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Kevin Fant

Dawgbone71

Dawgbone71

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Aug 27, 2012
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IMG_0551.jpeg

What is your synopsis of him as our QB back in the day? I was in between 4th & 5th grade at the time and was more focused on whatever new Star Wars crap was coming out at the time. Instead of worrying about when our coaches should run the ball and who they run with 👀

If it was anything like what we have endured with Shapen then I understand why your hearts are made of iron.
 
Dawgbone71

Dawgbone71

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Aug 27, 2012
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Dawgbone71 said:
View attachment 1236272

What is your synopsis of him as our QB back in the day? I was in between 4th & 5th grade at the time and was more focused on whatever new Star Wars crap was coming out at the time. Instead of worrying about when our coaches should run the ball and who they run with 👀

If it was anything like what we have endured with Shapen then I understand why your hearts are made of iron.
Click to expand...
Oh, forgot to mention that part of the reason I asked this question was because I found my old jersey. Just before we swapped to good old Riddle for some Croomin
 
F

Faustdog

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Jun 4, 2007
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Dawgbone71 said:
View attachment 1236272

What is your synopsis of him as our QB back in the day? I was in between 4th & 5th grade at the time and was more focused on whatever new Star Wars crap was coming out at the time. Instead of worrying about when our coaches should run the ball and who they run with 👀

If it was anything like what we have endured with Shapen then I understand why your hearts are made of iron.
Click to expand...

Really talented quarterback who unfortunately caught the tail end of JWS. OL’s and defenses were terrible. He didn’t have a chance.
 
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Chesusdog

Chesusdog

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Faustdog said:
Really talented quarterback who unfortunately caught the tail end of JWS. OL’s and defenses were terrible. He didn’t have a chance.
Click to expand...
That does sound eerily familiar to Shapen. If we had a middle of the SEC o-line this past year we'd have chalked up at least 3-4 more wins.

If the OP is asking if we had the contentious relationship with Fant like we do with Shapen, I'd say no.
 
Dawgbone71

Dawgbone71

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Aug 27, 2012
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OG Goat Holder said:
Curious what exactly you mean by this?
Click to expand...
Probably more of frustration with our offensive line tbh, but it is always easy to pin it on the qb. I am a creature of habit lol. Shapen is a good, even great QB…if he has time. He didn’t get a lot of it unfortunately this past year. The ASU game was a thing of beauty so hates off to him.

I blew a gasket during the Mizz game and that is more on Lebby
 
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Dawgbone71

Dawgbone71

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Chesusdog said:
That does sound eerily familiar to Shapen. If we had a middle of the SEC o-line this past year we'd have chalked up at least 3-4 more wins.

If the OP is asking if we had the contentious relationship with Fant like we do with Shapen, I'd say no.
Click to expand...
More along the lines of how he played vs relationships with the player. Which during those days was none because the circus of social media was just getting started.

I 100% believe we would have secured more wins if our o line was adequate.
 
615dawg

615dawg

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The Kevin Fant tire situation was the first time I saw how the internet message board fans (Swan Lake) really were. Some horrible things were said. Thank goodness three years later this place came around.

Looking back, it was the first major bad news for MSU of the internet era. We had been to a Final Four, an SEC Championship Game and two College World Series in the four years prior. The Outback Bowl snubbing us in the '99 season was bad, but it was a united front. The Fant tire situation was the first - MSU did something bad. IThe next three football seasons were awful and eventually created this board. But Fant getting tires during the Summer of 2001 was the genesis.
 
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Dawgbone71

Dawgbone71

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615dawg said:
The Kevin Fant tire situation was the first time I saw how the internet message board fans (Swan Lake) really were. Some horrible things were said. Thank goodness three years later this place came around.

Looking back, it was the first major bad news for MSU of the internet era. We had been to a Final Four, an SEC Championship Game and two College World Series in the four years prior. The Outback Bowl snubbing us in the '99 season was bad, but it was a united front. The Fant tire situation was the first - MSU did something bad. IThe next three football seasons were awful and eventually created this board. But Fant getting tires during the Summer of 2001 was the genesis.
Click to expand...
Care to share the tire incident? 👀. For those of us less educated
 
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615dawg

615dawg

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Dawgbone71 said:
Care to share the tire incident? 👀. For those of us less educated
Click to expand...
Kevin Fant got new tires on his truck the summer before the 2002 season (sorry, I said 2001 above). The story is that the tire dealer was a big MSU fan and did not charge him for the tires. He got free tires, but the very same day when his mom found out, she went and paid for the tires.

We self reported it and the NCAA suspended him for the opener at Oregon. It wasn't announced until the Friday before. Genes Page went ballistic. Kyle York, a career backup and all around good guy, did his best but we got drummed. The highlight of the game was Michael Gholer, a former basketball player at MSU who played one season of football after he finished basketball, blocked a field goal. It was the highest I have ever seen a grown man jump.

