Operation Throwback His Shoulder Surgically Repaired, Brennan Tries To Revive UI Career

Pick up a football and toss it to a buddy. Feel OK? No pain, right?

When Idaho quarterback Brian Brennan tried to do that during the 1995 season, he couldn’t feel his arm at times. Washing his hair in the shower was a monumental accomplishment. He slept on his ailing shoulder until it would fall asleep. Then he could do the same.

Three surgeries, agonizing hours of rehabilitation and an attitude adjustment later, Brennan again is the starting quarterback as UI opens its season against Air Force on Saturday.

“It seems like a long time,” a smiling Brennan said. “Coach was saying the other day that I’m 33 or 35 years old now.”

Without taking a regular-season snap, the 22-year-old Brennan might already be the comeback player of the year.

“We all wondered if he’d be back,” running back Joel Thomas said. “But he hasn’t missed a beat.”

When last in the spotlight, Brennan was losing the starting job to Eric Hisaw in ‘95. That, after Brennan pinch-hit for the injured Hisaw in ‘94 and passed for a freshman-record 1,766 yards and 18 touchdowns, better than John Friesz, Doug Nussmeier, et al.

Brennan was splendid in the second half of a 27-24 loss to Boise State. “He made so many throws on the money,” said Greg Olson, former quarterbacks coach who left for Purdue in July.

Gifted with a strong arm and a prototype quarterback frame, the 6-foot-5 Brennan was set to become the latest in a long line of UI standout quarterbacks.

It didn’t unfold as scripted.

His wild ride took a downward turn in ‘95 when he suffered what doctors termed “dead arm syndrome,” brought on by throwing 600 balls a day in two-a-days and his past as a baseball pitcher.

Brennan trudged on. He didn’t tell coaches he was in dreadful pain. He didn’t want to lose the starting job. But the offense sagged and coaches inserted Hisaw, who orchestrated a turnaround.

“I think I was in denial,” Brennan said, half-chuckling. “Maybe I should have talked to Coach about it, but I didn’t do that. I thought I could take care of it myself with exercises, but it didn’t get any better.”

That was a feeling he would get used to. Since UI had no capable backup, Brennan brooded briefly then dutifully served out the season as No. 2.

“You could tell it bothered him,” offensive coordinator George Yarno said. “Being a competitor, I’d been surprised if it didn’t bother him. But maybe that was the burning force behind his comeback. Maybe it was to prove that he is a Division I quarterback and he’s capable of leading a team and winning.”

Brennan had surgery in December of ‘95. Torn ligaments in the front and back of his shoulder were stapled to anchors on the bone. A small hole in his rotator cuff and a slight tear in his biceps tendon were repaired.

He began rehabilitation but improvements were barely noticeable. In April, he underwent a manipulation procedure to hasten his recovery.

More rehab followed, but progress was slow. He struggled just to throw and the ‘96 season was approaching. One of the anchors had broken, requiring an August surgery.

Finally, his shoulder was structurally sound. Brennan returned to back up Ryan Fien last year.

Now the job is Brennan’s.

“He could have sacked his bats and taken his injuries home,” head coach Chris Tormey said. “But he stayed with it.”

Brennan had options, quitting for one and coasting for another.

“I could have slacked off and still got my school paid for and just gone on with my life,” he said. “I just didn’t want to look back five years down the road and say, ‘What if I had worked a little harder?”’

Thoughts of quitting were dismissed. As he watched teammates practice and play games, Brennan realized how much football meant to him.

“I was brought up to try your hardest, do everything you’re told and if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out,” said Brennan, who also has had to deal with his parents’ divorce.

“My attitude’s changed. I just missed the closeness to teammates, the competitiveness, the winning. When you’re hurt you’re not really associated with the team.”

Brennan and Olson grew to be close.

“He’s the first guy I told when I got this (Purdue) job,” Olson said, “just because he was there when I got there and gosh, we’ve been through a lot together.”

Brennan isn’t a cannon-armed freshman anymore. Gone are the 70-yard bombs, but he can still zip sideline routes and he is well-versed in the offense.

“Last year he used to score the highest on quarterback tests and he wasn’t even playing,” Olson said. “He understands his limitations and knows he has to get the ball off quicker. I’d much rather have a smart quarterback than a strong-armed quarterback.”

Brennan sees parallels in his surrounding casts in ‘94 and ‘97.

“With (receivers) Deon Price, Antonio Wilson, Ryan Prestimonico and Joel Thomas, it reminds me of my redshirt freshman year when we had a lot of success offensively,” he said.

And, like ‘94, Brennan is healthy and, hopefully, durable.

“If I can get through two-a-days, I can get through the year,” said Brennan, who ices his shoulder three to four times a day. “I have no pain, not even close to the pain I used to have.”

He has few doubters.

“To come back from what he’s been through, he’s capable of anything,” new quarterbacks coach Phil Earley said. “I know the players respect him.”

“I really hope he has a great year. He deserves it,” Yarno said. “I’m really proud of him. He did it against all odds.”

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