Dombrowski gets surprise from College Hall of Fame
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: May 2, 2008

When Jim Dombrowski came to the University of Virginia in the early 1980s, he figured his future was in medicine and not on the gridiron.
After all, up to that point of his life the giant-sized Dombrowski had accomplished more as a hockey player than in football. Can you imagine Dombrowski coming at you on skates and carrying a stick? Not that he would need one.
Cementing himself as George Welsh’s starting offensive left tackle for four years (1982-85), the New York native dominated at his position, twice winning the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the ACC’s best blocker and becoming Virginia’s first-ever unanimous All-American.
All that resulted in Dombrowski being the New Orleans Saints’ first-round draft pick (sixth overall) in 1986. He would flourish in that organization, playing a club-record 147 consecutive games over an 11-year span and earning him a spot in the Saints’ Hall of Fame.
Maybe he figured that award in 2003 might be his last. He had already been named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary team as one of its best players ever.
What else was there?
Last Saturday, he found out when he returned home from playing in a member-guest golf tournament to find a strange package resting on the kitchen table of his New Orleans home.
Inside was one of the biggest treats of Dombrowski’s life: a football informing him that he had been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2008 along with such fabled names as Lou Holtz, Troy Aikman, Billy Cannon, Thurman Thomas, Ron Simmons and more.
“I think if anybody dreams that kind of stuff, I think they are pulling your leg,” Dombrowski said in a teleconference through UVa’s sports information department on Thursday afternoon. “I always enjoyed athletics no matter what sport I was playing when I was growing up. I just wanted to go out there and have fun and do the best I could.”
Dombrowski said he never thought about a college football scholarship until he started getting recruited after his senior year. That’s when Dick Bestwick and his staff lured him south from Williamsville, N.Y.
Bestwick didn’t get to hang around long enough to reap the benefits of Dombrowski. Welsh, his coaching successor, helped mold his offense around the physical tackle who paved the way for Virginia’s running game featuring the likes of All-ACC running back Barry Word.
“I think George would be the first to admit that Coach Bestwick and his staff gave them some good players that they were able to build upon, and through everybody’s hard work we were able to get the program going in the right direction,” Dombrowski said.
Welsh acknowledged that fact about this time a year ago when he and Bestwick attended UVa’s football alumni reunion, also attended by Dombrowski.
“I think that Coach Bestwick and his staff kind of turned the tide from the regime that was there prior to them, but obviously I have a tremendous sense of pride that the group of guys that I went to school with were able to get the ball rolling downhill, and through the remainder of George’s tenure, they took the ball and ran,” Dombrowski said.
“Who would have ever thought that at one point UVa would be the No. 1 team in the nation (three weeks in 1990)? Certainly not when I was recruited there. And with Al [Groh] and his staff, they have been able to keep things going.”
Still, when he arrived at UVa, he didn’t know how much his life would change.
He helped the Cavaliers attain three consecutive winning seasons — a mind-blowing feat at the time — and win the 1984 Peach Bowl against Big Ten runner-up Purdue (Virginia’s first-ever bowl game). The big tackle became only the fifth Cavalier to have his jersey number (73) retired.
He would meet his wife, Sandy, in Charlottesville (her family still lives here) and Dombrowski has been a celebrated name in Wahoo lore ever since.
“When I was at UVa, it was just going out and trying to find a spot on the team and find a spot on the field to play,” the Hall of Famer said. “I went to college to go to medical school and hopefully become an orthopedic surgeon, but my career in the NFL got in the way.”
Dombrowski was featured on the cover of this newspaper’s football section during his career. The hulking wide body donned a surgeon’s gown while pretending to operate on a football.
Little did he suspect that by the time he was through playing football that med school would be a distant afterthought.
“I never thought about getting drafted in the NFL until after my junior year, when a lot of the guys I played against were going pretty high in the draft,” Dombrowski said. “I said, ‘Hmmm, well you know, maybe I can do this as a career.’
“I never really looked beyond where I was. I always wanted to enjoy where I was and just took full advantage of it, enjoyed it as much as I could.”
When his career with the Saints came to a close he had small children and knew that medical school would be such a sacrifice that he would miss them growing up. Instead, he became a certified financial planner with Wachovia Securities in the New Orleans area.
His oldest of three sons, Carter, is a 19-year-old freshman at UVa, while Matt is a high school sophomore and John is an eighth grader.
Dombrowski, who will be honored at the National Football Foundation’s Hall of Fame awards dinner in New York on Dec. 9 (induction will follow next spring in South Bend, Ind.), will become the fourth Wahoo player inducted into the Hall (Bill Dudley, Tom Scott, Joe Palumbo), along with three coaches (Welsh, Frank Murray, and Earle “Greasy” Neale).

