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SPORTS
Landon: Petersen is back, and MU offense may be, too
Tony Petersen has returned to the scene of the shine.
Remember 1987?
Here's a refresher.
The California native turned in the most prolific passing performance in the storied annals of Marshall quarterbacks.
And let's be honest. The Herd has enjoyed more than its share of extraordinary quarterbacks.
The list is a veritable who's who, including Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Eric Kresser, Todd Donnan, Michael Payton, John Gregory and Carl Fodor.
But for one season -- one mind-boggling, jaw-dropping, statistically mesmerizing season -- one quarterback stood above the rest.
Petersen.
In 1987, he completed 340 of 622 passes for 4,902 yards with 35 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. The completions, attempts, yardage and interceptions are still school records 22 years later.
Those marks even withstood the challenges of Pennington and Leftwich.
So, it seems appropriate that Petersen has returned to the scene of his unparalleled success, joining new head football coach Doc Holliday's staff as assistant head coach, co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
"It feels great to be back," said Petersen, who returned to Huntington on Monday. "As much time as I spent here, I never thought I would be gone for so long.
"But when you are in my profession, you only get so much time off to go visit family. There's not a lot of time to get back.
"It was kind of weird driving back in here. I remember the first time I came in here on my recruiting trip. It's been a while."
It was so long ago, Petersen still had hair.
"I did," he said with a big smile. "Not very much, but I had hair. Now, I've got a lot easier haircut."
What hasn't changed, however, is Petersen's love affair with high-scoring, exciting, entertaining offensive football. That's what he wants to bring back to Marshall.
"I hope so," he said. "I love playing in that kind of deal. I liked coaching it when I was here. And I think the people in Huntington like to see some exciting offense.
"We're going to do everything we can to bring it back as much as we can."
If it seems Petersen is saying what Herd fans want to hear, it's because he knows.
"They like to see a little bit of everything," said Petersen, "but they really like to see the ball in the air and down the field. ... big plays."
He certainly has come to the right place in the right league. Conference USA is one of the most offensive-minded leagues in NCAA football.
"I think it's going to be a blast," said Petersen. "It kind of reminds me of a smaller version of the Big 12 the two years I was in it (at Iowa State).
"I was in it when all those guys were there. ... the quarterbacks. That one year two years ago it was unbelievable.
"It reminds me of the same type of deal. ... offensive-minded and just a lot of points. You'd better put up points in both halves or things could change in a hurry."
Sounds a lot like a quarterback's style I remember from back in '87.
"You know I like points," said Petersen with a grin. "I think everybody does. I'll do everything I can."
That's why he has returned to the scene of the shine.
To shine again.
Look for JaJuan Seider and Zach Smith to join MU's coaching staff now that their bowl games are over. Both concluded their graduate assistant responsibilities for West Virginia and Florida respectively Friday.
Seider will coach running backs for Marshall while Smith coaches wide receivers.
Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Call him at 304-526-2827. E-mail him at clandon@herald-dispatch.com.
