When Kyle Orton stands under center Thursday night in his first game as the Bears’ starting quarterback, he will do so as a walking contradiction, one of those strong, quiet types who leads despite an unassuming nature.
If you’re wondering where such qualities come from, look no further than his father, Byron.
Until his April 30 retirement, Byron Orton worked in state government for 30 years, the final 10 as Iowa’s labor commissioner. Under both a Republican and Democratic governor, he toiled tirelessly to help prevent occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities and improve workers’ rights.
But trying to get him to talk about his proudest accomplishments amounts to labor.
“Oh, gosh, I don’t really know how to answer that,” Byron said in a phone interview. “I’ve always had immense respect for people who go to work every day and make an honest living. They deserve to work in a safe environment and have fairness in wages and benefits. I was fortunate to have a job that allowed me to try to play some small role in assisting in that regard. That’s about it.”
That’s not about it if you talk to some of those who watched or benefited from his work.
The United Steelworkers of America honored Byron with its highest award for an outside party last August. Iowa’s International Pipe Machinery members still talk about how Byron devised and hand-presented awards to recognize worker safety. And his co-workers talk about a roll-up-the-sleeve and hard-hat mentality when it came to tough moments.
“He removed a stigma from one of authority to an office for working-class people,” said Steve Slater, Iowa’s deputy labor commissioner. “People could come to his office and not worry about having an appointment. He had an obligation to the legislature and the governor, but he would be just as at ease putting on safety goggles and blue jeans and spending time in the field with investigators.”
What does all this have to do with Kyle Orton?
For starters, in the news conference after he had been anointed the starter, he mentioned his father as his biggest influence among many. More important, Orton shares at least one trait with his father. His competitiveness and strong focus help him reach goals. He just doesn’t necessarily want to talk about it.
Take, for instance, how Orton broke the news that he had earned the No. 1 job. Driving in his beat-up, red pickup truck after practice, he phoned home to Iowa and told his parents in low-key fashion, as if he were discussing the weather.
“He’s the same down-to-earth, level-headed guy who played here for four years,” Purdue coach Joe Tiller said via e-mail. “I think his poise and maturity, not to mention his ability, will benefit him.”
Quiet confidences often are the most intense.
Orton has possessed his and a healthy competitiveness from an early age. Whether he was arguing with his older sister, Stacy, over board and card games or mock-betting her $1,000 that he one day would be a Division I quarterback, those qualities were on display in full force.
Byron played tight end at the University of South Dakota in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Not surprisingly, he supported rather than schooled Kyle’s football desires.
“My career wasn’t anything spectacular, and I don’t like to dwell on that,” Byron said. “Kyle’s his own person.”
When Kyle shared the same goal that he had told Stacy with his father, Byron asked what he would do to achieve it.
“He said, `I’ll go to [football] camps and lift weights,'” Byron recalled.
So Kyle gave up baseball and attended summer football camps at the University of Nebraska, where his uncle, Greg, had played in the early 1980s. That’s where Kyle met Turner Gill, the former Cornhuskers quarterback who had played with Greg Orton and worked long and hard on Kyle’s techniques.
“I remember him as a very talented kid with a great arm and mind,” said Gill, who rose to Nebraska’s assistant head coach before becoming director of player development for the Packers this year. “He was a strong-minded guy who believed in his ability. But he raised the level of play around him by example, not voice. He has that body language of confidence.”
Gill said he and Orton hit it off because they shared similar spiritual values beyond their love for football. They talked about Orton’s respect for Brook Berringer, the Nebraska quarterback who died in a 1996 plane crash after earning notoriety for selflessly giving up his starting job to Tommie Frazier during a Cornhuskers run to a national title.
Orton wears No. 18 in honor of Berringer.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all he is where he is,” Gill said.
Perhaps the only surprises about Orton’s pro career thus far are how he dropped to the fourth round on draft day and his rapid ascension up the Bears’ depth chart.
The former incident merely fueled Orton’s competitiveness. The latter happened because of Rex Grossman’s injury, Chad Hutchinson’s struggles and one slow burn on Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio.
Playing in the Hall of Fame Game against Miami, Orton threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Coaches and teammates have said you could see Orton grow more focused on the sideline.
He returned to direct two scoring drives in a come-from-behind, exhibition game victory.
“That was the most impressive thing I’ve seen all preseason,” Bears quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson said. “He wasn’t backward thinking. He was forward thinking on the next series. He’s very competitive but doesn’t let things dwell inside him.”
Perhaps that’s why it’s easy for Orton to disassociate himself from the fanfare that comes with playing football. A history major at Purdue, Orton likes to frequent bookstores and has picked up his father’s liberal bent when it comes to politics. His debates with Tiller, a George Bush supporter, during the last presidential campaign were the stuff of campus legend.
“Kyle never made a big deal out of things,” Slater said. “This was a local hero from his high school days and he never got too excited about notoriety.”
Orton also is a big fan of the “Seinfeld” TV show and once named his dog for the Elaine character.
“He’s not one to brag,” Stacy Orton said. “When he’s with his friends he doesn’t want to talk about football.”
Byron and his wife, Debbie, didn’t miss a Purdue home game in Kyle’s four years there. Retirement has offered even more opportunities for travel, although his parents will stay in Iowa for Thursday’s game and also skip the Sept. 11 season opener in Washington.
“We’ll make most of the home games,” Byron said. “We have that NFL Sunday Ticket and we’ll sit in the living room for the opener. As far as retirement, I’m still adjusting.”
His son is too. But as Stacy found out, don’t bet against him.
“Not only was he a Division I quarterback, now he’s starting for the Bears,” she said. “I guess he made me eat my words.”
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Six were drafted ahead of Orton, but look who’s starting now
PLAYER COLLEGE TEAM SELECTED
Alex Smith Utah 49ers 1st round, 1st pick
Status: Backup to Tim Rattay
Aaron Rodgers California Packers 1st round, 24th pick
Status: 4th string behind Brett Favre
Jason Campbell Auburn Redskins 1st round, 25th pick
Status: Third string behind Patrick Ramsey
Charlie Frye Akron Browns 3rd round, 67th pick
Status: Third string behind Trent Dilfer
Andrew Walter Arizona St. Raiders 3rd round, 69th pick
Status: Third string behind Kerry Collins
David Greene Georgia Seahawks 3rd round, 85th pick
Status: Third string behind Matt Hasselbeck
Source: NFL.com
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kcjohnson@tribune.com %%
