And that was something Flint instilled in all of our kids when they were little,” she says. He was the kid that always found someone to talk to that no-one was talking to. “He (Gardner) never settled into one group - he had friends in and out of athletics. Flint, she says, instilled the traits in their three kids. Gardner’s work ethic and leadership skills are no accident, Kim adds. He just loves the process, and truth be told, that’s way more of it than playing in the ballgames.” “He loves the weight room, the film room, practice field. He just loved it … I can’t tell you how many pieces of paper that I’ve picked up around this house that have had plays drawn on them.”Īnd it’s not just the Xs and Os, adds Flint Minshew. “He was the kind that would play on Friday night and when Saturday morning rolled around he was already up watching film. You’d watch him back there in the pocket and you’d think he was just hangin' out in the park.” “He’d watch Graham and the defense pre-snap and he’d shout out pre-snap where the football was going to go. “We would watch a ton of the Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree Era, Texas Tech film,” Rogers said. Rogers says Minshew was always a student of the game and relentless in breaking down film. “He (Gardner) says 'I can’t, it’s kind of part of my persona now.’ And that was a week before they left for Wyoming.” "When I first saw it I said, ‘dude, you’ve got to get rid of the mustache,’” Rogers tells CF.C.
Rogers sounds like a big brother when asked about Minshew’s now-iconic facial hair. “Gardner became his quarterback as a freshman … they’ve studied that offense for a very long time,” she adds. They built a bond in the film room and sealed it with a mind-numbing 11,222 career passing yards and 105 TDs by the time Minshew wrapped up his senior season. The coach and pupil formed a big brother-like relationship, says Kim.
Rogers moved to Brandon High as offensive coordinator the same year Minshew arrived there as a freshman. So father and son would make the trek on a regular basis to visit with Fisher and master the Air Raid. The nearest practitioner of the pass-happy offense - Winston Academy coach Wyatt Rogers - lived 88 miles down Route 25 in Louisville, Miss.
THE CIRCUITOUS ROAD THAT BROUGHT The Mississippi Mustache from Troy to Northwest Mississippi JC to East Carolina to Heisman Trophy contention at Washington State this season began when Minshew was in grade school and his football coach - who also happened to be his dad - wanted to start running the Air Raid. “I’m sitting at Oregon State (WSU’s Week 6 victim) and there had to be a lady who was maybe in her 60s or 70s running behind me with a mustache and a headband on … I’ll send Kim pictures of groups of people with them on at tailgates, it’s just hilarious.” Papa finds the 'stache - or perhaps Cougar Nation's response to it - equally entertaining. “Somehow this mustache has taken a life of its own, sometimes I just look at it and get tickled. I think it’s his way to stay loose, no stress, and to just have fun with the game,” Kim tells CF.C. 8 in the nation with underdog Arizona coming to town on Saturday, it’s’ pretty clear mom knows best. Their guess is as good as yours. “That’s the number-one question I get even around here,” Flint, the father of the nation's leading passer, told in a recent phone conversation in which he turned to his wife and asks, "Kim, what do you think about the mustache?”Īs the Cougars sit at 9-1 and ranked No. (Photo: USA Today/Downing)ĭON'T ASK KIM OR FLINT Minshew where their son picked up his patented mustache. Gardner Minshew: The nation's top passer celebrates win at Colorado.
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