 

Dombrowski selected for college hall
Former All-American was offensive tackle for U.Va. in the'80s
Friday, May 02, 2008 - 12:06 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

The official announcement came yesterday at noon. Not long after, the congratulatory calls and e-mails, including one from former University of Virginia football coach Dick Bestwick, began arriving.

"In today's age, information gets disseminated, evidently, at the speed of light," Jim Dombrowski said on a conference call.

Dombrowski, who as a senior in 1985 became U.Va.'s first unanimous All-American, received a greater honor yesterday, when he was one of 13 former players selected for the College Football Hall of Fame's class of 2008. The class also includes two former coaches, John Cooper and Lou Holtz, one of whose many employers was William and Mary (1969-71).

"Quite frankly, I'm humbled by the honor," said Dombrowski, a certified financial planner in the New Orleans area, where he's also a volunteer coach for his older son's high school football team. His daughter, Carter, is finishing her first year at U.Va.

As a boy growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., Dombrowski also played hockey, and that sport was his first love. "I never even thought of getting a college scholarship [for football] until I started getting recruited after my senior year," he said.

A four-year starter at offensive tackle for U.Va., Dombrowski twice won the Jacobs Trophy, given annually to the ACC's top blocker. He spent 11 seasons with the New Orleans Saints and in 2003 was inducted into their hall of fame. His number, 73, has been retired at U.Va.

Dombrowski, who learned Saturday of his selection, and the rest of the class of 2008 will be honored at the National Football Foundation's annual awards dinner Dec. 9 in New York City.

The other former players selected were Troy Aikman (UCLA), Billy Cannon (LSU), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern), Wilber Marshall (Florida), Rueben Mayes (Washington State), Randall McDaniel (Arizona State), Don McPherson (Syracuse), Jay Novacek (Wyoming), Dave Parks (Texas Tech), Ron Simmons (Florida State), Thurman Thomas (Oklahoma State) and Arnold Tucker (Army).

"It's a pretty good list of names, isn't it?" Dombrowski said. "That's why I'm humbled by it."

Dombrowski will be the fourth player from U.Va. in the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Bill Dudley, Tom Scott and Joe Palumbo. Three former U.Va. coaches are enshrined: Earle "Greasy" Neale, Frank Murray and George Welsh.

In 1981, Bestwick's final season at U.Va., Dombrowski took a medical redshirt. Dombrowski's coach the next four seasons was Welsh, who turned around what had been one of the ACC's worst programs.

"I think George would be the first to admit that Coach Bestwick and his staff gave them some good players they were able to build on," Dombrowski said.

 

Ex-Cavs lineman in college FB hall
Jim Dombrowski was Virginia's first unanimous All-American and spent 11 years with the Saints.
Doug Doughty

Almost as memorable as Jim Dombrowski's selection to the College Football Hall of Fame was his notification.

"On Saturday, I was invited to play in a member-guest [golf tournament] and when I got back to the house after the round, there was a strange box waiting for me on the kitchen table," Dombrowski, an offensive lineman at Virginia from 1981-85, said Thursday.

