1998 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Winner (Senior Quarterback)

Associated Press' All-America Team

American Football Coaches Association All-America Team

1998 National Quarterback Club College Quarterback of the Year

1998 Pop Warner Award Winner

Pac-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year

Pac-10 Co-First Team Quarterback

CBS SportsLine's All-America Team

Most Valuable Player - 1999 Senior Bowl

Heisman Trophy Finalist (3rd in balloting; one of four finalists)

Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Finalist (one of three finalists)

Maxwell Outstanding Player Award Finalist (one of three finalists)

Football News Offensive Player of the Year Award Finalist (one of five finalists)

Player of the Week - Dick Butkus Football Network (Week 7)

UCLA's Henry R. "Red" Sanders Award for Most Valuable Player (offense)

UCLA's N.N. Sugarman Award for Best Leadership (offense)

UCLA's 1998 Team Captain Award

Pac-10 Conference Career Total Offense Leader

Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week - 11/7

Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week - 10/17

#1 in Nation in Passing Efficiency (12th highest in NCAA history)

 Most Outstanding Offensive Player - The 1998 Cotton Bowl

1997 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Finalist (one of 3 finalists)

#8 in 1997 Heisman Trophy Balloting

3rd Team All-America by the Associated Press and The Sporting News

UCLA's Henry R. "Red" Sanders Award for Most Valuable Player (offense)

#20 - Deciding to stay a 4th year at UCLA

#19 - "The Honors" - Winning the 1998 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award; Pac-10 Career Total           Offense Leader (1998);  Re-writing the UCLA record books

#18 - The very first pass he threw, a rifle at the Rose Bowl against Miami caught by Jordan

#17 - The Final play against U$C, what better way to end your career against the Trojans

#16 - The Last Pass against Miami, even though it was incomplete, Cade still trying to win

#15 - The 1997 U$C game when he kept killing the Trojans on 3rd Downs

#14 - The 1995 Oregon game when he was a freshman and he threw 2 long passes to Kevin                   Jordan and Derek Ayers to put them in a position to tie it

#13 - The Scramble against U$C during his 1995 freshman game

#12 - "The Sideliner" - the TD pass to Poli-Dixon at Miami 1998 (....his feet dancing just inside             the left sideline and the left side of his body tipped over an invisible plane, just as he                     released the ball)

#11 - "The Slam" - laying out a BYU linebacker to protect the Reverse ran by Derek Ayers in             the 1995 BYU game

#10 - "The Hurdle" - the hurdle over a would-be tackler at the goal line, twisting in mid-air and             coming down on his back in the endzone (vs. Washington St. 1998)

#9 - "The Dive" - the head first dive into the endzone (vs. Washington 1997)

#8 - The comeback victory over Texas A&M in the 1998 Cotton Bowl (down 16-0; second                   largest comeback in Cotton Bowl history)

#7 - "The Bomb" - the 61-yard game-winning TD pass to Brad Melsby with 22 seconds left (at           Oregon 1998)

#6 - "The Breakfast" - playing while sick, vomiting on the field, and coming back to throw for             202 more yards (vs. Oregon 1998; threw for a total of 395 yds)

#5 - Beating U$C for 4 straight years (only UCLA QB to do that)

#4 - #1 in the nation in passing efficieny in 1997 (12th highest in NCAA history)

#3 - The 20 game win-streak (spanning the 1997 and 1998 seasons)

#2 - The performance of his career vs. Miami (513 yds, 5 TDs, 0 ints)

#1 - The comeback victory against U$C in 1995 (down by 17 with only 7 mins. left)

"If there is a better Heisman Trophy candidate than Cade, I'd like to meet him.  I can't imagine anyone being more valuable to his team than Cade is to us. He has the complete package. He has a strong arm, quick feet and unbelievable leadership qualities." - Bob Toledo, UCLA coach 

"When you complete 23 of 37 passes for 377 yards and four for touchdowns; when you scramble for a 30-yard rushing gain and then, when you've barely caught your breath, you pitch out to your tailback and you take off to catch a pass from that tailback and go for a 22-yard gain, and you soon thereafter throw a seven-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 24, a game that only means absolutely everything and yet it's still only the third quarter, which means that there is still plenty of time for you to finish things off by heaving, with 21 seconds left, a 61-yard touchdown pass to a receiver who hasn't caught a touchdown pass all season to win the game, that is a Heisman Trophy performance." - Los Angeles Times (after Oregon St. game)

"I don't know what is. I don't know what his stats were, but to me a player who wins games for his team and who has great character off the field, that's a player who should win the Heisman. Cade's my pick for the Heisman." - UCLA Coach Bob Toledo 

