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Shot of reality: Attack on father makes TU QB mentally tough

JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
 
By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer
Published: 8/5/2009  2:22 AM
Last Modified: 8/6/2009  10:12 AM
Today is the final in a three-part series featuring the three quarterbacks who look to become TU’s starting quarterback this season.

Today, we profile G.J. Kinne.

Read our stories on the other two candidates.

Rising son: TU freshman Shavodrick Beaver is inspired by mother’s struggles, strong spirit.

Passing the test: Jacob Bower and his wife hold onto faith.

Related story: Hurricane newcomers report.

"Your father is dead."

G.J. Kinne's dad and football coach — Gary Joe Kinne — was shot earlier that April 2005 day by an upset parent on the Canton (Texas) High School grounds.

G.J. Kinne was supposed to be in police protective custody and free of danger, but those words shattered him more than any physical violence.

Then joy mixed with anger when he was told his father was, in fact, alive.

It was an emotional roller-coaster that no 17-year-old boy should have to endure.

Family bond

Family and football has always
been an important part of G.J. Kinne's life.

His parents Gary Joe Kinne and Jocelyne Carter no longer share a marriage, but they share love for their athletically gifted son.

Gary Joe Kinne, a longtime coach in Texas, always has mentored his son. Some of G.J. Kinne's earliest memories include walking the sidelines at Mesquite and Allen high schools. Bedtime stories were replaced by watching game film.

Carter was found at many of her son's games. In Texas, football is a religion. And the proud mom recalls contests and scores from years past with amazing clarity.

In 2003, Gary Joe Kinne was named head coach in Canton, located 60 miles east of Dallas. He not only brought football knowledge, but a quarterback that would be the program's future.

G.J. Kinne had two solid seasons at quarterback, gaining notice as one of the state's best prospects.

Then, on April 7, 2005, the blast of a 45-caliber pistol changed everything.

'Blood everywhere'

"I was in class that day," G.J. Kinne said. "We had a track meet and I was about to run the hurdles that day.

"We were taken to a shelter ... it was like a safety drill. While we were sitting there, I didn't want to be there. All I could think about was the track meet."

Moments later, a police officer and an assistant coach yanked him from the room and placed him in protective custody while taking him to the athletic fieldhouse.

His father, they told him, had been shot.

"It was an awful feeling," G.J. Kinne said. "I kept asking, 'What's going on?' and 'Who did it?'"

Jeff Robertson, a disgruntled parent of a football player, entered Gary Joe Kinne's office and, without saying a word, shot the coach once in the stomach. After he left, Kinne managed to call for help and collapsed when it arrived.

"There was blood everywhere," G.J. Kinne said. "I ran in there ... he looked bad and was really white. He couldn't talk, but I told him he was going to be OK."

After Gary Joe Kinne was taken by helicopter to a hospital, his son and other family members were taken to the police station for protective reasons. Robertson was still loose.

"At the police station, I was told my father had died," G.J. Kinne said. "They said, 'Your father's dead and you are the man of the house now.'

"That was really a bad situation."

Defying the odds

Infuriated. Upset. Sad. Mortified.

That's was Carter's range of emotions about the mishandling of information given to her son.

"The constables there had no authority to talk about Gary Joe," Carter said. "They used no tact or no discretion. They said 'G.J., your father is dead.'"

Gary Joe Kinne said, "I hated that for him. It was really difficult and something you never get over and forget."

After being told his dad was alive and in critical condition, a chaplain went with G.J. Kinne to the hospital.

Gary Joe Kinne couldn't speak, but he knew his family was there.

"His dad gave him a thumbs-up," Carter said. "That was huge. Huge. For him to see that, it gave him something to hang his hat on."

Gary Joe Kinne spent about 100 days in the hospital and had three or four surgeries. The man who was given a 10 percent chance of living left the hospital and helped lead his Canton team to a 12-2 record that fall. He also was named the Adams USA National Coach of the Year.

Robertson, who has a tattoo of a gun-wielding Yosemite Sam and the words "Born to Raise Hell" on his arm, was arrested a few hours later on that afternoon.

School authorities said Robertson had already been barred from the high school and told not to attend games after several confrontations, including one at a football picnic where he was accused of "shoving and verbally abusing" coaches. His son was a Canton freshman at the time.

Robertson received a 20-year sentence for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

"I have a Christian background and the first person I talked to was a pastor," G.J. Kinne said. "He told me that you have to forgive this person even though what he did was a bad thing.

"To a point, I have forgiven him. It's a hard situation."

One tough kid

The Kinnes have taken many different journeys to their current destinations since the shooting disrupted their lives.

His senior year, G.J. Kinne and his mother moved to Gilmer, located 90 minutes east of Canton. Gary Joe Kinne became an assistant at Baylor.

G.J. Kinne spent a redshirt season at Texas, and transferred to Tulsa to play for Todd Graham. He had to sit out last season.

Gary Joe Kinne moved to Clovis West (Calif.) High School in 2008 before taking a job at Sherman (Texas) High School a few weeks ago.

"It was easier to be out there when he wasn't playing," Gary Joe Kinne said. "I wanted to be closer to where he played. Maybe I'll be able to see one or two games now."

Kinne, an accurate passer, was intrigued with TU's offense. He will work during preseason camp to try and beat out Jacob Bower and Shavodrick Beaver for the starter's job.

The shooting seems distant, but it's something G.J. Kinne will always take with him.

And that incident may help on the football field.

"The head coach at Tulsa requires his quarterback to be mentally tough," Carter said. "I can guarantee you that there's not a more mentally tough kid than G.J. Kinne."

