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VOLUME 25, ISSUE 6 69 but he threw an interception or two. I was lucky enough to be 9-for-10, have two touchdowns, 150 yards. "I went home, called my dad and told him I thought that I would be starting. (Brees had yet to start his first game as a Boilermaker quarterback). I think like the next weekend, I got maybe three snaps, and Drew ran QB for both teams and had like eight touchdowns. It was one of things where your mind does get excited, maybe a little too excited." Buergler's stats might not have been exact, but they were close. Who could blame a little embellishment 17 years later? Teammates tell the tale of what Buergler was like then. Like the time he scouted his way to success in the Madden tournament during Purdue's Sun Bowl prep in 2001. There isn't much to do when practice is complete and school is not in session, so several members of the team had a little com- petition with the popular video game. And Buergler was always looking for a little competitive advantage and, as a result, found himself slicing his way through the competition. "I remember Carl making a com- ment that he knew that one of the play- ers was going to run a quarterback draw on third-and-long, and we looked at him and said, 'What's going on?'" recalled former offensive lineman, Kelly Kitchel. "As it turns out, he had recorded every game and knew the tendencies of every one of us as video game players. He had broken down the film. Can you believe that? "He just wanted to win so bad. That's just who Carl is." Ben Smith, a quarterback-turned-de- fensive back on the 2001 Rose Bowl team, concurs regarding Buergler's flair for pushing the competitive enve- lope. "I can very vividly remember times when he would walk off the practice field after torching the first- and sec- ond-team defenses during a workout," Smith said. "He would quote stats after practice and one time he verbal- ized how he has just thrown for seven touchdowns against our proud defense. "It was Carl's way of knowing his role, because it had the effect of getting us on the defense fired up, if not a little mad." It was mission accomplished for Buergler. It wasn't that Buergler didn't possess skill as quarterback. Smith and Kitch- el agreed that Buergler was accurate as a passer. An honorable mention all- state quarterback from Portage H.S. in northwest Indiana, Buergler had schol- arship options at smaller schools. But he chose Purdue because he grew up a Boilermaker fan. And … because — here's that word again — he wanted to compete. "He had a strong arm," said Smith, who now lives in Indianapolis and works for Eli Lilly. "And as a team, we respected the heck out of him as a play- er because he could have played at oth- er schools, but he chose Purdue." After the '01 Sun Bowl, and his eligi- bility complete, Buergler starting work- ing at the Jimmy John's in West Lafay- ette after finding about the opening on Monster.com. And during that period, Buergler surprised his teammates once CheckingMadeBetter.com Member FDIC More Convenience. Ask us about Mobile Banking. More Freedom from Fees. Let us show you the options. More Account Choices. Checking options that fit your life.