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Ted Constanzo

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Ted Constanzo
CollegeTexas
ConferenceSouthwest Conference
SportFootball
PositionQB, P
Jersey #12
Class1979
Career1975–1979
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight190 lb (86 kg)
High schoolChurchill High School
Championships
  • 1975 Southwest Conference Co-Championship
  • 1977 Southwest Conference Championship
Bowl games

Ted Louis Constanzo (born c. 1956) is a former American football player who started as quarterback and later at punter for the Texas Longhorns in the late 1970s.

Early life

Ted Constanzo was a star quarterback at Churchill High School in San Antonio. He quarterbacked his team for two years, earning player-of-the-week, all-district and, in 1974, all state honors. He was also the team's punter. He played in the 1974 Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star game and won the Thom McAn award as the city's outstanding high school football player. He had a strong arm and was a blue-chip college recruit for his passing.[1][2] Constanzo was an all-around athlete, who was also a star of the track and field team where he competed in, among other things, the pole vault, and he lettered in both baseball and basketball.[3]

College career

Ted Constanzo arrived at Texas at 1975 and immediately moved into the role of backup to Marty Akins because Mike Presley, who backed up Akins in 1974, had decided to leave football to focus on his education.[4] He gained experience in blow-out wins over Colorado State, Utah State and Rice, replacing Akins late in all three games. Late in the season, he was pressed into duty against TCU when Akins hurt his knee. He led the number 7 Longhorns to a win, but he had difficulty handling the Wishbone offense.[5] Two weeks later, he again replaced Akins when Akins re-injured his knee early in the second quarter against number 2, undefeated Texas A&M. The Longhorns kept it close, but Constanzo threw 3 interceptions in a 20–10 loss.[6]

Akins graduated and in spring 1976 Constanzo was named the starter for the next season. Royal also considered him the starter during summer practice.[7][8] But just before the season started he was beat out for the starting position by Mike Cordaro, primarily because of Cordaro's speed.[1] He backed Cordaro up for most of the season, playing late in a blowout win over Rice. His first chance to regain the starting position came against Texas Tech, when he took over for Cardoro in the first quarter. Despite losing Earl Campbell before halftime he was twice able to help Texas retake the lead, but Texas couldn't hold on and lost, 31–28. Constanzo played well enough to earn his only career start at quarterback the next week in a 30–0 loss to Houston in which he shared quarterback duties with Cordaro.[9] The following week, they were both benched in favor of freshman Mark McBath.[10]

During spring practices in 1977 Constanzo was the back-up to McBath but in the following summer he injured his knee playing racquetball and had to have surgery to have it repaired.[5][11] After missing most of the season, Akers planned to redshirt him. When McBath and back-up quarterbacks Jon Aune and Randy McEachern went down with injuries, Akers decided to start true freshman Sam Ansley against Baylor instead of the recovering Constanzo to preserve his medical redshirt.[12] Constanzo had to burn his redshirt anyway, and use a whole season of eligibility, during that game to fill in not as quarterback, but as punter for an injured Russell Erxleben. During the fourth quarter of that game he also took a few snaps at quarterback and threw no passes.[13] It would be the last time he'd take a snap as quarterback in his career, finishing with a record of 0–1 as a starter. He did continue to replace Erxleben the following week against Texas A&M.

During spring practice in 1978, Constanzo and McBath were the back-ups to Sam Ansley, with Aune expected to start the season when he recovered from his knee injury.[14] He sat the season out, eventually redshirting, but was still considered, along with John Goodson, the back-up punter to Erxleben.[15]

In 1979 he started out as a backup quarterback and punter.[16] John Goodson started the season as the starting place-kicker and punter, but after he averaged 32.5 yards per punt through the first two games, Akers began to let Constanzo punt.[17] They shared punting duties in 5 of the next 6 games, with Constanzo sitting out the SMU game, but during the last four games, including the Sun Bowl, Constanzo was the team's only punter. It was during the Sun Bowl that he kicked his career best, a 60-yard punt.

Records

  • UT – Touchdown passes by a true freshman (3), surpassed by David Ash in 2011

Later life

After college, Constanzo enlisted in the Army where he spent three years of active duty and 17 in the reserves. He was a combat engineer officer before earning the rank of major. He left the Army and became a coach and teacher for more than 20 years. He was the athletic coordinator and head football coach at Spring Branch Middle School, where he led his team to two undefeated seasons, and then became an assistant football and baseball coach at Smithson Valley High School. In 2011 he became the head football coach at TMI — The Episcopal School of Texas in San Antonio, where he also teaches middle and high school clases.[18][19]

References

  1. ^ a b "Will Longhorm Start Walk-On OB?". The Amarillo Globe Times. Amarillo, TX. September 8, 1976. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  2. ^ "Tradition & Pride of Charger Football" (PDF). Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  3. ^ Winston Churchill High School - Chancellor Yearbook - Class of 1972. San Antonio, TX. 1972. p. 189. Retrieved April 11, 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ "Top 20". Sports Illustrated. September 9, 1975. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Ted Constanzo Due Surgery". Abilene Reporter-News. Abilene, TX. July 23, 1977. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  6. ^ "Ags Hold Texas to 179 Total Yards". The Eagle. Bryan, TX. November 29, 1975. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  7. ^ "Constanzo Still #1 Says Royal". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, TX. April 18, 1976. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  8. ^ "This Could Be a Longhorn Stampede". Gadsden Times. Gadsden, AL. August 21, 1976. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  9. ^ "Constanzo Replaces Cordaro At UT Helm". Baytown Sun. Baytown, TX. November 2, 1976. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  10. ^ University of Texas at Austin - Cactus Yearbook. Austin, Texas. 1977. p. 177. Retrieved March 31, 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^ Douglas S. Looney (October 17, 1977). "Down And Out Can Be Upsetting". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  12. ^ "Injuries. Longhorn Machine Down to Spare Parts", Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Texas, November 10, 1977, retrieved March 25, 2014
  13. ^ Dan Cook (November 20, 1977), "Campbell too much to Bear", San Antonio Express News, San Antonio, Texas, retrieved March 20, 2014 {{citation}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)
  14. ^ "Texas Coach in Search Of Cinderella", The Vernon Daily Record, Vernon, Texas, March 19, 1978, retrieved April 17, 2014
  15. ^ "Punting Worries Longhorns", Spokane Daily Chronicle, Spokane, WA, October 19, 1978, retrieved April 24, 2014
  16. ^ "Texas needs passing attack before Mizzou", The Paris News, Paris, Texas, September 27, 1979, retrieved April 17, 2014
  17. ^ "Akers Calls Texas-OU tilt 'top' college grid game", Lawrence Journal-World, Lawrence, Kansas, October 9, 1979, retrieved April 17, 2014
  18. ^ Pat, Turner (June 23, 2011). "Constanzo set to coach TMI football". San Antonio Express News. San Antonio. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  19. ^ "Former Texas QB is new TMI football coach". June 15, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
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