"He was sick.  But sick or not sick, we knew he was going to play today. He's our guy. He took one play off, came back in and led us to victory. He's amazing." - Danny Farmer, UCLA wide-receiver

"Cade McNown is the best play-action passer to come along in many years. And when he has an opportunity to make a big play, he makes his opponent pay. If there's a mistake, he's got you." - ESPN's John Mackovic

"The Bruins and McNown did enough Saturday that if this trend continues over the next 10 games, he should win the Heisman. Heck, with its left arm clutching the ball, right arm fighting off a tackler, teeth gritted like it's third and long, the little bronze fella even looks like McNown." - Los Angeles Times

"That quarterback is a great player.  He does a great job on the move, and they get him on the move by design." - Carl Reese, Texas defensive coordinator

"Cade McNown is a real good player.  He kept making big plays." - Quentin Jammer, Texas safety

"If you want somebody who is going to lead and compete and help a good team win, that is Cade.  Our offense is totally based around Cade, but what we're about here is winning." - Al Borges, UCLA offensive coordinator

"McNown begins the new year with only one thing missing from his Heisman candidate portfolio, that being the swagger.  He looks like a star quarterback with streaks of eye black and assertive gestures toward teammates and the ability to do wondrous things while being pulled to the ground by his shirt.   But he talks like a walk-on. His voice is plain, measured. He gives credit to teammates. He professes undying servitude to coaches despite their animated sideline discussions." - Los Angeles Times 

"He's so doggone competitive. He hates to lose. He always wants to improve. No one was more upset after the first two losses last season than Cade." - Bob Toledo, UCLA head coach 

"He moves real well in the pocket. But the one thing we liked about him the most when we were recruiting him was his competitiveness. He's one of those who you know is going to die trying to win." - Jim Lambright, University of Washington coach

"I compare him quite favorably to those two (Brock Huard and Ryan Leaf). Right now he is really the guiding light behind that offense.  Brock has a lot of weapons but isn't asked to do quite as much and Leaf has so much going for him offensively. I don't know that (McNown) has the same receivers (to work with) that Washington and Washington State does." - Tom Holmoe, California coach 1997-98 season

"I think the best leadership is by example, and he has exemplified a quarterback who knows what he is doing. There is a carryover to the rest of the team, and they know he knows what he is doing ... They have confidence that he can get the job done, and that is the best leader." - Al Borges, UCLA offensive coordinator and quarterback coach

"Football is his life. Football, football, football. That's what he loves. I love football, too. But I've learned how to separate it from regular, normal life. But with Cade, football is his life." - Jim McElroy, UCLA wide-receiver

"It's their quarterback, man, if you want to know the truth.  Skip (Hicks) had a pretty good game today, too. You can't take that away from him. But it's their quarterback. He's a real good player." - Chris Claiborne, usc middle linebacker

"(McNown) is an extremely competitive person who is always looking for a way to improve, whether it be working out with his teammates or watching video by the hour." - Bob Toledo, UCLA head coach

"In the year of the QB, UCLA has the best one in Cade McNown." - San Francisco Examiner

"He reminds me of a throwback to an older team. He's old-fashioned, and very impressive. He has a moxie you don't see often." - Pete Dalis, UCLA Athletic Director

"He would rather sleep with his football." - Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboy quarterback

"He's a guy back there who, when things break down, can make a lot of things happen," - Lloyd Carr, Michigan coach

"The most striking feature of Athlon's 1998 preseason All-America team is the preponderance of leather-helmet types--players who would appear as much at home in football's Stone Age as today. We offer our readers a quarterback (Cade McNown) who led the nation in pass efficiency in 1997 yet beat his cross-town rival as much with his feet as with his arm, and booted a 76-yard punt in the Cotton Bowl."- Athlon Sports

"UCLA quarterback Cade McNown is the Heisman Trophy frontrunner, but his attitude is still all about team." - Athlon Sports

"Much of his genius is his ability to scramble, to create something beautiful once the structure has broken down." - Sports Illustrated

"If pass-efficiency rating is an accurate indicator of a quarterback's quality, then UCLA enters the 1998 season with the best.  Cade McNown not only led the nation in that department last year, he also improvises and runs well.  And he quick-kicked a 76-yard punt in the Bruins' Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M." - Athlon Sports

"He outpassed Tennessee's Peyton Manning 400 yards to 341 in head-to-head competition, and his five first-half scoring tosses in the Bruins' 66-3 drubbing of Texas also set a school record." - Athlon Sports