As for the OP's original question. Fant was a lot like Omar Connor and Boobie Dixon. Great talented players on really bad teams and no support. I think he still has the record for longest pass in MSU history. He threw a 98 yard dime against Jax State IIRC.
 
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leeinator

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The hotel clerk at Yachats Inn knew about Fant not making the trip before the MSU fans checking in did. He really enjoyed telling us the news.
 
RiverCityDawg

RiverCityDawg

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I'll always remember Fant as the first above average pass-first State QB in my lifetime. Sleepy had some passing success but he was more of an athlete and had the great fortune of being able to throw it to Moulds.

For most of my life as a State fan if you saw a WR wide open and the QB actually saw him and successfully threw it to him for a completion it was a surprise. After Fant it felt like that was sort of the case again until Tyler Russell, all due respect to Henig, Connor, Carroll, Lee and Relf.

But yeah, the whole tires incident and then the fact that the OL during his time was absolutely horrendous at pass protection kind of ruined what could have been a really good career.
 
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3-2 Dawg

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The defenses he played with were some of the worst in our history. The 2003 Ron Cooper led defense was as bad as I can remember. Maybe on par with the Peter Sirmons debacle and prob worse than the 2024 defense somehow
 
PrimeDog

PrimeDog

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RiverCityDawg said:
I'll always remember Fant as the first above average pass-first State QB in my lifetime. Sleepy had some passing success but he was more of an athlete and had the great fortune of being able to throw it to Moulds.

For most of my life as a State fan if you saw a WR wide open and the QB actually saw him and successfully threw it to him for a completion it was a surprise. After Fant it felt like that was sort of the case again until Tyler Russell, all due respect to Henig, Connor, Carroll, Lee and Relf.

But yeah, the whole tires incident and then the fact that the OL during his time was absolutely horrendous at pass protection kind of ruined what could have been a really good career.
Click to expand...
Fant was probably the first real QB to ever play for MSU. Everybody that preceded him, for the most part, was an athlete that could throw some. Fant just had the bad fortune of playing for some bad teams.
 
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Maroon13

Maroon13

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Sep 29, 2022
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leeinator said:
The hotel clerk at Yachats Inn knew about Fant not making the trip before the MSU fans checking in did. He really enjoyed telling us the news.
Click to expand...
Yeah if was a Friday afternoon I was on a patio in Eugene Oregon and some Oregon fan walked up to our table and mentioned. We had no idea.

Flying across county to see your team..$350
Learning your team hasnt a chance as soon as you get there..... priceless.
 
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thatsbaseball

thatsbaseball

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May 29, 2007
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I don't know what his choices were but he's one of those I'll always wonder what if he had gone somewhere else . I think he had great upside potential but came to us at bad time and never got to realize that potential .
 
T

Theconnormead

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Jan 26, 2023
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477
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Dawgbone71 said:
View attachment 1236272

What is your synopsis of him as our QB back in the day? I was in between 4th & 5th grade at the time and was more focused on whatever new Star Wars crap was coming out at the time. Instead of worrying about when our coaches should run the ball and who they run with 👀

If it was anything like what we have endured with Shapen then I understand why your hearts are made of iron.
Click to expand...
Guy took an absolute beating. Hope State pays for all the PT and pain meds he is going to need in his 50's.
 
Last edited:
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Dawgbone71

Dawgbone71

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Aug 27, 2012
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615dawg said:
Kevin Fant got new tires on his truck the summer before the 2002 season (sorry, I said 2001 above). The story is that the tire dealer was a big MSU fan and did not charge him for the tires. He got free tires, but the very same day when his mom found out, she went and paid for the tires.

We self reported it and the NCAA suspended him for the opener at Oregon. It wasn't announced until the Friday before. Genes Page went ballistic. Kyle York, a career backup and all around good guy, did his best but we got drummed. The highlight of the game was Michael Gholer, a former basketball player at MSU who played one season of football after he finished basketball, blocked a field goal. It was the highest I have ever seen a grown man jump.

As for the OP's original question. Fant was a lot like Omar Connor and Boobie Dixon. Great talented players on really bad teams and no support. I think he still has the record for longest pass in MSU history. He threw a 98 yard dime against Jax State IIRC.
Click to expand...
Omar Connor was the first qb I remember watching when I started really getting into the dawgs. Basketball also helped. Timmy Bowers, Winston Frasier, Lawrence Roberts, & The General Shane Powers in Tuscaloosa winning the conference are tectonic memories. Plus a life of college baseball summers.

Also, I never thought I would say this…I wish is wa on Oxford right now.
 
