The Chang family refers to the Warriors' starting quarterback as "Tim," his grandmother prefers, "Timothy," and his high school coach was the first to call him, "Timmy."

The compromise, UH marketing officials have decided, is "T.C."

"That's cool," said Chang, a fourth-year junior who has answered to many names, including the NC-17 ones yelled from the nose-bleed seats. "Whatever tickles your pickle."

And so, the initials "T.C." are branded on the cover of UH's 2003 football media guide, included in the title of the $10,000 school-produced DVD, "TC for Heisman," and part of a Web site address.

But for Chang, little else has changed. To avoid the distractions of Honolulu's city lights, Chang lives in his family's home in Mililani.

"They still make me do chores — 'Hey, son, get me a beer!' " Chang said, laughing.

He wakes up before dawn every school day, to make the 40-minute drive to UH, just as he did in high school, for the daily round trips between Waipahu and Saint Louis School in Kaimuki.

As for the Heisman campaign, "it's an honor, not just for me but for my teammates," he said. "It'll give exposure to the 11 players we put on the field. Any exposure helps everybody."

Still, Chang admitted to cringing when he gathered with family members to watch the DVD.

"When the whole thing is about you, you kind of get sick of yourself," he said. "I don't like to be egocentric."

Seeing is believing

UH coach June Jones has never minded watching videos of Chang. Sometimes, Jones said, he will see Chang make a play, "then when I watch the tape, I'll say, 'Holy smokes,' I didn't know that happened."

Jones, who has coached quarterbacks in four professional leagues, praised Chang as "the best I've had" in the dual category of field vision and pass release. Jones said former All-Pro quarterback Jeff George "had a tremendous release, but he didn't have the vision this kid has. Timmy can see; he sees a lot of things."

Dan Morrison compares Chang's release to that of former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. Morrison said most quarterbacks bring the football to shoulder level, cock their arm and then throw. Morrison said Chang can release the ball from shoulder level.

"He doesn't have the wind-up," Morrison said. "His arm and shoulder are so quick, even our DBs talk about having a hard time seeing (a Chang pass) until it's there. I can't imagine anybody in the country being quicker. I could coach another 20 years and not have a quarterback with that kind of quick release."

Morrison said the right-handed Chang also has the ability to roll to his left and throw accurately across the grain. "That's the kind of thing a Brett Favre does," Morrison said. "Let's say a receiver starts on the left and goes to the right and (Chang is) going to his left, he's able to side-arm it back the other way. It's a very difficult throw, and it's tougher when you have pressure and people chasing you. He can make that throw all of the time."

Daily grind

Chang said such skills come from hours of preparation. Each day this summer, six times a week, he will throw for 90 minutes, run for 30 minutes, lift weights for an hour and watch videotapes of past games for an hour. His weight training will be separated — two days he works on his chest and back, two days on his arm and shoulders, two days on his legs.

The 6-foot-2 Chang weighs about 195 pounds, and his body fat is 8 percent.

"I feel I'm in good shape," he said. "I'm in the best shape I've ever been in."

History of hurting

But good shape does not always translate to good health. Chang could be a model for that old game of "Operation."

As a freshman in 2000, he suffered a concussion. In 2001, he missed the final nine games because of a torn ligament in his right wrist. During last year's training camp, he suffered a broken bone in his right pinkie. His season ended, on the sideline on Christmas Day, with torn ligaments in his right thumb and right knee.

His injury-prone reputation extends to the video game, NCAA 2004.

"My teammates came up to me and said, 'I've been playing with you, and you got hit and you're out for eight weeks,' " Chang said, laughing. "I don't think EA Sports likes me too much."

Morrison said Chang's injuries should not be interpreted as frailty.

"They're kind of freaky and flukey," Morrison said. "A guy has him wrapped up, lets him go and he lands on his hand. He hurt his pinkie when he hit someone's helmet on the follow-through.

"There are positions you can play with hand or finger injuries, but it's very difficult to throw with any velocity when you have a broken finger," Morrison added. "It was extremely difficult for him to squeeze a football as tight as he did with a broken finger. Most people don't realize how many times he gets knocked down every game. Everybody will follow the flight of the pass and not see him getting knocked down. He shows ample courage every game."

Pressure-proof

Chang said he understands the scrutiny that comes with playing the featured position for the state's only Division I-A football team. He has sought advice from former UH quarterbacks Michael Carter, Rodney Glover and John Hao. "My goal is to win games," he said. "I don't want to put pressure on myself. I don't want to try to make every pass a Heisman pass. Sometimes I'm going to throw some real ducks, but hopefully they'll get there."

Chang's blood is a cocktail of Hawaiian, Chinese, Puerto Rican, English, Irish and Spanish. He said teammate Sean Stennis told him there were several Chinese-Americans in Los Angeles rooting for him.