By Th‚oden K. Janes

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Sunday afternoon was somewhat uneventful for former Arizona linebacker Brant Boyer. It was the first day of the NFL draft, but his chances of being taken in the first or second round were nil.

Yesterday morning, though, a telepone call awakened Boyer about 7. It was the Cleveland Browns, and they were calling to tell him they were interested.

"Son," the disembodied voice on the other end of the line told him, "there is a strong possibility that we are going to pick you up in the fifth round."

Excited and unable to get back to sleep, the 22-year-old UA senior immediately flipped on ESPN2 and waited for the fifth round to approach.

Minutes turned into hours as the third and fourth rounds slowly passed. Then came the fifth round, and the Browns announced that they would use overall pick No. 141 to select Ä defensive back Isaac Booth of California. What??p> Stunned, Boyer watched as ex-teammates Rob Waldrop and Rod Lewis went back-to-back (Nos. 157 and 158) to Kansas City and Houston, respectively.

"The call really got my hopes up and it was a real exciting time and when they didn't take me I was thinking, 'Well, it's back to normal now,'" said Boyer, who earned second-team All-Pacific 10 Conference honors as an inside linebacker for the Wildcats last season.

His hopes shattered, Boyer immediately assumed he was destined to be a free agent, scraping to find himself a team while draftees celebrated their triumphs.

Then came an unexpected surprise

With the 177th pick of the sixth round in the 1993 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins select Brant Boyer, University of Arizona.

What?

Boyer, slightly disbelieving and incredibly ecstatic, was on the phone in an instant, talking to friends and family as well as all the typical media folk.

"I was real surprised," Boyer said. "It was surprising especially when Miami took me, because I hadn't heard anything from them at all.

"It's great, you've got the warm climate and Miami is a playoff contender every year, so I'm real happy with the selection. I'm ready to play with the big boys."

Boyer will fly to Florida tomorrow to attend a banquet held for Miami's new draftees, which include tackles Tim Bowens of Mississippi and William Gaines of Florida.

The Dolphins first mini-camp will begin on June 1.

In 1993, Boyer led Arizona with 90 tackles, 14 of which came against Arizona State on Nov. 26. He also had 10 tackles against UCLA and twice made nine, against Pacific and Illinois.

Boyer, from Hooper, Utaw stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 233 pounds. And as far as he is concerned, he can finally stop chasing after what he has pursued since childhood.

"Hell, I remember telling my third-grade teacher that I was going to be in the NFL someday and to fulfill that dream is amazing," Boyer said. "It is unbelievable."

•••

Waldrop, a 6-2, 265-pound defensive tackle, who won the Outland Trophy and was named Defensive Player of the Year last season, was selected by the Chiefs in the fifth round, 157th overall.

Lewis, regarded by many NFL analysts as the best tight end available in the draft, was taken on the next pick by the Oilers.

Florida State's Lonnie Johnson was the first tight end taken. Johnson went to the Buffalo Bills, who had the 61st pick.

Lewis was the sixth tight end selected.

The only other UA player drafted was Chuck Levy, who was taken in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals. Levy was the 38th player and the fourth running back chosen. He left the UA after his junior season for this year's draft. Read Next Article