By Harry Minium
Life has changed, perhaps forever, for former Old Dominion University quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
That was certain to happen after a January NFL playoff game in which he completed 26 of 44 passes for 306 yards and ran six more times for 46 yards and a touchdown and nearly led the Washington Football Team to an upset over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It was a remarkable performance that turned Heinicke into something of a celebrity. Brady and the Bucs went on to win the Super Bowl. Heinicke, meanwhile, saw his NFL career resurrected essentially from the NFL graveyard.
After six seasons of either being relegated to the practice squad or being cut, he was weeks away from announcing his retirement when he got a call from Washington.
Heinicke dove 4 yards over a pylon for his touchdown in the game's iconic moment. And Washington has since sold tens of thousands of shirts featuring a likeness of him diving with the sentence "The Legend of Taylor Heinicke."
Once a pretty anonymous guy in his hometown of Atlanta, he's now often stopped on the street. He's a quiet, private kind of person who's usually uncomfortable with too much attention.
"But how could I not appreciate that?" he said. "It's very flattering. You know, they're recognizing me for something that's good. That's something I worked for all of my life."
Something else changed as well – he's now a millionaire. He signed a two-year contract that included a $1 million signing bonus and an average annual salary of $2.375 million.
He's gotten endorsement offers galore and says he's overwhelmed with all the free stuff arriving at his house from people wanting to associate their product with his name.
He gladly accepted an offer from ODU's online learning program as a spokesman for the state's largest and best public school online program. He has taken half a dozen courses online and said ODU's program is outstanding.
But his focus again returns to football this week when Washington begins training camp Tuesday in Richmond. Washington will practice five days, with four (Wednesday through Saturday) open to the public, before heading to their regular training camp in Northern Virginia.
"I'm really excited to be in Richmond," he said. "You know, the University of Richmond was where I wanted to go.
"They brought me up for an official visit and I went to see a game with my dad. But they just wouldn't pull the pin" on a scholarship offer.
Right after ODU offered him, so did Richmond. That did not sit well with him.
"It meant so much to me that ODU offered me first," he said.
It turned out to be a great choice. Running ODU's high-octane offense, he passed for 14,959 yards, led the Monarchs to two Football Championship Subdivision playoff bids, a Colonial Athletic Association championship, won the Walton Payton trophy, the Heisman Trophy of FCS, and led ODU to 8-4 and 6-6 records in its two transition seasons to the Football Bowl Subdivision.
He enters this training camp more surefooted than ever and will compete as hard as he can to start. But knocking Ryan Fitzpatrick out of the starting position will be an uphill climb.
Although many reporters indicated Heinicke was the best quarterback in Washington's mini-camp, Fitzpatrick was the only quarterback to work with the first team and that shows, for now at least, he's the overwhelming favorite to start.
Fitzpatrick has thrown for nearly 35,000 yards in 165 games for several teams. Heinicke has started in just two NFL games.
Quarterbacks tend to be cordial and even root for a teammate who is starting. Heinicke said that's exactly the case in Washington.
"Our quarterback room is awesome," he said. "We've gone out and played golf a few times together."
He said he's developed a close relationship with Fitzpatrick and that he's learned a ton from the veteran.
"In practice, when he sees me struggling with something, he'll pull me aside and say, 'I've had that struggle, too, and here's how I fixed it,'" Heinicke said.
"That speaks volumes to his character. (Third-string quarterback) Kyle Allen and I had a previous relationship. It's really a tight-knit group."
He dearly wants to start but says if Fitzpatrick is playing well and the team is winning, he'll be happy.
"I'm never going to root against a teammate," he said. "That's not right. We're all part of a team with one common goal, to get to the Super Bowl."
Heinicke said he watched a replay of the game with Tampa Bay twice shortly after the game.
"I went back and watched it to soak it in and be proud my myself," he said. "When you accomplish something big like that, you soak it in.
"But then I set it aside and went back to work."
He said he doesn't want the legend of Taylor Heinicke and the dive over the pylon to be his legacy.
"I don't want to be a one-game wonder," he said. "I've started two NFL games and lost two. I want to start some games and win."
Over the summer, Collins Hill High School in suburban Atlanta, his alma mater, retired Heinicke's jersey. Officials had been trying to do it for several years but his football schedule always seemed to interfere.
Former Collins Hill coach Kevin Reach called current coach Tony Jones Jr. and they decided to have a golf tournament to retire his jersey and raise money for the Collins Hill program.
It's now called the Taylor Heinicke Golf Tournament and will become an annual event.
"It was really a good turnout," Heinicke said. "I saw friends, I saw teammates, that I hadn't seen in eight to 10 years.
"The coach at Collins Hill spoke but he allowed Kevin Reach to take the reins. It was really a neat experience."
Heinicke won't make it to an ODU game this season – Washington's bye week is the same week the Monarchs travel to Florida International.
"But I'll be watching them on TV," he said. "I can't wait to see them play again."
Heinicke cut a series of TV ads, dressed as Big Blue, to help sell ODU season tickets during the spring. He repeated that message in an interview without being prompted.
"There's a new coaching staff, a lot of new players, some really good quarterbacks," he said.
"I feel like the fans need to come out like they did for us. Come out to that first game and help the team get rolling.
"The crowd noise there when I played there sometimes was as important as the players and coaches. If you're a true ODU fan, please show up and support our team."
For season ticket information fans can go to www.ynottix.com or call the ticket office at 757-683-4444.
Minium worked 39 years at The Virginian-Pilot, where he was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and won 27 state and national writing awards. He writes news stories, features and commentaries for odusports.com Follow him on Twitter @Harry_MiniumODU, Instagram @hbminium1 or email hminium@odu.edu
Minium: Taylor Heinicke Psyched for the Beginning of Washington's Training Camp in Richmond
