Dec. 19, 2003
WACO, Texas -- Baylor University head football coach Guy Morriss announced Friday the signing of two junior college transfers, quarterback Dane King and offensive lineman Evan Stone, to National Letters of Intent for the 2004 season. Both players will enroll at Baylor for spring semester classes next month.
"Both of these men were qualifiers coming out of high school, so they will be able to come in next month and go through the off-season program and spring practice," Morriss said. "I expect that they'll help us right away and make our football team better."
A two-year starter at quarterback for coach Scott Maxfield at Blinn (Texas) College, King earned second-team NJCAA All-America and first-team All-Southwest Junior College Football Conference honors in 2003 after leading the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in both passing (310.8 ypg) and total offense (322.3 ypg). In guiding the Bucs to a 7-3 record, King completed 59.2 percent of his passes (193-of-326) for 2,797 yards and 27 touchdowns with only seven interceptions and a long play of 74 yards. He also rushed for 104 yards on the year.
"Dane has all the intangibles and the swagger that you like to see in a quarterback," Morriss said. "It is going to be interesting to watch the competition at quarterback this spring. I believe that (competition) will make us a better football program."
King earned NJCAA national offensive player of the week honors for his record-setting performance in a 69-7 victory over Ranger, Sept. 18. He completed 24-of-36 passes in the game for a school-record 437 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 27 yards on four carries.
"He's got the things you look for in a quarterback," said Maxfield. "He's got good leadership skills, a great arm strength and a quick release."
As a freshman at Blinn, King was 166-of-305 (54.2 percent) in the air for 1,945 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. The 6-2, 205-pound native of Gonzales, Texas, passed for 2,800 yards, 32 touchdowns and only nine interceptions in two seasons at Gonzales High School.
Stone, meanwhile, started every game along the offensive line at Tyler (Texas) Junior College before missing the last half of the 2003 campaign with a knee injury that required surgery. Coach Dale Carr's Apache's finished the 2003 season with a 10-2 record and a No. 6 national ranking in the final NJCAA poll. Tyler posted its first 10-win season since 1969 and won the Heart of Texas Bowl with a 55-3 victory over Rochester Community College.
"To what degree Evan will be able to practice this spring is undetermined because he's got some rehab work to do on his knee, but I believe he'll contend for a spot at one of the inside positions along the offensive line," Morriss said. "All of the medical people have assured me that he'll be ready for fall camp. The fact that he's going to be on campus this spring should give him a jump start (in learning our system), as he'll be able to go through some drills and work hard in the weight room."
The 6-5, 272-pound Stone hails from Buffalo, Texas, where he was a three-year starter for Buffalo H.S.