"He tackles homework during delays at golf outings. He chooses not to date, using rare free time to bond with teammates and cultivate team chemistry. He coordinates all of his team's off-season workouts and drills. It's the stuff leaders, and Heisman Trophy winners, are made of." - Athlon Sports

"McNown, a 6-foot-1, 214-pounder, could have made himself eligible for the NFL Draft. Much to the delight of the Bruins faithful, he decided to return to school." - CBS Sportsline 

"I think Cade’s status and his being pressed by the media all the time and still being able to stay pure and stay holy is quite an example to follow.   If we come away with one thing today it should be to follow his example to really believe in what we believe is the truth." - Drew Bennet

"In a time when drunk-driving accidents kill or injure high school students at alarming rates, Cade McNown says he does not drink.  In a time when teen-agers become sexually active at increasingly younger ages, Cade McNown talks of abstinence. And to high school students, who are a time in their lives where peer pressure is at its strongest point, Cade McNown says not to be afraid to ask for help." - West Linn Tidings

"Sure I'm coming back next year.  I'm only 20. I still have room for growth. I want to graduate. I'd like to take a run at some of those postseason awards and I'd like to have a season where I hit 68 percent of my passes."

"He (Ramsey) would say records are meant for breaking." (regarding the records of former UCLA quarterback Tom Ramsey that he continues to shatter).

"We have to take care of business and not worry so much about the opponent."

"I like our team. We were playing on a level with anyone by the end of last year. We have to start strong and then maintain it all year. That's the key."

"If you look at the winner, it's always who's got the great team." (regarding the Heisman trophy).

"I said we had the ability to score 40 points a game, and they all laughed." (UCLA averaged 39.9 points per game in 1997).  

"I'm running a Rose Bowl campaign, not a Heisman campaign.  I'm worried about the team aspect. If I was into individual awards, I would have played golf or tennis."

"If the Heisman Trophy came to Westwood and I was the figurehead for that trophy, then that would be great because it'd have meant we won a ton of games.  You can't win a personal award without everybody doing their job.  I think what it stands for is special.  Being the best college football player in the country for that year is an unbelievable honor.  The tradition and everything that goes into the Heisman Trophy is unmatched."

"It is absolutely flattering. I'm proud and honored to be mentioned as one of the top football players in the country."

"No. 1 pass efficiency, I think, is a credit to the offense, not just one person.  The receivers have to catch the ball, and the line has to protect for me to be effective. It's really a culmination of everyone on the team."

"I’ve been given a lot, and a lot’s expected of me.  As long as God keeps giving it to me, I’m going to keep dishing it out."

Cade goes back to his high school during his Spring Break to speak to the students....

"I wish everyone knew that the center of my life is Jesus and that football isn’t even second.  My family and a lot of other relationships come way before that. Football is just something I do. It’s part of my life, but it’s not the all-consuming thing. Any day I could get injured, or for whatever reason leave the game and still be just as happy. It’s something I’ve enjoyed and I’ve enjoyed some success, but when it’s time to pack it up I don’t want to be one of those guys who has to go see a therapist. I want to be able to walk away knowing I did the best I could, but also knowing that the best part of my life is yet to come."

"A lot of people ask me what motivates me.  I’ve given 11 years of my life to football. Winning the awards, championships or records, well, someone else is going to come along later and do the same things. In the greater scheme of things, that won’t mean much.  To be honest, I think it’s just the love and honor I feel for the sacrifice Jesus made for me when he died on the cross. All I have to do is believe in him and I can achieve salvation. When you sit down and meditate on that you can see yourself in a whole new way."

"If I go out and somebody’s trying to get me to drink, it’s easy for me to say no just because I don’t want to do that. I don’t believe it.  I continue to not drink and I’ve maintained my virginity, which I’m very proud of. But I couldn’t have accomplished these things—and I hope I can continue to accomplish them—without the help of my relationship with the Lord."

"The most important thing I’m going to talk about today is being unashamed of your faith," he said. "Be willing to not care what other people think about you if you’re going to share the word with them. The fact that I’ve been able to have a platform as an athlete and be able to maintain people’s attention has really helped my confidence. But that confidence stems from me being secure in myself as a Christian. God tells us to not go the way of the world. That’s good. You don’t want to be part of the world. You want to be living your life for Christ."

"This was the first time I’ve ever been introduced at a school where they didn’t list my accomplishments or talk about whatever football accolades I’ve received," he said, to open his speech in the auditorium. "And that really meant a lot. Because that’s not important. What’s important is that we’re here in fellowship, and the fact that you’re getting together. You are the pillar of this school’s religious community."