Dec. 13, 2001

Tar Heel Monthly is a new monthly publication devoted to the stories and personalities behind UNC sports. For more information, visit www.tarheelmonthly.com.

The following is excerpted from the most recent issue of the magazine.

By Adam Lucas

Chris Keldorf

Ask Chris Keldorf about Carolina's reemergence as a bowl team this year, and he has an immediate reaction.

"Oh, man," he said during a recent telephone conversation with Tar Heel Monthly. "Again? There are a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that went into that."

Yes, Keldorf still remembers the 1996 season. Behind the first-team All-ACC performance of his junior-college transfer quarterback, Mack Brown's Heels zipped through the regular season with only a 13-0 loss at Florida State.

When they traveled to Virginia for a November 16 game against Virginia, major-bowl representatives were in attendance and a huge payday seemed assured. But a 17-3 fourth-quarter lead slipped away, and Carolina had to settle for the Gator Bowl.

Keldorf threw the momentum-changing pass against the Cavaliers, which was intended for Octavus Barnes before the receiver altered his route. Raleigh native Antwan Harris intercepted the ball and returned it the length of the field for a touchdown.

Things got worse for Keldorf the next week, as he dislocated his ankle against Duke and had to sit out the Gator Bowl win over West Virginia.

"We had that Virginia game locked up, and then I threw that interception," Keldorf said. "And then the next year, we went 11-1 and still got nixed by the big bowls for one of the second-place teams from another conference."

That season, his senior campaign, ended with an MVP performance in the Gator Bowl, a 42-3 whipping of Virginia Tech.

Keldorf ended his Tar Heel career as the career leader in touchdown passes (35), completions per game in a career (15.25), and completions per game in a season (18.3). His 1996 season, when he threw only five interceptions in 338 attempts and fired 23 touchdowns, remains one of the finest passing performances in UNC history.

After graduating from Carolina, Keldorf worked for ESPN as a production and research assistant. That stint lasted nine months and also included a tour in the Arena Football League as a backup quarterback.

Nearly a year in Connecticut was enough for the California native, however, and he got the itch to return home. After moving back to Hermosa Beach, he latched on with Student Sports, and now works as their events director, organizing the Nike football training camps, including the prestigious Elite 11 Quarterback Camp.

"From a training perspective, the training techniques and methods are much more dynamic than when I was playing," Keldorf said. "You can do everything in one hour that we used to do in four hours."

The regular Nike camps attract anywhere from 150 to 200 participants, all of whom get individual attention.

Between traveling to the Nike camps in the springtime and serving as a member of the selection staff for the Elite 11, Keldorf maintains a busy schedule. But he still finds time to stay in touch with college roommates Jeff Saturday and Nate Hobgood-Chittick, both of whom are in the NFL.

He also keeps tabs on his Tar Heels.

"The people I've met and the friendships I've made, I wouldn't have changed a thing," he said. "I've been to a lot of schools in my line of work, and the campus, students, players, and everything else at Carolina are unbelievable. I have yet to see anything to match them."