Ex-Stagg Standout Ganz Grateful for Record-Breaking Career at Nebraska

When Joe Ganz wasn’t highly recruited by Division I colleges after one of the most prolific football careers in Stagg program history, he didn’t panic.

He had options.

“I was going to play baseball at (the University of Illinois-Chicago),” said Ganz, who was an all-state baseball and football player for the Chargers before graduating in 2004. “I didn’t have a lot of big-time offers football wise. I had some offers at smaller schools, but I didn’t know if I wanted to play lower Division I football. I probably could’ve had a good baseball career. Then, Nebraska came calling.”

Good thing for the Cornhuskers.

All Ganz proceeded to do was break 23 records as a two-year starting quarterback at Nebraska.

“It’s not hard to set passing records at Nebraska,” Ganz joked about the program’s traditional option-oriented offense. “I never really
thought about breaking records. I just wanted to get in and do what I love doing, play quarterback.

"It just so happened that I had a few good games and threw a couple TD passes. Some of the records will be tough to beat. I only started 16 games, but I think some of the records will stand forever. It will be kind of cool to show my kids one day.”

Ganz appeared in 24 games in his collegiate career. He completed 381-of-585 passes for 5,125 yards and 44 touchdowns, while throwing 18 interceptions.

In his senior season, Ganz was a captain and set Nebraska season records with 3,568 passing yards and a 67.9 completion percentage to earn team Most Valuable Player honors. His 25 touchdown passes rank second all-time and his 45 career TD passes also rank second. Ganz concluded his Nebraska career ranked fourth in career passing efficiency among all 2008 active players, behind only Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy.

Ganz was named the MVP of the 2009 Gator Bowl.

“When he first got to Nebraska, my wife (Debbie) and I looked at the defensive and offensive linemen and thought they looked so big,” said
Mike Ganz , Joe’s father. “Joe was 167 pounds soaking wet when he arrived. We were a nervous wreck. We were blessed that he had that opportunity. He took that 'N' on the helmet very seriously and we’re proud of him.

“I knew he had the smarts at an early age. He was just a natural mentally. Football was his love. He was not the biggest kid in Division I, but he had the biggest heart.”

Despite his gaudy numbers, Ganz wasn’t invited to the NFL combine.

“I was kind of surprised, but I was more surprised at not being invited to any all-star games,” Ganz said. “I knew it would be an uphill battle because of my size (6-1) and I didn’t have the best arm.

"I know it’s a business. I was at the (Washington) Redskins camp (as a free agent) for a few weeks, and thought I had a good chance of making the team. They liked everything I did, but they weren’t going to carry four quarterbacks. It was tough. Todd Collins was the backup and Colt Brennan was their third QB, who was under contract with good money. They explained it to me, but it was still hard to hear.”

Ganz Led Stagg to Unchartered Territory

Ganz’s success at Nebraska stemmed from a memorable high school career at Stagg.

He was a three-year starting quarterback and safety for the Chargers, leading them to the playoffs his junior and senior seasons. Ganz threw for 3,428 yards and rushed for 1,328 yards during his career and led Stagg to the state semifinals for the first and only time in program history his junior season when the Chargers finished 10-3.

“We knew he was an outstanding athlete when he came in,” former Stagg football coach Tim McAlpin said. “We were looking for him to be a big part of the program and he definitely was. He was special. He was a great competitor.

"The game just slows down for him when he’s working full speed. He could tell what was going to happen before the play developed. I knew if they gave him a chance at Nebraska that they would never get him off the field.”

Ganz earned second-team all-state honors as a junior and all-state accolades as a senior when he also achieved all-state recognition in baseball after hitting .420 with 45 RBIs.

Ganz credits current Stagg head coach Brian Buglio, former Andrew coach Jim Zimmer and McAlpin with his development at Stagg, along with current Stagg athletic director Bob Fabrizio, who gave Ganz hitting lessons when he was 10.

“Stagg was great,” Ganz said. “I played together with a lot of my friends with the Palos Stars and some of them kind of split up and went to Catholic schools. It was a big decision whether I wanted to go to St. Rita or Stagg. It ended up being the best decision I made. It was awesome to be part of the teams that had success at Stagg. It was one of the most fun times I’ve had playing football.”

COMING THURSDAY: Log on at 6 a.m. Thursday to find out what Stagg graduate Joe Ganz is doing nowadays.