Kinne sad over death

Gary Joe Kinne was saddened by the shooting death of Iowa high school coach Ed Thomas earlier this summer.

“It really hit me hard and it was difficult,” Kinne said.

Thomas, 58, was the head coach at Aplington-Parkersburg High School. He was shot in the weight room in front of several students by a former player on June 24. The alleged killer is 24-year-old Mark Becker.

“I felt so sorry for the family and coaches,” Kinne said. “I felt for the team and the community. My heart goes out to them.

Eric Bailey 581-8391
eric.bailey@tulsaworld.com
By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS 
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12 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Report Comment
2curious, Tulsa, OK 74104 (8/5/2009 7:14:30 AM)
I remember this event. What an interesting story to know that the son is here in Tulsa recounting it and thriving in the face of what it cost him and his family.

Good luck Mr. Kinne and TU. I'll be following as I'm sure will others.
Report Comment
iflyfast, At an airport somewhere in the Tulsa area (8/5/2009 8:34:35 AM)
The only word that comes to mind after reading this story is "WOW".
Report Comment
Rhymeister, Tokyo, JPN (8/5/2009 6:51:41 AM)
All I gotta say is Tulsa has three kids with seemingly a LOT of character and determination. Losing Johnson is tough esp after he did a great job coming in and taking over for Paul Smith, but I truly Tulsa will be fine with any of these three. May the best man win but I hope that Todd Graham and co find a way to get all three guys into games.

Let's win C-USA, Tulsa!!!
Report Comment
InsideTulsaSports . com, Coweta (8/5/2009 7:56:24 AM)
Kinne is a good kid.
Report Comment
Shadow Knows, Tucson (8/6/2009 3:31:29 PM)
Kinne's a strong family! Hope their faith carries them all a long way! Hope all 3 QB's get some playing time-but not due to injury! Gooooo TU-hang a hundred on Cougar High as payback for 1968!
Report Comment
laughoutloud, (8/5/2009 11:05:00 PM)
Wow... Here is a link to a national news article about that tragedy:
msnbc dot msn dot com/id/7420306

(fyi must replace "dot" with ".")
Report Comment
laughoutloud, (8/5/2009 11:20:00 PM)
Robert, was he really crying!?! I missed that!
Now I see why Graham specifically mentioned he wants "mental toughness" in a QB.
David Johnson did AMAZING as a first year starter. That is a lot of pressure. However, after 4 years and 12 games as a starter, he should have been ready for that last home game. That ECU game was a breakdown.

After comparing stats from the scrimmage, Beaver has the edge (3 TDs, no INTs) and Kinne is close at #2 (about same amount of yards and TDs, but 2 INT's). However, stature-wise Kinne has the slight edge. Plus Kinne has experience at Texas and TU last year. (FYI, Bower's stats from the scrimmage were so bad its not worth mentioning...

My prediction: Kinne is starter. Beaver will run a wildcat package with more passing than last year. Bower be the in-team QB coach.
Report Comment
Kilgore.Trout, Tulsa (8/5/2009 5:21:33 PM)
Eric- Great writing and a good story. This story with his father should have been a stand alone story. The story for GJ's competition at QB another separate story.

One thing you didn't do was go into his time at Texas and reasons for coming to TU. What his strengths are and how he sees himself in the competition for QB. How he sees TU in comparison to other teams in BCS races.
Report Comment
hawkdaddy, (8/5/2009 9:48:36 AM)
Having seen all three play a little, I will be willing to bet that Kinne is the stater this year. That being said, each of them were very highly recruited and talented. Not to mention, they all seem to be very strong willed individuals who have faced and conquered a lot of adversity in their lives already. Any of the three would do great and I hope, as one person has already mentioned, that they all get on the field this year(only not due to injury).
Report Comment
robert1288, (8/5/2009 2:01:40 PM)
Kinne is a champion. Beaver a great runner, not a great passer, and Bower not a great passer, nor runner. Kinne is an extraordinary passer, and will take off and run to get the first down. I was at the Spring Game. In the pass happy C-USA, what will TU do if they get behind? Plus, they will generally have to put up 28 a game to win. Likely 42 to take Houston. BTW, Johnson "cried" in the 3rd Qtr. vs. ECU on national TV with his team only down 7 points in the Championship game. A "designated fan" out of the stands from the student section from one of the frats would have been a better choice for TU at that point in the contest until the finish at QB for Todd Graham. Graham and Herb Hand won't have that problem with Kinne. Tulsa is trying win games. Go TU!
Report Comment
cowboytimothy, (8/5/2009 8:19:41 AM)
Impressive group of QB's. My friendswho are not Tulsa fans point out the great QB Tulsa lost last year(Johnson) as the one position that will hold Tulsa down this year, but considering the pedigree that these three players carry, I would bargain that the QB position will be a great source of strength for the 2009 Golden Hurricane. And ECU and Houston, the coals are already popping on the grill for your team arrivals this fall.
Report Comment
Tulsa World Sports Writer Eric Bailey, (8/5/2009 7:06:37 PM)
Very good questions, Trout. And thanks for the compliment.

Look for Friday's story to feature the competition at quarterback and everyone's thoughts. With this series, we wanted to concentrate on the adversity all three quarterbacks have faced at some point of their lives. I think the mental toughness of all three has been shown, and all can be excellent leaders.

I wrote a blog that talks about his reason to come to Tulsa. We talked about this story in the office today and we couldn't agree of where it would fit. The blog basically describes the friendship between Todd Graham and the Kinne family. I think that had a lot to do with his decision to come to Tulsa.

We'll check with him at Media Day on Thursday about how he sees TU in comparison to other teams like Texas.

Thanks again, and good questions.
 

 
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