Dawgbone71

Dawgbone71

Redshirt
Aug 27, 2012
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RiverCityDawg said:
I'll always remember Fant as the first above average pass-first State QB in my lifetime. Sleepy had some passing success but he was more of an athlete and had the great fortune of being able to throw it to Moulds.

For most of my life as a State fan if you saw a WR wide open and the QB actually saw him and successfully threw it to him for a completion it was a surprise. After Fant it felt like that was sort of the case again until Tyler Russell, all due respect to Henig, Connor, Carroll, Lee and Relf.

But yeah, the whole tires incident and then the fact that the OL during his time was absolutely horrendous at pass protection kind of ruined what could have been a really good career.
Click to expand...
It’s insane we ever have an OL issue in our state. I played back in high school and they are right in our backyard. Problem is, so are other folks with deeper pockets.
 
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Dawgbone71

Dawgbone71

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Aug 27, 2012
64
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3-2 Dawg said:
The defenses he played with were some of the worst in our history. The 2003 Ron Cooper led defense was as bad as I can remember. Maybe on par with the Peter Sirmons debacle and prob worse than the 2024 defense somehow
Click to expand...
I was at the Maine home game. Funny thing is I enjoyed it because a buddy of mine from school came with me and we strategically requsitioned some airplane bottles that looks unattended.
 
D

dstatechamps

Sophomore
Oct 15, 2006
252
118
43
thatsbaseball said:
I don't know what his choices were but he's one of those I'll always wonder what if he had gone somewhere else . I think he had great upside potential but came to us at bad time and never got to realize that potential .
Click to expand...
Same. I have always wondered if you had swapped him and Eli Manning what numbers would each of them put up. I can't recall many times that Fant dropped back to pass and didn't wind up on his ***.
 
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vhdawg

vhdawg

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615dawg said:
The highlight of the game was Michael Gholer, a former basketball player at MSU who played one season of football after he finished basketball, blocked a field goal. It was the highest I have ever seen a grown man jump.
Click to expand...
Gholar blocked one in that Oregon game and he got another one in the Ole Miss game that season. I wish there was an online archive of the old David Murray Dawg's Bite newsprint magazines from before he merged with Gene, because he had a photo on the cover of one issue of one of those blocks, and Gholar's waist was above the heads of everybody on the offensive line.
 
M

MSU Fan.sixpack

Redshirt
Sep 17, 2012
209
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615dawg said:
Kevin Fant got new tires on his truck the summer before the 2002 season (sorry, I said 2001 above). The story is that the tire dealer was a big MSU fan and did not charge him for the tires. He got free tires, but the very same day when his mom found out, she went and paid for the tires.

We self reported it and the NCAA suspended him for the opener at Oregon. It wasn't announced until the Friday before. Genes Page went ballistic. Kyle York, a career backup and all around good guy, did his best but we got drummed. The highlight of the game was Michael Gholer, a former basketball player at MSU who played one season of football after he finished basketball, blocked a field goal. It was the highest I have ever seen a grown man jump.

As for the OP's original question. Fant was a lot like Omar Connor and Boobie Dixon. Great talented players on really bad teams and no support. I think he still has the record for longest pass in MSU history. He threw a 98 yard dime against Jax State IIRC.
Click to expand...
A great example of "had this happened at Alabama, Auburn, etc." both from a NCAA punishment standpoint and a self-reporting standpoint. Free tires for two dang hours.
 
615dawg

615dawg

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vhdawg said:
Gholar blocked one in that Oregon game and he got another one in the Ole Miss game that season. I wish there was an online archive of the old David Murray Dawg's Bite newsprint magazines from before he merged with Gene, because he had a photo on the cover of one issue of one of those blocks, and Gholar's waist was above the heads of everybody on the offensive line.
Click to expand...
It always made me wonder why you never seen more basketball players and high jumpers in that specialty position.

I remember that Dawg's Bite cover as well.
 
vhdawg

vhdawg

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Since you mentioned Shapen along with Fant, I did this for a Rumblings question on Thunder and Lightning back in December.

QB1 is 2025 Blake Shapen, QB2 is 2003 Kevin Fant. Both passing QBs with atrocious offensive lines.

The only part I left out because it would have tipped which was which was that Fant had 21 interceptions in 2003 and Shapen only had four last season, which is a pretty stark difference.

I still think a Kevin Fant with a decent offensive line would have been something else. Even as such he was as prolific a passer as we ever had at that point. At the end of the 2003 season, MSU had only had 14 games with a QB over 300 yards, and Fant had numbers 5-8 on that list, more than anybody else at the time.

(Also worth remembering, at the time the single-season record for QB passing yards was 2422 yards in a season by Dave Marler in 1978, and there were only four QBs with over 2000 yards in a season. Some things have changed.)

 
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