"I opened it up and there was a letter and a football inside that the National Football Foundation had painted, indicating my selection to the hall of fame. That was kind of a neat and creative way to learn about the honor."

He is one of 15 members of the 2008 class, which was announced Thursday, and joins six other previously inducted hall-of-famers with UVa ties, including his former coach George Welsh.

Dombrowski, a two-time winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the ACC's top offensive lineman, was Virginia's first unanimous All-America selection. Later, his No. 73 was retired by the university.

Virginia also is represented in the hall by former players Bill Dudley, Tom Scott and Joe Palumbo, as well as ex-coaches Earle "Greasy" Neale and Frank Murray.

"Quite frankly, I'm really humbled," said Dombrowski, who spent 11 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, who took him with the sixth overall pick in the 1986 NFL draft.

He played in a franchise-record 147 consecutive games and was named to the Saints Hall of Fame in 2003.

"I never thought about a college scholarship until my senior year in high school. I was just hoping for a spot on the field," Dombrowski said.

Dombrowski, listed at 6-foot-5 and 296 pounds as a UVa senior in 1985, came from the Buffalo, N.Y., suburb of Williamsville and played club hockey throughout high school.

"Hockey was actually my first love," Dombrowski said. "I enjoy watching it. I enjoyed playing it. Was pretty good at it, too."

After posting winning seasons only twice in a 30-year span, Virginia had winning records in each of Dombrowski's last three seasons.

The program made its first bowl appearance, where the Cavaliers beat Purdue in the 1984 Peach Bowl.

"I think George would be the first to admit that Coach [Dick] Bestwick and his staff gave them some good players that they were able to build upon," said Dombrowski, who was a Bestwick recruit.

"Through everybody's hard work, we were able to get the program headed in the right direction. Obviously, I have a tremendous sense of pride that I was part of a group of guys that got the ball rolling downhill."

Dombrowski had hoped to go to medical school and become an orthopedic surgeon but his professional career lasted longer than the norm.

He became a certified financial advisor and also works as a volunteer line coach at Mandeville (La.) High School, where his 6-4, 225-pound son, Matt, will be a junior offensive lineman next year.

Dombrowski and his fellow selections were chosen from a list of 83 finalists that included 75 players and eight coaches.

"That's why I'm humbled," said Dombrowski, whose wife, Sandy, is a former UVa classmate from Buena Vista. "Geez, probably the least-recognized person on there is the offensive lineman from Virginia."
 

Of Pete Rose and reader feedback
The Bruce Springsteen saga continues
By Doug Doughty

As I was driving to work and listening to XM-radio host Tony Kornheiser talk to Larry King about Roger Clemens, I was struck by a recurring thought:

How will the continuing allegations against Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds affect the baseball hall of fame chances of all-time hit leader Pete Rose?

In my lifetime, I have had three favorite baseball players – Mickey Mantle, Rose and Toby Harrah. I’m sure that Harrah will never make the hall of fame but, after growing up in the Washington, D.C., area, I followed his career long after the Senators left Washington.

In any case, we all know that Rose hasn’t made the hall of fame because he bet on baseball (he has admitted that, right ?) but what’s the hall of fame going to look like if all of the currently tainted players are excluded?

If Bonds and Clemens and Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro don’t make it, what kind of hall of fame is it going to be?

In the end, I think that helps Rose, but I don’t have a vote and never will. But, we’ll let that lead into this week’s poll question.

Who would you be more likely to put in the baseball hall of fame first: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens or Pete Rose?

I HOPE TO MAKE these poll questions a regular staple of the UVa Insider, which begins its summer vacation this week, and Notebook Plus.

In this week’s UVa Insider, we asked if people liked Mac McDonald as voice of the Cavaliers. It was announced earlier this week that McDonald was resigning to pursue other interests.

I was surprised, when I looked at the vote this morning, to see that it was so close. After more than 360 responses, McDonald had 57.3 percent of the vote, up from 52.1 when I logged in earlier in the day.

