I couldn’t play at that level,” he said. “It was always ‘You’re the guy,’ so I just left one morning.”

What if today’s Super Bowl produces another Jack Squirek? What if some no-name grabs the world stage from Emmitt Smith and Greg Lloyd and becomes a household name?

“My son, Jacob, is 4 1/2 now,” Squirek said, “but someday when he sees that play on TV I expect him to ask, ‘Dad, why aren’t we millionaires?’ If some guy makes the big play in this Super Bowl, tell him to market himself and get as much out of the moment as he can.”

And who could that be this year?

PITTSBURGH

--STEVE AVERY: Who? A running back who has carried the ball three times in his seven years in the NFL. He makes his living as a special-teams performer for the Steelers. Has his own T-shirt company: “Get Intense.” After big special-teams plays the players exchange head butts. “The head butts don’t hurt,” Avery says, looking a little glassy-eyed. “We just give each other love taps in an aggressive fashion.” Avery went to Northern Michigan, now plays four musical instruments and writes his own music. Has been released seven times in his career and now he’s playing in the Super Bowl.

Avery becomes the next Jack Squirek if he smashes into Deion Sanders returning a punt, forces a fumble, scoops it up and outraces Sanders for a touchdown.

--ANDRE HASTINGS: Had this excuse when he left training camp last year and then returned: “I had left my wash in the washing machine back in Atlanta; I needed to get it out, so I went back to Atlanta.” Will be one of the Steelers’ five wide receivers, the one most likely to go into motion and then settle in the backfield as a blocker or release for the short pass. Led the AFC and was third in the NFL with 31 third-down receptions. Took over punt return duties for injured Rod Woodson and immediately went 72 yards for a touchdown. “I wasn’t shocked about our success in opening the offense,” Hastings says. “What was shocking was getting the chance to do it.”

Hastings becomes the next Jack Squirek fielding a punt inside his 20 and then returning it the distance to give Pittsburgh a fourth-quarter victory.

--MIKE TOMCZAK: Ten years ago he was backing up Jim McMahon with no chance to get in Super Bowl XX, so he talked the Bears’ special-teams coach into letting him slip into the game for a play without Coach Mike Ditka knowing it. “I got a 15-yard facemask penalty for grabbing Irving Fryar’s facemask,” Tomczak says. “I was running off the field looking at myself on the scoreboard and all of a sudden there’s this fist in my chest. It was Ditka.” Tomczak has been spending this week writing a diary for the Arizona Republic. Tomczak completed 65 of 113 passes for 666 yards with one touchdown and nine interceptions when Neil O’Donnell was hurt earlier this year. Hasn’t thrown a pass since Oct. 1.

Tomczak becomes the next Jack Squirek if O’Donnell goes down and Tomczak makes like Terry Bradshaw--for two hours of his life.

--CHAD BROWN: Starts at linebacker in place of Jerry Olsavsky. Ankle injury allowed Olsavsky to start nine games ago, and although Brown returned, Cowher didn’t want to disrupt routine. Now he wants to win, so Brown starts. Has a reptile fetish. “I’ve always been intrigued by snakes,” he says. Had 12 boa constrictors by the time he graduated from Colorado. Now owns 500 reptiles and runs reptile business called Pro Exotics in Boulder. Has 17 career sacks, and although Lloyd and Kevin Greene were on the team a year ago, Brown led the Steelers in tackles.

Brown becomes the next Jack Squirek if the Cowboys concentrate on Lloyd and Greene and Brown breaks loose and knocks Troy Aikman out of the game with a sack.

--TIM LESTER: Former Ram fullback who cleared the way for rookie running back Jerome Bettis to run to the Pro Bowl. Bettis averaged more than eight yards a carry on sweeps started by Lester, but the Rams thought Lester went soft after getting married, benched him and then cut him. Bettis now goes nowhere, and the Rams can’t understand why. Bobby April, the Steelers’ special-teams coach, says Lester is the best hitter on kickoff coverage in the league. Lester says, “I want to thank the Rams for doing me a favor and releasing me.” Lester had plans to teach school, figuring his career was over, but six weeks after being released by the Rams, he got the call from Pittsburgh.

Lester becomes the next Jack Squirek, much to the chagrin of the Rams, if the game turns on dramatic booming hits on special teams.

DALLAS

--CHRIS BONIOL: Norm Johnson is the pro for the Steelers, but Boniol looks like a kid who has slipped under the fence to get in the game. Has made his last 28 field-goal attempts, and led league this year with 96.4% success rate. Has only eight misses in 57 attempts during his Cowboy career, but has attempted only four beyond 40 yards this season. Hails from Louisiana Tech just like Terry Bradshaw, but has yet to meet the former Steeler quarterback. “Morten Andersen was my idol growing up,” he says. “Meeting him and talking to him was a big deal for me. Kicking in the Super Bowl, it’s just another game for me.” Sure.

Boniol becomes the next Jack Squirek if Aikman-Smith-Irvin falter and it takes a career-long 52-yard field goal to avoid the great upset.

--CHAD HENNINGS: Flew an A-10 tankbuster for the Air Force in the Persian Gulf War. “One of most valuable experiences I ever had,” he says. “There’s pressure playing in the Super Bowl, but it’s not life and death like sitting in that cockpit.” Cowboys took a “flyer” on him and used 11th-round pick in 1988 in case he left the military. Released four years early from active duty because of cutdown in military force, allowing him to play football. Hennings still has a reserve military commitment for another year and a half. Rotates in at defensive tackle and had 5 1/2 sacks.

Hennings becomes the next Jack Armstrong if he sends Neil O’Donnell to the sideline, takes off his helmet and shows a national TV audience just what the all-American boy looks like.

--ROBERT JONES: Went into Cowboys’ last Super Bowl disgruntled after being benched. Now he’s a free agent, a starter and playing for the opportunity to get big-time money offers in the off-season. His job is to stop the run, and then come out of the game in passing situations. Stomach muscle injury kept him from being the team’s leading tackler, Grew up in Virginia, but hated the Redskins and was a Cowboys’ fan. “I remember losing my high school state championship game,” he says. “I remember that feeling, and I won’t let it happen in the Super Bowl. I’ve already dreamed I’m the MVP, hitting Bam Morris and forcing him to fumble.”

Jones becomes the next Jack Squirek if his dream comes true.

--SCOTT CASE: Played 11 years in Atlanta as free safety for six head coaches. Played in two playoff games in that span of time. “After 11 years the good Lord said, ‘Scott has suffered enough,’ ” he says. Played for Barry Switzer at Oklahoma. “We’re 14-4, and people are wondering what’s wrong with Barry?” he says. Steelers’ five-wide-receiver attack will keep Case on the field. “I grew up idolizing Rocky Bleier,” he says. “Now I’ve got to beat my old favorite team to get a Super Bowl ring.”

Case becomes the next Jack Squirek if he steps in front of Kordell Stewart and returns an interception for a touchdown.

--DALE HELLESTRAE: Runs a “Cookie Bouquet” franchise in Scottsdale. Has aspirations of coaching an Arizona high school team to a state championship when his career is over. Earns $183,000 as the Cowboys’ deep snapper, and that’s all he does. Hellestrae hasn’t delivered a bad snap since 1986 when he continued to play with a broken wrist. Aikman’s best friend on the team. What does Hellestrae say to the opposition’s deep snapper before the game? “How’s the family, and the dog?” he says.

Hellestrae has no chance of becoming the next Jack Squirek, but if he sends the ball flying over the head of holder Jay Novacek or punter John Jett, he becomes the next Scott Norwood.