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Small college receiver breaks Rice’s record
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| Hanover College wide receiver Daniel Passafiume follows a blocker during a NCAA college football game against Franklin College in Hanover, Ind. (Mark Campbell/AP) |
(AP) Daniel Passafiume was feeling the effects Sunday of the greatest football game he’s ever played. His body ached and the pinkie on his left hand was swollen to about three times its normal size.
Hey, passing Jerry Rice in the NCAA record book is hard work.
Passafiume, a receiver for Division III Hanover College in Indiana, caught 25 passes Saturday to break a record that was shared by Rice, the former San Francisco 49ers star.
“I’m really beat up,” Passafiume said in a phone interview from his dorm room.
And really thrilled.
“Jerry Rice, that’s just crazy,” he said. “I’m still shocked.”
Rice, the NFL’s career leader in touchdowns, receptions and yards receiving, set the previous NCAA all-division record for catches in a game with 24 in 1983 for Mississippi Valley State against Southern University.
Chas Gessner tied it in 2002 for Brown against Rhode Island.
Passafiume knew he had set the school record with his 19th catch in the third quarter because it was announced in the stadium. But not until after the game did Hanover coach Joe Austin let the sophomore from Louisville, Ky., know he had passed an even more momentous mark.
“After the game Coach came up to me and said that it might have been an NCAA record. I said, ’No way,”’ he said.
Passafiume grabbed his 25th reception with about a minute and a half left in Hanover’s 42-28 loss to Franklin College in the season finale.
It came on a screen from quarterback C.J. Croft and gained about 8 yards, he said — and it ended his day with 153 yards.
“I got lit up on it,” said the 21-year-old Passafiume (pronounced Passa-fume).
“He could of gotten couple more,” Austin said.
Passafiume, who checks in at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, is the slot receiver in Hanover’s no-huddle attack, which Austin said is similar to Northwestern’s spread offense.
“He’s not a big kid, but he’s really tough. He’s pretty shifty so it he doesn’t take a ton of big licks, but I don’t blame him (for coming out of the game),” Austin said.
Passafiume played for Saint Xavier High School in Louisville. He said he was invited to walk-on by a few Division I programs, including West Virginia.
But he wasn’t sure he wanted to put in the work football required, so he instead decided to attend his hometown university and give up the game.
A year away made him realize how much he missed it and that led him to Hanover, a small college program close to home with a successful history (21 conference titles since 1948) that was rebuilding with a new young coach. Austin, in his second season, was 28 when he took over.
“He’s a little better than what you usually find at Division III,” Austin said. “The thing that held him back was his size. He definitely would be a standout at the Division II level. For us, he’s a really good player.”
Passafiume blossomed into the Panthers’ top offensive threat this season, finishing with 114 receptions for 1,054 yards and 14 touchdowns for a team that went 3-7.
The middle of five children, Passafiume can thank one of his siblings for spreading the word of his record-breaking performance.
One of his brothers called The Associated Press sports desk in New York on Saturday night to report the news.
“This is too weird for me,” Passafiume said. “Jerry Rice is my idol, the best receiver to ever play the game.”
Hey, passing Jerry Rice in the NCAA record book is hard work.
Passafiume, a receiver for Division III Hanover College in Indiana, caught 25 passes Saturday to break a record that was shared by Rice, the former San Francisco 49ers star.
“I’m really beat up,” Passafiume said in a phone interview from his dorm room.
And really thrilled.
“Jerry Rice, that’s just crazy,” he said. “I’m still shocked.”
Rice, the NFL’s career leader in touchdowns, receptions and yards receiving, set the previous NCAA all-division record for catches in a game with 24 in 1983 for Mississippi Valley State against Southern University.
Chas Gessner tied it in 2002 for Brown against Rhode Island.
Passafiume knew he had set the school record with his 19th catch in the third quarter because it was announced in the stadium. But not until after the game did Hanover coach Joe Austin let the sophomore from Louisville, Ky., know he had passed an even more momentous mark.
“After the game Coach came up to me and said that it might have been an NCAA record. I said, ’No way,”’ he said.
Passafiume grabbed his 25th reception with about a minute and a half left in Hanover’s 42-28 loss to Franklin College in the season finale.
It came on a screen from quarterback C.J. Croft and gained about 8 yards, he said — and it ended his day with 153 yards.
“I got lit up on it,” said the 21-year-old Passafiume (pronounced Passa-fume).
“He could of gotten couple more,” Austin said.
Passafiume, who checks in at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, is the slot receiver in Hanover’s no-huddle attack, which Austin said is similar to Northwestern’s spread offense.
“He’s not a big kid, but he’s really tough. He’s pretty shifty so it he doesn’t take a ton of big licks, but I don’t blame him (for coming out of the game),” Austin said.
Passafiume played for Saint Xavier High School in Louisville. He said he was invited to walk-on by a few Division I programs, including West Virginia.
But he wasn’t sure he wanted to put in the work football required, so he instead decided to attend his hometown university and give up the game.
A year away made him realize how much he missed it and that led him to Hanover, a small college program close to home with a successful history (21 conference titles since 1948) that was rebuilding with a new young coach. Austin, in his second season, was 28 when he took over.
“He’s a little better than what you usually find at Division III,” Austin said. “The thing that held him back was his size. He definitely would be a standout at the Division II level. For us, he’s a really good player.”
Passafiume blossomed into the Panthers’ top offensive threat this season, finishing with 114 receptions for 1,054 yards and 14 touchdowns for a team that went 3-7.
The middle of five children, Passafiume can thank one of his siblings for spreading the word of his record-breaking performance.
One of his brothers called The Associated Press sports desk in New York on Saturday night to report the news.
“This is too weird for me,” Passafiume said. “Jerry Rice is my idol, the best receiver to ever play the game.”
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