This week’s UVa Insider also raised the question of a Bruce Springsteen’s appearance at Virginia’s Memorial Gym predating Wednesday night’s show at John Paul Jones Arena.

Numerous readers have placed Springsteen’s appearance on Nov. 17, 1974. I received more than a dozen e-mails on the subject, roughly half from people who were at the concert.

“The Boss definitely played Mem Gym,” Barry Hollar, a former UVa baseball pitcher who once threw a no-hitter for the Cavaliers, wrote. “I can’t tell you the year. The [Daily Progress] this week said ’74. I would, like you, have guessed earlier.

“I remember it so well because I was an usher for PK German. I was a baseball player but most of the ushers were southern frat guys. I remember folks complaining about having to usher a concert for this unknown guy. Somebody said that it had sold out in a few hours and that New York and Jersey kids had bought up the tickets. That made the frat guys dread the show even more.

“I was assigned to the front row. What luck! I remember, five minutes into the show, realizing that this guy was clearly the best performer I had ever seen. I seem to remember him playing some songs accompanied only by his own acoustic guitar and a violinst.”

Various e-mailers say that ex-James Gang and Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh was in the crowd that night. Nobody gives the slightest suggestion of an earlier appearance by Springsteen, although I keep thinking there had to be an earlier one because I had moved to Roanoke by the fall of 1974.

IT IS A RARE Division I-A football program that hasn’t had walk-ons fill a major role at some point, but name a walk-on quarterback who has had a major impact. I can’t remember one at Virginia or Virginia Tech.

That’s the challenge facing Kyle McCartin, a 6-foot-4 quarterback from Fauquier High School who has accepted an invitation to walk on at UVa. However, McCartin is a little different from the typical walk-on. He passed for 1,296 yards and nine touchdowns, and he had more than 1,900 yards in total offense as a junior.

McCartin already had passed for two touchdowns against Liberty-Bealeton when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the opening game of the 2007 season. In an interview he did with Virginia Preps, McCartin said he considered Fork Union and Hargrave but was looking for a Division I-A program that would give him an honest look.

All he had to do was look at Virginia’s quarterback depth chart to see that the Cavaliers’ QB situation was in a state of flux. It was a potential win-win situation for UVa, which is taking a hard look at McCartin’s younger brother, Connor, a 6-4, 215-pound linebacker prospect for the Class of 2009.

IT WAS PREMATURE to think that Virginia Tech’s fall recruitment of guard Tyshawn Taylor from St. Anthony’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J., would provide the Hokies with any advantage when Taylor was released from the basketball letter-of-intent he signed with Marquette.

Taylor ended up accepting a spring offer from Kansas, which not only had the euphoria of a national championship working for it but also could show where Final Four standout Mario Chalmers had placed his name in consideration for the NBA Draft.

On top of that, because Kansas had not been involved with Taylor in the fall, coach Bill Self and his staff could bring Taylor to campus for an official visit. That’s something that hindered the Hokies, who, because Taylor had visited officially in the fall, were limited in the contact they could have with him in the spring.

WHEN I SAW on Virginia Preps that 16 Virginia juniors already had made football commitments to Division I-A programs, I figured I had missed somebody and was eager to pull up the list.

Actually, I was familiar with all 16 commitments, but I imagine that Virginia Tech fans are a little anxious when they see that only David Wang, a September 2007 committement, currently is headed to Blacksburg. I wouldn’t read too much into that.

At least for the moment, the Hokies are looking at a small class and, given their recruiting prowess over the past decade, you can assume the Tech staff knows what it’s doing.
 

U.Va. eyes a transfer from UConn
Saturday, May 03, 2008 - 12:06 AM

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- One University of Virginia target, Wesley Witherspoon, committed this week to Memphis. Another, Paul McCoy, said he's bound for SMU.

But basketball coach Dave Leitao hasn't ruled out adding another perimeter player to the Cavaliers' 2008-09 roster.

