South Florida quarterback Quinton Flowers returns to his hometown for the Miami Beach Bowl, not far from where his father and step-brother were murdered, and his mother died of cancer.
By JOEY JOHNSTON
Tribune Staff Writer
(c) Tampa Bay Times. Originally published Dec. 20, 2015
University of South Florida sophomore quarterback Quinton Flowers has returned to Miami — the Bulls play in the Miami Beach Bowl on Monday — but it’s more of an opulent fantasy than a true homecoming.
USF’s South Beach headquarters hotel overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, offering Mediterranean restaurants, a day spa, a poolside concierge and Art Deco lifeguard stands.
It’s nice. It’s wonderful. But it’s not real.
“My teammates are asking me where to go in my hometown and I tell them, ‘We’re staying at the beach,’ ” said Flowers, whose Bulls (8-4) face the No. 25-ranked Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (11-2). “Amazing things happen at the beach. Everybody is happy.
“You go over that bridge and good things aren’t going to happen. You go over that bridge and life gets real. People are struggling. You got to watch yourself. It’s not that far away from our hotel, but it’s a completely different life.’’
Once, it was Flowers’ life — the only life he knew.
Across the Julia Tuttle Causeway, you will find the section of Miami known as Allapattah, an area they don’t include in travel brochures, bordered by places such as Liberty City and Overtown.
Last season, three days before his first start at USF, his step-brother was murdered in a drive-by shooting after asking a motorist to slow down because children were playing nearby.
“For a long time, I always thought whenever something good happened to me, something bad automatically followed,” Flowers said. “I remember being in my room crying about it.
“I know you’re not supposed to ask God for things, but I would say, ‘Why is this happening to me? Why do the people I love get taken from me? I don’t hurt anybody or cause trouble. Where is the sense in all of this?’ ”
Such tragedies would destroy some people.
Flowers, 21, has grown stronger.
“Quinton has so much built up inside of him,” said Flowers’ older brother, Nathaniel. “He has lost so many people in his life. We both have. It has been hard.
“Football is easy. He doesn’t fear anything or anyone. When he’s on that field, he’s free.”
When Flowers was unleashed, everything changed for USF. In early October, with the Bulls at 1-3, Flowers begged coach Willie Taggart to let him play his game. Taggart, with nothing to lose, chucked his conservatism.
Flowers was incandescent in a 45-24 stomping of Syracuse.
“We all just started playing, using our skills, and not being so much like robots,” Bulls junior wide receiver Rodney Adams said.
USF won seven of its last eight games, earning the program’s first bowl bid since 2010.
At USF’s football banquet, Flowers was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. He completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 2,023 yards, a USF-record 21 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. He rushed for 833 yards, the most ever by a USF quarterback, while setting the American Athletic Conference single-game record for quarterback rushing yards with 201 against SMU.
“People think Quinton Flowers is going to be a great player,” USF co-offensive coordinator Danny Hope said. “You don’t understand. He already is a great player.”
It was a rapid ascent from 2014, when Flowers attempted just 20 passes as a freshman and gave little indication that greatness was ahead.
Taggart always believed.
And so did former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown, who was Flowers’ head coach with the Jackson High Generals.
“I’m glad the world is getting a chance to see Quinton, because I’ve seen him do all of this before,” Brown said. “I’m not surprised one bit. He’s a student of the game, not just an athlete, and he has that special spark that sets him apart.
“He’s a sight to see. When he was in high school, if he’d go to the local park, kids looked at him like he was a giant. With what he’s doing at USF, the community looks at him like he’s a giant.”
Brown, home from the NFL, remembers meeting Flowers as a 10-year-old teammate of his son in Optimist Club football with the Liberty City Warriors. The coach soon quit, and Brown took over.
Initially, his practices were sandlot games with no formal instruction.
