Manuel! Manuel! the screams echo as Arizona’s home grown quarterback cocks his arm to throw yet another long ball.
Campus heroes are nothing new for theWildcats. This hero. Manuel Ortega, is something else. Son of a gardener, Manuel earned his way through high school by picking up jobs at the Tempe Home Depot. One of those jobs, when he was all of fourteen, turned out to be helping Coach Mike Stoops set up a backyard scrimmage for his team picnics. “the kid caught on fast.” Manuel was a natural and became a mascot for the college team. Stoops got Manuel into Tempe’s MaxPrep’s High School, where the kid soon emerged as an all state star of the MaxPrep’s Buffaloes!
Four years later, with a full boat scholarship, Manuel has no choice but to enroll at UA, under Coach Stoops, as Arizona’s answer to Jake Locker! The future is bright for this guy called the Jalapeno Wildcat!