Long Road Back for Fallbrook Native
Keith Antigiovanni
Thursday May 17, 2001
Dutton has led San Jose to a 4-0 start with victories over the Los Angeles Avengers 52-30, Arizona Rattlers 51-37,62-57 over the Houston ThunderBears and a most recently a 73-17 pasting of the Oklahoma Wranglers. Currently the Sabercats are sitting alone atop the Western Division and have set a league record for most consecutive regular victories at 15.
Dutton has played well so far throwing for 13 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. He is tied for third in the league in touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who spent most of last season on injured reserve.
“Its definitely a nice change from last year. I worked real hard in the off-season to become the starter but still have a ways to go. Its nice being able to improve while the team is winning,” Dutton said.
Though this season has clearly been a high point for Dutton, the past three years have been a long, painful and frustrating experience. He’s spent that time either injured or rehabbing from injuries. After breaking all sorts of school records at Nevada-Reno, he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1998 as a sixth-round pick. He was one of the quarterbacks expected to compete as the successor to the future Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino but injuries in the 1998 training camp forced his release from the Dolphins. Later that year, he was picked up by the Atlanta Falcons but again was the odd man out and was released.
“Being drafted by the Dolphins and working with Dan Marino was a great experience. He’s one of the best quarterbacks to ever play. I was able to learn a lot from him,” Dutton said.
In 1999 opportunity came knocking again when the expansion Cleveland Browns signed him to a free agent contract but his time in Northeast Ohio was brief as he suffered another injury and was released before he could play.
After his release from Cleveland, the San Jose Sabercats came looking for him and signed him as a free agent before the 2000 season. Dutton started four games for San Jose before injuring his arm in week 4 against the Iowa Barnstormers.
“John threw six touchdowns in that game then injured his arm, but was in for three more plays until the trainer forced him out of the game," John’s father Jim Dutton said. The Sabercats eventually won 54-52 and started their current streak of 15 straight regular season wins.
Dutton was placed on injured reserve for six weeks and when he was activated lost his starting job to Mark Grieb. Dutton painfully watched San Jose win 10 consecutive games down the stretch and make the playoffs.
“Its hard to be on the bench while the team was winning but I was just trying to get better. We had a great year either way,” Dutton said.
San Jose finished the 2000 season at 12-2, won the Western Division title and come into this season as one of the favorites to win the Arena Bowl title.
For this season the Sabercats feel that Dutton provides the club with its best chance to win the title and named him starting quarterback for this year. “It would be great for John to win the Arena Bowl after all the adversity he’s been through,” Jim Dutton said.
Keith Antigiovanni is a free-lance writer in San Diego, California. He has worked for several local newspapers covering sports, government and business. Keith started writing in 1995 after graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Mass Media Communications from the University of San Diego. Aside from working as a sportswriter he has a side business of providing marketing assistance/research for small businesses and also directs,produces and hosts a regular public access television show on Time-Warner Cable named "San Diego Yesterday". Antigiovanni is also a member of the San Diego Sportswriter Association.
