It wasn't the year they had hoped for, but one member of The University of Memphis football team enjoyed the ride all the way to the end.
Friday marked the final football game of the 2009 season for the Tigers, as they lost in overtime, 33-30, on the road at Tulsa. It also was the final game for 25 seniors who dawned the blue and gray, some whom everybody knows, such as Duke Calhoun and Carlos Singleton, and others who had talent but didn't get too many opportunities to showcase their skills.
Brett Toney is one of those players who didn't receive a lot of playing time while at The U of M. Although Toney didn't play much, he was living his dream.
Toney, a local product from Briarcrest Christian School, was a star in his senior year with the Saints. In 2004, he broke school records with 1,709 passing yards and 19 touchdowns en route to winning Tennessee's "Mr. Football" award for Division 2-AA and leading the Saints to a state title.
Toney wasn't heavily recruited though because he only saw significant action in his senior season. However, he said he would have played for the Tigers even if he was recruited by bigger schools.
Brett's father, Gary Toney, said that his son always wanted to wear Tiger blue, from the time he was little.
"He started following the Tigers when he was four, and it was always his dream to play for the Tigers," he said. "It was always his dream to play quarterback, too."
The Toney family has supported the Tigers with vigor for a long time, cheering on The U of M even before former men's football coach Tommy West arrived and started taking the team to bowl games. They tried to attend as many road games as possible, even while the team struggled.
"We didn't miss a road game between 1996 and 2004 - before Brett was a student at The U of M," he said.
Toney even took an academic risk to go see the Tigers play while he was in high school.
"When the Tigers played North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl in 2003, I couldn't drive with my family because I had exams the next day," he said. "Fortunately, I found a buddy of mine who was going, and we flew down that night and saw the game. I made it back the next day for exams."
Toney didn't get the playing time he would have desired, but he still went to practice each day with the will to get better and make everyone around him better. Senior quarterback Will Hudgens said seeing Toney in practice was one of the better parts of the Tigers' 2-10 season.
"He's the guy that makes you want to go to practice, even when you don't, simply because you know he's going to be there," he said.
While Toney put in the work at practice and training for the Tigers, he wasn't rewarded with much playing time. However, when he did get to play, he shined.
He made his first appearance as a Tiger quarterback in 2008 on the road against East Carolina, after Hudgens and then-starter Arkelon Hall went down with injuries. In that game, Toney completed 11-of-15 passes for 65 yards.
He then earned the start the following week against Southern Miss at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. He threw his first career touchdown, keying the U of M to a 36-30 victory.
Toney went on to appear in three more games, including the St. Petersburg Bowl against South Florida.
About 11 months went by before Toney saw action at quarterback again. He served as The U of M's place-kick holder since 2007, but he wanted to go under center at least one more time before his career came to an end.
On Nov. 14, the Tigers faced UAB at the Liberty Bowl on Senior Day. With the Tigers facing a first-and-goal situation at the Blazers' six-yard line, and trailing 31-14, West sent Toney in.
The play-call was "Slice P," whereby Brett would see what the defense was giving him, with the option to pitch the ball to tailback Curtis Steele or keep it. Toney kept it, made his move for the goal line and waltzed right in for his first rushing touchdown as a Tiger.
After the game, West spoke very highly of Toney, a player he coached for four years at The U of M.
"He's a great kid," West said. "I don't know if you could like Memphis more than he does."
Even though he got the chance to score in his last game at home, Toney said he would have preferred a different outcome.
"I would have traded that touchdown for a win," he said. "It was a bittersweet feeling because we didn't win. I'll probably enjoy it more later. I want to go out as a winner."
After the game, his father Gary visibly began to well up, as a proud father reflected on what his son had done.
"It was a culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of perseverance," he said. "I guess it was a really a moment of closure, also, to go out like that in front of the fans at the Liberty Bowl."
West pointed out that players with character and integrity like Toney is what the game is all about, despite the fact that fans get distracted by winning and losing.
"That's what it's all about," he said. "Twenty years from now, no one will remember who won this game, but he'll remember that touchdown. He and all his family will remember that moment."
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