Broncos' Stokley, Panthers' Delhomme to meet for first time on NFL field
December 13
Rocky Mountain News
"At some point Sunday in Carolina, Brandon Stokley might stop and wave to old buddy Jake Del- homme, just a friendly hello between former college teammates who once set Division I-A ablaze at Southwestern Louisiana. Or is that goodbye?
When it comes to Stokley, the Broncos receiver, and Delhomme, the Panthers quarterback, the connection always was obvious: Delhomme flung 'em and Stokley hauled 'em in.
Improvisation often was key. Yet the lines of communication would get crossed once every blue moon.
On Aug. 31, 1996, playing at "The Swamp" at the University of Florida, would be one notable occasion. The Gators were ranked fourth in the country, heavily favored against the Ragin' Cajuns and ultimately on their way to a national championship.
The atmosphere was electric. Players, fans, especially Stokley, were pumped.
As the game began, the wideout waved his arm wildly, trying to increase the volume in the stadium. Only Delhomme didn't see it that way.
"I kind of pumped my arm, like, 'Come on, let's do this,' " Stokley recalled with a laugh. "He thought I was signaling a 'go' route. So he takes three steps and just chucks it out there, and I run my hook route. The ball's intercepted, and the whole way to the sideline, he's just cussing me out."
To this day, Delhomme lets Stokley hear about that Fred Weary pick, likely leaving out the detail that their school, now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, ended up losing 55-21, regardless.
"That's one that I'll take to the grave with me," Delhomme said in a phone interview this week, between preparations for the Sunday matchup between the 10-3 Panthers and 8-5 Broncos (2:15 p.m., CBS 4).
It will be his first on-field meeting against Stokley, barring a late setback to the receiver's injured heel.
"I've been lucky to be around football for many years," Delhomme said. "But that one? I throw it. He stops. He says, 'I'm pumping up the crowd.' You've got to be kidding me. That's one that will go down in history between he and I, that's for sure."
Special chemistry
Much of the past between the two turned out markedly better.
After a redshirt season in 1995, Stokley set an NCAA record for receiving yards as a freshman (1,121), with Del-
homme at the helm. The next year, the quarterback threw for 2,901 yards, with 1,160 going to his favorite target.
Of Delhomme's 40 touchdowns in 1995-96, 16 went to Stokley.
"Whatever planet those two guys were on, they were on the same one," said Lewis "Louie" Cook Jr., the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Southwestern Louisiana from 1992-95 who recruited both players to the school.
"People would say I was a pretty good coach. A lot of it was those two guys knowing the game and making a play."
Their chemistry was obvious, on and off the field.
"I was the younger guy. He was a little bit older," Stokley said. "So I just kind of hung on a
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