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Nothing small about Hamilton 'Little Joe' a big factor in teammates, opponents
Posted: Friday December 10, 1999 09:19 PM
ATLANTA (AP) -- They called him "Little Joe," this diminutive seventh-grader who showed up to play football in the Middle of Nowhere, S.C. Physically, there wasn't much to indicate that Joe Hamilton could handle the rigors of this rough, demanding game. But Kenneth Green, then coaching at Macedonia Middle School, somehow sensed this was his quarterback. "I knew he had the mindset," Green said. "Sure, he was small. Sometimes, small kids kind of get lost in the shuffle. That was never a problem with him. He had this smile on his face that was like, 'C'mon, give me a try.'" So, he did. Hamilton started at quarterback in his very first game for Macedonia Middle and never looked back. On Saturday, Little Joe from Alvin, S.C., will sit at the front of the room at the Downtown Athletic Club as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. "I'm proud as a peacock," Green said. Still, after accounting for more than 10,000 yards in his career at Georgia Tech, there are nay sayers who wonder how Hamilton did it. He is listed at 5-foot-10, but the whisper campaign says he is at least an inch or two shorter. "I'm ready to reveal my true height," Hamilton said recently, pausing for effect. "I am 6-foot-2." He was kidding, of course. But what's all the fuss about? Every Monday during football season, Hamilton grabs the sports section and flips to the story about the Buffalo Bills. They also have a quarterback who was supposed to be too short -- Doug Flutie. "I carry the banner for guys who believe in what football is all about," Hamilton said. "I carry the banner for guys who say, 'Hey, football hasn't changed.' It's about getting first downs, getting touchdowns and trying to win. The size of the person has nothing to do with it." Directing an offense that ranked first in the nation in total yards (508.8 a game) and second in scoring (40.7-point average), Hamilton completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,060 yards and 29 touchdowns, with only 11 interceptions. He thrived even when the Yellow Jackets lost their top two running backs, finishing second on the team in rushing with 734 yards and six TDs. If not for upset losses to Virginia and Wake Forest late in the season, Hamilton probably would be favored for the Heisman instead of Wisconsin's Ron Dayne. "Those losses hurt real bad," said Hamilton, who will play his final college game when the No. 17 Yellow Jackets (8-3) meet No. 23 Miami in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day. "I don't think it should take away from my overalton honed his instincts on every backyard and vacant lot in Alvin, a South Carolina town of about 800 people where there's not much to do except hang out at Kinlaw's Barber Shop and play football. Amazingly, this hamlet has produced Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown, San Francisco 49ers safety Pierson Prioleau and former Philadelphia Eagles receiver Harvey Middleton. In the last six years, 18 players from Alvin-area schools have earned major college scholarships. Not bad for a town not listed on official state road maps since at least 1956. (That changes next year, largely because of Hamilton.) "Those kids aren't around a big city," Green said. "They don't have movie theaters and shopping malls and skating rinks. Football is what they're going to play. That's it." Green remembers Hamilton's first game at Macedonia Middle School in 1989, the same year Hurricane Hugo ripped through the South Carolina lowlands. Green gave Little Joe seven plays, putting them on a wristband so he wouldn't forget. The coach planned to relay the plays with a tight end, but that kid was injured early in the game. Green panicked, wondering how he would get the plays to Hamilton. Then the quarterback reminded him of the system they had worked out before the game to use with a no-huddle offense. Green would hold up anywhere from one to seven fingers to indicate the play. "He took me by the arm and said, 'Calm down, coach, just give me a number,'" Green recalled. "I was like, 'Oh, OK.' I almost forgot we had that system. I would give him a number and he called the play. I said to myself, 'Uh, oh, this kid is unreal.'" Hamilton is still grateful to Green for taking a chance. "He easily could have said, 'Joe, you're going to be a running back' or 'Joe, you're going to be a wide receiver,'" Hamilton said. "Luckily, he made me the quarterback. I haven't looked back since seventh grade."
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