Posted on: Friday, October 31, 2003
Small-town QB big part of San Jose State offense
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Lucky you live ... Pierre, S.D.?
This riverside town of 13,900 — the nation's second-smallest state capital — is a place where residents can leave their keys in the car and their houses unlocked.
It is where visitors come to fish for walleye in the Missouri River, hunt deer or dine at the Cattleman's Club, where sawdust is on the floor and fresh-cut steaks are on the grill.
There is the Flaming Fountain, which is fueled by underground natural gas, and Lilly Park, where Lewis and Clark spent several nights in 1804 and then in 1806. Thirty miles outside of town is the real-life stage to Kevin Costner's "Dances with Wolves."
Pierre (pronounced Peer by residents) also is the hometown of Scott Rislov, the San Jose State football team's starting quarterback. The Spartans host Hawai'i tomorrow.
As the story goes, Spartan coach Fitz Hill was seeking a quarterback who didn't mind playing in cold weather. "That was the legend," Rislov said.
Hill's nationwide search ended with Rislov, who played one season at the University of North Dakota and a second at Ellsworth College in Iowa. Rislov certainly overcame harsh conditions playing football in Pierre, where today's forecast calls for a high of 32 degrees.
"There's a lot of snow every winter, sometimes blizzards," Rislov said.
As the only high school in Pierre, Riggs High's nearest opponent was two hours away.
"We traveled across the state to play schools our size," he recalled.
Apparently college scouts were not willing to make such an effort. Rislov did not receive a single Division I-A inquiry. "Nobody recruits over there," he said.
A spokeswoman for the Pierre Visitors Bureau said she could not think of a prominent actor or athlete from the area. Rislov is believed to be the only the Pierre resident competing in Division I-A football.
But the player who came in from the cold has warmed up to life in the Silicon Valley. Rislov, a senior, has a 4.0 grade-point average. He earned the President's Award as the Spartans' top male student-athlete for the 2002-'03 academic year.
"I have to say I'm pretty blessed," Rislov said.
He said he has a photographic memory, which sometimes can be a curse. "It helps in class," he said, "but sometimes when you make a bad play, you wish you didn't remember it so well."
In 1› seasons at SJSU, he has ascended to sixth on the school's career list for passing yards (4,762), pass completions (439) and total offense (4,860 yards).
In the process, he has drawn a strong following. Pierre residents can access broadcasts of Spartan games through the Internet. "I'd say there's definitely interest in San Jose," he said.
His parents have attended most of his games. After watching his younger brother Tony's high school game on Friday night, his parents will drive three hours to Rapid City or Omaha, then catch a flight to the Spartans' next game.
"I'm grateful for the support," Rislov said. "I'm grateful to be playing at this level."
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.
