Chris Crawford, the charismatic quarterback for two Portland State teams that played for the NCAA Division II championship, died Saturday in Mexico of complications of leukemia. He was 51.
“Incredible human being,” said former Portland State offensive coordinator Al Borges, who since has coached at schools such as Oregon, UCLA, Auburn and Michigan. “It went way beyond football. He was great off the field too. He was the most dynamic leader of any quarterback I ever coached.”
“I don’t say this lightly. I hope my son grows up to be like Chris Crawford.”
An undersized graduate of Sunset High School, Crawford played at Portland State from 1985-88. He was twice a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award, given to the outstanding player in NCAA Division II.
Crawford was a first-team, Division II All-America selection in 1988. He threw for a career total of 7,543 yards, third in school history behind NFL player Neil Lomax and Jimmy Blanchard. He is a member of the PSU Athletics Hall of Fame
The Vikings reached the Division II national championship game in 1987 and 1988, losing to Troy State and North Dakota State respectively.
PSU teammate Barry Naone said while the 5-foot-10 Crawford was usually one of the smallest guys on the field, his personality was gigantic.
Naone remembered Crawford coming into a game as a true freshman against Weber State.
“He was maybe 160 pounds dripping wet,” Naone said. “He grabbed somebody by the face mask and said: ‘Let’s take this ball down and score.’ We did. From that moment on, there was no doubt about whose was team it was. People gravitate to that.”
Former PSU defensive coordinator Tom Mason said Crawford’s competitiveness and toughness reminded him of former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon.
“I loved his demeanor,” Mason said. “You hit him in the mouth, and he would get up and say: ‘Let’s bring it on.’ If I could clone a quarterback, I would pick Chris Crawford.”
While Crawford was as tough and competitive as McMahon, he wasn’t as outwardly brash.
“His ability to connect with people was unreal,” said former teammate Jason Jackola. “When he focused on you, you felt like you were the only person he cared about. He made people feel that way all the time. He was very humble about his success.
“He didn’t take himself too seriously. He had a very self-deprecating sense of humor.”
Naone and Jackola said the people skills and leadership ability also made him an outstanding executive at Nike, where he worked for nearly three decades.
Naone said he has heard from people in the last two days who had come to know Crawford after his football career ended.
“They all talk about his energy and his passion,” Naone said, “He put all of that into everything he did.”
Crawford recently had taken leave from Nike and gone to Mexico for a vacation.
“He was a realist,” Naone said. “I think he knew what was going on. But he wasn’t going to let it slow him down.”
Crawford is survived by his children, Payton and Carson; his mother, Betty, and brothers Mark and Dennis.
Service aggrangements are pending.
-- Ken Goe