Folmar was right at home with Vulcans
By John Sacco
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
Brendan Folmar literally grew up on the campus at PennWest California.
It became his personal playground.
“I was in kindergarten there at Noss Elementary (middle of campus), so I became a Vulcan when I was there – kindergarten through fourth grade,” said Folmar, who became a standout athlete at California Area High School and what then known as California University.
“It was wonderful playing on the middle of the campus down there. Our kickball games were like a Super Bowl championship game.
“How we compete growing up at a young age shapes you. It’s the reason I came back to Cal. I just wanted to play football.”
Folmar’s athletic career took hold at Cal.
The Vulcans’ football team was rated fourth or higher in passing during the 1980s. Four different quarterbacks earned all-conference honors during that stretch and three of those high-powered passers – Kevin Russell, Folmar and Sam Mannery – received All-America honors.
Folmar was the Vulcans’ starting quarterback in 1985 and 1986.
He waited behind Russell in 1983 and 1984.
Folmar passed for 1,891 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1985, leading the Vulcans in rushing with 365 yards and scored six of the team’s 10 rushing touchdowns. Folmar, who was named second-team All-PSAC, finished second in the conference in total offense, averaging 225.6 yards per game.
Folmar followed that in 1986, leading the team to a 5-0 start, the best in 28 years. He completed 176 of 338 attempts for 2,245 yards and 18 touchdowns that season.
He again received all-conference honors and was named Associated Press honorable mention All-American.
Also in 1986, Folmar led Cal to its first victory over Clarion since 1970, winning, 28-27 by overcoming a 27-7 deficit in final five minutes. He scored the two-point winner after passing for three TDs.
“I was a late bloomer,” Folmar said. “I left camp my freshman year. I felt like ‘I’m not sitting behind (anyone) for three years.’ My brothers kind of roughed me up a little bit and kept my nose to the grindstone. They helped me stay focused. I could’ve given up and dropped out.”
Former Steelers tight end Terry O’Shea credits his former Vulcans teammate for helping him get to the NFL.
“I have often said that if I didn’t have Brendan and Sam as my quarterbacks there is no way my name would be associated with the NFL,” O’Shea said. “(Folmar) was great; he was a good leader in the huddle with lots of energy. We used to play in intramural basketball, and he could’ve probably played on the varsity basketball team.”
Alan Natali, former Cal football player and professor, said Folmar was special. Natali and Folmar were neighbors.
“He was a spectacularly good athlete with a tremendous arm,” Natali said. “Brendan was an exuberant athlete – a little bit hard to control. He was an emotional athlete filled with the joy of the game, whatever game you happen to be playing at the time. He was a good leader. His teammates seemed to respond to him very positively.
“Kevin (Russell) was a tremendous player and it’s an interesting contrast between the two because Kevin was very disciplined and played within the system. His mechanics were perfect all the time he was a textbook quarterback. Brendan was everything but that. Brendan, if I could compare him to anybody, was a Brett Favre kind of guy. He’d let it fly or take off and run and make it up as he went along. He was completely different from Kevin.”
Arena Bowl I
Folmar went on to play professional football with the Pittsburgh Gladiators of the Arena Football League, who reached the league championship game in 1987.
Folmar also played briefly with the Detroit Lions in the strike-marred 1987 NFL season and played three seasons with the Pittsburgh Arena team.
Arena Bowl I was played at the former Civic Arena. Folmar was the Gladiators’ backup quarterback in that game. Pittsburgh was blown out by the Denver Dynamite, who won 45-16.
During the regular season the teams split their games, with the Gladiators winning in Denver, 49-32 but losing at home, 32-31.
The first half of Arena Bowl I was a non-competitive game, as the Dynamite blasted out to an 18-0 lead. Denver scored 32 unanswered points and blanked the Gladiators through three quarters.
Pittsburgh’s final score came when Folmar hit Rodney Richmond for a TD.
“It was great playing in the Arena league,” Folmar said. “It was phenomenal playing with Russell and I played with Julius Dawkins (former Monessen High School and Pitt standout) on the last part of his career. JoJo Heath joined us at the end. He was a tremendous athlete. It was kind of a dream and it went fast. It was kind of a blur. Going to the NFL during the strike was fun. To get some exposure was kind of cool but it’s all about people around you.”
Folmar’s legacy
Folmar feels fulfilled with his California experience. He is a member of the university’s athletic Hall of Fame.
“Coach (Jeff) Petrucci put a lot on my plate, which was good,” Folmar said. “I have always been around strong competition. Even the pickup basketball games at the local playgrounds were like wars. In basketball, I always wanted the ball at the end and the same was true with football.”
Folmar, a 1982 graduate of California High School, was the Trojans’ two-time Most Valuable Player in both football and basketball.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal U in elementary education in 1986.
“Many people do not remember that I grew up on the Cal campus,” said Folmar, whose dad, Dr. John Kent Folmar, was a history professor. “California is a great small town and I enjoyed growing up there. I know every nook and cranny of that town.”
Now retired, Folmar resides in Virginia, with his wife, Jessica Silva. He has two sons, Brendan and Michael.
“Sports really saved me and without athletics I would have ended up on the wrong side of the track. I played the quarterback position since I was in ninth grade and I believe my leadership ability is one of my best qualities and I owe that to sports. I was fortunate to play and learn under a lot of good coaches. Football will always be a part of me.”
John Sacco writes a column for the Observer-Reporter about local sports history.