🏈 My Favorite Player Monday
“Tony Pike: The Unexpected King of Queen City”
Before Desmond Ridder.
Before the College Football Playoff.
Before Cincinnati became a full-time power…
There was Tony Pike.
The tall, wiry gunslinger from Reading, Ohio.
The guy who went from backup to Big East legend.
The guy who helped put Cincinnati football on the national map.
🟥⚫ The Setup
Cincinnati football in the mid-2000s was still… anonymous.
No tradition.
No national respect.
Just a gritty program trying to break through in the new Big East, where West Virginia and Pitt ruled.
In 2007, Tony Pike was just another name on the depth chart.
By 2008, he was the face of a revolution.
💪 The Breakout
Pike became the starter in 2008 after an injury to Dustin Grutza
In his first major action, he broke his arm
Came back a few weeks later — and led UC to the Big East title and an Orange Bowl berth
He wasn’t flashy. He wasn’t fast.
But he was surgical.
He threw for over 2,400 yards and 19 TDs — all with a metal plate in his non-throwing arm
That 2008 run? Historic.
But 2009 was something else.
🔥 The 2009 Run
Pike starts 2009 on fire: 15 TDs, 0 INTs through 5 games
Breaks his arm again
Comes back, finishes the season with 2,500+ yards and 29 TDs
UC goes 12-0, wins the Big East again
Ends the regular season ranked No. 3 in the country
That Cincinnati team?
They beat Oregon State, West Virginia, Pitt (in that wild 45–44 comeback), and everyone in between.
If Texas doesn’t beat Nebraska on a walk-off field goal in the Big 12 title game… Cincy might’ve gone to the BCS National Championship.
📣 Why We Loved Him
Tony Pike looked like a guy you’d see at the YMCA on a Tuesday night.
But under the helmet?
He had poise
He made every throw
He ran Brian Kelly’s spread like a veteran NFL QB
He played through pain.
He showed up when it mattered.
And he helped turn a commuter school into a BCS power.
🧠 What We Forget
That 2009 Cincy team had Mardy Gilyard, Travis Kelce, Zach Collaros — stacked
Pike went 13–0 as a starter in 2009
He was a 6th-round NFL Draft pick, but injuries cut his career short
He still holds the UC single-season record for TD passes (29)
💡 The Legacy
Tony Pike didn’t win a Heisman.
He didn’t become a household name.
But he changed the trajectory of a program.
Without him, there is no 2009 run.
No Brian Kelly leap to Notre Dame.
No national stage for Cincinnati football.
He made Cincy believe.
He made Saturdays in the Queen City matter.
And for that?
He’ll always be one of our favorite players.
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