SANTA CLARA, Calif. As an eighth-round pick in 1977, Randy Hedberg departed a small school in North Dakota and walked into one of the toughest situations a young quarterback could face.
Hedberg, the first NFL player drafted from Minot State, was taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a franchise born a year earlier and one that had gone 0-14 in its inaugural season. Hedberg was expected to acclimate slowly as quarterbacks Mike Boryla and Gary Huff battled for the starting job with a returning Parnell Dickinson also on the roster.
None of that happened, though, as Boryla and Huff suffered knee injuries in the first two preseason games and Dickinson struggled with turnovers. Suddenly, Hedberg found himself starting for the worst team in the league with no time to adjust. The results were predictable. He started four games, played in three more and finished with no touchdowns and 10 interceptions as the Bucs lost all seven contests.
Golden Nuggets: Trey Lance’s experience in a west coast offense should help him get on the field sooner than later
Your daily San Francisco 49ers links for Friday, May 7, 2021
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
USA TODAY’s Mark Schofield had an insightful article about what Trey Lance brings to the table for the 49ers. The title may turn some off, but Schofield captures a couple of points that I failed to consider.
“In our drop-back game, we’re more of a full-field concept team,” Hedberg said. “We don’t do a lot of half-field concept reads. It’s mainly full field. So Trey’s got a progression that he’s going through. One to two, and sometimes we’ll get to a third progression, but usually it’s the first to second progression and if need be, we can get to a third.
Randy Hedberg, courtesy NDSU Athletics.
WACO, Texas (NDSU Athletics) – The American Football Coaches Association on Wednesday, April 28, announced North Dakota State’s Randy Hedberg and Morningside’s Casey Jacobsen as winners of the 2021 Spring AFCA FCS and NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year Award. There were eight nominees each from FCS and NAIA who were nominated for their dedication to their teams and communities.
Hedberg has been the associate head coach, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Dakota State for the past two seasons, and was the quarterbacks coach from 2014-18. He has helped guide the Bison to five national championships and six Missouri Valley Football Conference titles. Hedberg is very involved with the football program’s community involvement. His true passion is associated with events going towards cancer cure and treatment. Hedberg is active in the R-Cubed Fundraiser, which is a triathlon that has raised over $50,000 for the Angel Fu