Brett Toney concludes lifelong dream of playing for the Tigers
By: Joseph Brewer
Issue date: 12/3/09 Section: Sports
It wasn't the year they had hoped for, but one member of The University of Memphis football team enjoyed the ride all the way to the end.
Friday marked the final football game of the 2009 season for the Tigers, as they lost in overtime, 33-30, on the road at Tulsa. It also was the final game for 25 seniors who dawned the blue and gray, some whom everybody knows, such as Duke Calhoun and Carlos Singleton, and others who had talent but didn't get too many opportunities to showcase their skills.
Brett Toney is one of those players who didn't receive a lot of playing time while at The U of M. Although Toney didn't play much, he was living his dream.
Toney, a local product from Briarcrest Christian School, was a star in his senior year with the Saints. In 2004, he broke school records with 1,709 passing yards and 19 touchdowns en route to winning Tennessee's "Mr. Football" award for Division 2-AA and leading the Saints to a state title.
Toney wasn't heavily recruited though because he only saw significant action in his senior season. However, he said he would have played for the Tigers even if he was recruited by bigger schools.
Brett's father, Gary Toney, said that his son always wanted to wear Tiger blue, from the time he was little.
"He started following the Tigers when he was four, and it was always his dream to play for the Tigers," he said. "It was always his dream to play quarterback, too."
The Toney family has supported the Tigers with vigor for a long time, cheering on The U of M even before former men's football coach Tommy West arrived and started taking the team to bowl games. They tried to attend as many road games as possible, even while the team struggled.
"We didn't miss a road game between 1996 and 2004 - before Brett was a student at The U of M," he said.
Toney even took an academic risk to go see the Tigers play while he was in high school.
"When the Tigers played North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl in 2003, I couldn't drive with my family because I had exams the next day," he said. "Fortunately, I found a buddy of mine who was going, and we flew down that night and saw the game. I made it back the next day for exams."
Friday marked the final football game of the 2009 season for the Tigers, as they lost in overtime, 33-30, on the road at Tulsa. It also was the final game for 25 seniors who dawned the blue and gray, some whom everybody knows, such as Duke Calhoun and Carlos Singleton, and others who had talent but didn't get too many opportunities to showcase their skills.
Brett Toney is one of those players who didn't receive a lot of playing time while at The U of M. Although Toney didn't play much, he was living his dream.
Toney, a local product from Briarcrest Christian School, was a star in his senior year with the Saints. In 2004, he broke school records with 1,709 passing yards and 19 touchdowns en route to winning Tennessee's "Mr. Football" award for Division 2-AA and leading the Saints to a state title.
Toney wasn't heavily recruited though because he only saw significant action in his senior season. However, he said he would have played for the Tigers even if he was recruited by bigger schools.
Brett's father, Gary Toney, said that his son always wanted to wear Tiger blue, from the time he was little.
"He started following the Tigers when he was four, and it was always his dream to play for the Tigers," he said. "It was always his dream to play quarterback, too."
The Toney family has supported the Tigers with vigor for a long time, cheering on The U of M even before former men's football coach Tommy West arrived and started taking the team to bowl games. They tried to attend as many road games as possible, even while the team struggled.
"We didn't miss a road game between 1996 and 2004 - before Brett was a student at The U of M," he said.
Toney even took an academic risk to go see the Tigers play while he was in high school.
"When the Tigers played North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl in 2003, I couldn't drive with my family because I had exams the next day," he said. "Fortunately, I found a buddy of mine who was going, and we flew down that night and saw the game. I made it back the next day for exams."