“Put the ball on the ground, let the kids play and that’s how you find out who’s who,” Brown said. “You see who are the runners, who are the tacklers and who doesn’t want to be out there. Quinton had been playing offensive line. I saw the way he was throwing and moving and I told everyone, ‘Hold up. This is my team now. And Quinton is our quarterback.’ ”
In the youth leagues, Flowers mixed it up with the likes of Dalvin Cook, Joe Yearby, Duke Johnson, Devonta Freeman and Teddy Bridgewater. He followed Brown to Jackson High, where he was a three-time All-Dade County selection. Flowers led Jackson’s seven-on-seven team to the national championship in Cleveland.
In Miami’s youth leagues, Brown said, there are often thousands of spectators, some trying to sway the promising players to schools such as Northwestern, Central or Miami High. A constant presence is Luther Campbell, the rapper from 2 Live Crew, or “Uncle Luke” to the locals.
“Uncle Luke followed Quinton from the beginning,” said Nathaniel, Flowers’ older brother. “He said, ‘Give Quinton a chance and he’ll be a star.’ ”
“Quinton was a born leader,” said USF sophomore cornerback Deatrick Nichols, a childhood friend. “He just makes the magic happen. Everybody in Miami knew that.”
Flowers, 6-feet, 210 pounds, was widely recruited by schools such as Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Texas and Tennessee, but usually as a wide receiver or defensive back.
“Alabama was kicking the door down, but Quinton told me, ‘Coach, I don’t want to play safety, I’m a quarterback,’ ” Brown said. “I told him, ‘Quinton, I believe in you. Somebody else is going to believe in you, too.’ ”
That somebody was Taggart.
And now, Flowers has returned home. He will play at Marlins Park, about a five-minute drive from his family’s apartment in Allapattah, a stadium where his older brother once worked as a custodian.
He’ll probably stay home for Christmas, getting more of a chance to visit with long-time friends.
Flowers’ nephew, 6-year-old Marquise Phillis, the son of his sister Shanay, has a daily routine. He boots up YouTube and says “USF … Quinton Flowers” into the voice command, then sits back and watches the highlights. The other nieces and nephews call him “Uncle Boobie” and excitedly watch whenever he’s on television.
“You have no idea about the pride people are feeling about Quinton,” Brown said. “He’s one of us, and he’s making it.”
Flowers said he’s never been in trouble, a claim that is confirmed by his siblings, friends and coaches. He’s quiet and thoughtful. Before each group interview, he shakes the hand of each reporter.
“Just a good guy,” his older brother said. “That’s how he came out of the womb.”
His mother guided that development, taking comfort in his association with Brown, who she considered an excellent role model.
“I was never one to get involved with gangs or run the streets,” Flowers said. “I just keep to myself. I like to smile and make people happy. No matter what has happened to me, I know other people have problems, too.”
For a long time, Flowers dreamed of signing with Nebraska. His mother’s favorite color was red. That “N” on the team’s helmets and gloves? It would remind him of his mother, Nancy.
When she died, Flowers nearly gave up football. He sent a desperate late-night text to Brown — “I can’t take it any more” — who immediately bolted over and talked to his player until sunrise.
Brown convinced Flowers that his mother wanted him to play. She’s still watching. Flowers plays for her, his father, his step-brother, all the others he has lost, all the others who might never have a shot at a comfortable existence.
“Miami is dangerous, but I love Miami because I’m from there,” Flowers said. “People hear about Miami and they think South Beach, all the beautiful people, all these riches. It goes a lot deeper than that.
“Some people, not too far away, they don’t have a home. They’re lying on the side of the road. They’ve got nothing. I know about that kind of life.”
Now Flowers stays in five-star hotels, playing big-time college football. Who knows what’s ahead? But he’s determined to make it work for his future.
“Football has taken me this far,” Flowers said. “I’m going to make something of myself. At the same time, I’ll never forget who I am, where I’m from.
“I’ve been through a lot in my life, but you know what? I’m blessed.”