One possibility is Doug Wiggins, who is leaving the University of Connecticut, where Leitao twice worked as an assistant under Jim Calhoun. Wiggins, a 6-1 point guard, will have two seasons of eligibility left after sitting out the coming season.

"I've spoken to Coach Leitao, and Doug has too a couple times," said Anthony Menard, who coached Wiggins at East Hartford (Conn.) High. "He's definitely interested in the school, and I think they're interested in him."

Wiggins averaged 6.8 points and 17.7 minutes as a freshman, when he started two games. As a reserve in 2007-08, he averaged 6.7 points and 2.5 assists in about 19 minutes per game.

But he wasn't projected to start next season, and off-court problems marred his time in Calhoun's program. Wiggins failed two drug tests, and he was suspended for two games in 2007-08 after an alcohol-related incident involving a UConn teammate.

Still, Menard said, he doesn't believe Wiggins' decision to leave UConn had "anything to do with the off-the-court stuff. It had to do with playing time. More than anything, he wants to play with the ball in his hands."

Wiggins is visiting the University of Massachusetts this weekend, but Menard doesn't expect him to commit. "We're going to take our time with this," Menard said, "because the next move has got to be the perfect fit for everybody involved."

As for U.Va.'s position with Wiggins, "I think both sides are kind of feeling each other out," Menard said. -- Jeff White

 

Doolittle doing a lot for first-place Ports
By Michael Sudhalter
Record Staff Writer
May 01, 2008 6:00 AM

STOCKTON - Sean Doolittle is giving fans a first-person account of what it's like to play minor-league baseball.

The Stockton Ports' first baseman is one of five minor league players chosen to keep a player journal on minorleaguebaseball.com.

"They called me in February and asked me if I wanted to do it," Doolittle said. "Writing comes relatively easy, and it's cool being able to contribute."

Doolittle, 21, has had plenty of good news to report.

Through 25 games, the former University of Virginia standout is second in the California League with 24 RBI. He's hitting .330 with 32 hits and seven home runs for the North Division-leading Ports (19-7), who conclude a three-game series at 7:05 p.m. today at the Visalia Oaks (12-14).

"I'm trying to drive the ball more," Doolittle said. "I expect to hit for an average like I'm hitting right now. I've been tweaking my swing a little bit, so I could hit for power."

The Tabernacle, N.J., native had a nine-game hitting streak snapped on Monday.

"He has an approach, he's up there to do damage," Ports manager Darren Bush said.

In his two journal entries, Doolittle writes about spring training, the Ports' early-season success, his path to the Oakland A's organization and his past as a pitcher.

Doolittle was drafted out of high school by the Atlanta Braves in the 39th round but decided to play college baseball. He wanted to hit and pitch, but only James Madison and Virginia offered him the opportunity to do both. He chose Virginia for its combination of athletics and academics.

As a junior, Doolittle hit .301 with 53 RBI and went 8-3 with a 2.40 ERA for the Cavaliers. He decided to forgo his senior season, and the A's picked him in the first round with the 41st overall selection of the 2007 amateur draft.

Doolittle played 68 games last season with short-season Single-A Vancouver (British Columbia) and Low-A Kane County (Ill.), hitting .243 with 33 RBI.

"I accomplished a lot of good things at school and went out on a good note," Doolittle said. "I'm definitely not looking ahead, just hoping to make the most of my opportunities in Stockton."

Ports hitting coach Tim Garland said Doolittle's success is a result of his dedication.

"Doolittle puts in a lot of preparation before the game," Garland said. "He's one of the hardest working guys in the cage. He really gets after it, and that carries over into the game."

Doolittle misses pitching, but he's glad he doesn't have to pull double duty anymore.

"It definitely takes a toll on your body when you're doing both," Doolittle said.

Doolittle studied psychology at Virginia and hopes to complete his degree. He'd like to work as a sports psychologist.

"Hopefully," he said, "I can stay committed to the game in some respect."