Harrington exits with class

University of Idaho quarterback Michael Harrington’s senior season hasn’t gone as he planned. Neither has his career, frankly.

He started as a sophomore, unseating popular senior Brian Lindgren. Harrington said he probably wasn’t ready to direct the offense in 2003, but, “of course you’re not going to say, ‘No, I don’t want to play.’ ” Lindgren reclaimed the starting job midway through the year.

Harrington handled nearly every snap as a junior and compiled a respectable 125.5 passer rating on a three-win team. He made his third consecutive season-opening start this year, but quickly faded to the background as Steven Wichman has taken over as starter the last seven games.

It’s been a long, strange journey for Harrington, one of eight fifth-year seniors facing the final home game of their careers Saturday at 2 p.m. when Louisiana Tech visits the Kibbie Dome.

Isn’t that right, Mike?

“That’s an understatement,” Harrington said. “I don’t know if another person has had a more complex career, with high and lows. It’s been tough, I will admit that.”

This season rates as the toughest, by far. He joked that he has the “best seat in the house” on game day, with his role reduced to holding for field goals and PATs. In an ironic twist of circumstances, he has assumed the same role Lindgren had to accept when Harrington was named the starter at the outset of the 2003 season.

Harrington has handled his demotion much the same way Lindgren did. He didn’t like it, but he didn’t become a distraction. In that regard he’s had several role models, including his older brother, Joey, who has had a roller coaster four-year career with the Detroit Lions, and Lindgren.

After his demotion, Harrington said, “I talked to my family, my brother. On the team, probably (linebacker) Mike Anderson and (tight end) Tim Bertalot, and I really talked to (former Vandals) Lindgren, Patrick Libey and Zach Gerstner.

“When the same thing happened to Brian three years ago, he handled the situation more like a man than I’ve ever seen. I took a life lesson out of that. But it’s a lot harder when it actually happens to you.”

Bertalot, who played prep football with Harrington at Central Catholic in Portland, has lived with Harrington for five years in Moscow.

“Anybody could break down, throw it in and give up, but he definitely hasn’t,” Bertalot said. “He’s done everything the team has asked him to do.”

Harrington has seen his practice reps go from roughly 95 percent as a starter to 5 percent as a backup, which makes it difficult to stay sharp. He’s only handled a few series since the opener, although coaches considered making a change when Wichman struggled against Hawaii.

“My hat’s off to him,” head coach Nick Holt said. “It’s hard for a young man that’s a fifth-year senior that’s not playing as much. He’s a mature young man. Early in the season he was really disappointed, but I think he understands the situation.”

Well, not entirely. Ask Harrington, who retained the starting job after a heated competition with Wichman during spring and fall drills and was 6 of 9 for 37 yards and a touchdown against Washington State in the opener, if he’s received a fair shake and there’s a long pause.

“Yes,” he offers unconvincingly and without elaboration.

When Wichman passed for 390 yards in Idaho’s loss to UNLV in the second game, the debate essentially ended.

Harrington saw his first action as a rail-thin freshman in mop-up duty in 2002 at Autzen Stadium, which was something of a second home to the Harrington family. Joey led Oregon to a No. 2 ranking in 2001. Their father, John, was Oregon’s quarterback from 1967-69.

In 2003, Harrington surprisingly was named the starter by coach Tom Cable over Lindgren, who was coming off an All-Sun Belt Conference season. Cable’s decision wasn’t embraced by Vandals followers, and some fans voiced their displeasure with nasty e-mails, phone messages and letters to Harrington.

“Because I took Brian’s spot, people expected huge things out of me since I was replacing a really good quarterback and things didn’t happen,” Harrington said. “I kind of feel like because it didn’t work out that year, that’s kind of how they judge my career. I think people would have had a different opinion of me if I’d just played last year and got to play this year. It’s been hard to deal with, but that’s life.”

Harrington was steady as a junior, completing 65.8 percent of his passes. If he doesn’t take another snap, Harrington will finish seventh in career completion percentage (between Scott Linehan and Brian Brennan), 10th in passing yardage (between Lindgren and Eric Hisaw), and 10th in passer rating (between Linehan and Mike Monahan).

“You kind of don’t realize he was second in completion percentage in the history of the school, in his first year in a new system,” quarterbacks coach Jonathan Smith said. “I do think he got better and progressed, even in spring. I think he was playing his best football in fall camp. That’s what made it even tougher because Mike was playing so well, but ultimately we saw the upside of Steve being more beneficial to the program.”

As quarterback at Oregon State, Smith competed against Joey Harrington. Smith’s mother and Michael’s mom, Valerie, both lived in Portland and became friends and Smith called the Harrington family “quality people.” Harrington’s parents maintain nearly perfect attendance at Idaho games, “which has been amazing,” Michael said. “Not a lot of families would fly across the country to watch you stand on the sidelines.”

“I can’t imagine the amount of stomach medicine my parents must be taking,” Michael said, half-jokingly, as they’ve followed the fluctuating fortunes of their sons’ careers.

Harrington is on course to graduate this spring with a degree in marketing. He’s already completed the majority of his academic requirements, so he has a class schedule that includes archery, Pilates and golf. He anticipates taking another golf class next semester.

He will leave Idaho with a degree, a thicker hide and no regrets.

“I’m happy I’m a Vandal and I’ll be a Vandal for life,” he said. “There’s too many good things that came out of this career that I would never give up – the friendships I’ve made, the education I’ve received and the people in the athletic department have been amazing to me.

“No matter how tough things were, I made a decision and saw it through with six or seven other (fifth-year) guys. I made the decision to come here and I kept up my end of the bargain and played my heart out for Idaho.”