Appearing in "Don't Quit: The Joe Roth Story"

Featuring (in alphabetical order)

Ted Albrecht

"Joe never felt like he was above anybody. When we did things socially, or in the community, he was always the one reaching out…and it was never fake or manufactured. It was just him being Joe: kind, considerate and always with a big smile.

He was a big name and everybody wanted a piece of him, and he gave it."

Eric Anderson

"He was so fluid.

It was like Baryshnikov in cleats."

Steve Bartkowski

"It was the perfect storm of tragedy all coming together at a specific time, where the promise and potential of all those things that were out there for him were unattainable."

Fred Besana

"I found out Joe was a cancer survivor early on. He had a significant scar, but to Joe it was 'yeah, I had it and let’s move on.'

He never dwelled on it. Never. It wasn't even a topic."

Gil Brandt

"Could have been the first player picked in the draft...definitely would have been in the top five. If he were to come out now, I'd say 'Joe keep up the good work, we'd love to put a star on your helmet.'"

Jim Breech

"He drops back against Oklahoma and they were on a blitz and the guy is coming off the corner in a b-line...and literally, the guy is two steps away and Joe still hasn't thrown the ball.

Boom, it's gone and Joe gets leveled, but it was a perfect throw, 20 yard gain over the middle. It was one of the most courageous throws I've ever seen."

Rich Campbell

"My frame of reference for Joe was the respect that he offered people and the time that he took with you and the sense that when you related to him, you always felt like you were his equal."

Jack Clark

"I don't use the word 'great' a lot, but I've coached some extraordinary young men, had some exceptional teammates and seen people in sports that I really admire. Then there's Joe. He's above all of that."

Tony Dungy

"You can live a long time and not impact people the way Joe Roth impacted people. I was only around him for three and a half weeks and I still use him as an example 30 years later. That's someone special."

Robin Earl

"He was the most charismatic person, the way he expressed himself and communicated. By the end of the Hula Bowl and Japan Bowl, we were so impressed with Joe that we named our third child, Roth Earl, after him."

Vince Ferragamo

"The greatest trait of a QB is his ability to be poised under pressure. It's a trait you need to have. Joe Montana comes to mind because he was cool under pressure. And Joe Roth had that great composure."

George Freitas

"Joe obviously believed in himself and he brought that feeling to the rest of the team, where everybody was important in their role and I think that’s why he was respected so much."

Dr. Michael Friedman

"The first time I met Joe, the quiet calm grace about him, the smile...he wasn't paralyzed with fear. It was a very mature kind of courage that he showed, much more mature than what you would expect of somebody of that age.

And I remember that experience, just that moment, very, very well - meeting him for the first time."

Mitch Gelman

"Berkeley was the emblem of the revolutionary side of the nation during the late 1960's and early '70s...it was Mario Savio, People’s Park, the Vietnam War and the Free Speech Movement. So, in 1975 it wasn’t a school that was known for its football, let alone its clean-cut quarterback from Southern California."

Gary Graumann

"He was able to deal with things with such humility and grace...I also learned that there’s a lot to life other than football. Seeing the day full of sunshine and being positive, taking advantage of the day in front of you, not behind you. Joe always looked forward."

Paul Hackett

"This guy had a dramatic presence. It was not a normal guy walking into a room or walking on a football field. His height, his hair - the blondness - the almost angelic look about him. He wouldn't say anything, but you looked over there and said 'whoa,' and I think that's what the team sensed."

Don Hasselbeck

"Some people will say, 'hey, I met your son' and rather than say 'what a great football player,' they say 'what a great kid.' I think that’s what Joe Roth was – 'what a great kid.' No one who came into contact with Joe ever had a negative thing to say about him. He was in a different class than the rest of us."

Gary Jeter

"He was intelligent, tall, had a good arm and all of the intangibles. He read defenses well and had the quick release. When you looked across the landscape of college football, Joe had the most complete package."

Paul Jones

"He was very composed. I guess there’s some QB’s who scream to motivate, but that wasn’t his style...and it didn’t hurt that he had a great arm."

Dave Jordan

"I went to the East-West Shrine Game with a good friend who was a scout for the Chargers. He had heard some rumors and asked me, 'is anything wrong with Joe?'

No one was supposed to know about his condition, but his mother had confided in me, so I said, 'absolutely not.'"

Don Kramer

"Joe and I had a routine after our Friday night High School games.

Every Saturday morning we would meet again at the football field, no matter how banged up we were, and play catch. Joe would throw and I would run patterns."

Tracy Lagos

"Joe told me the whole story from the beginning: finding the mole on his cheek, how it started to bother him, the surgery he had to remove the related tissue and the fact that he had to have chest x-rays as part of his regular check-ups.

He said that the Doctors got all of it and that he was going to be fine."

Rob Lytle

"Ricky Bell told me, 'it ain't good,' and I said, 'but Joe acts like this is part of life and I'll be here next week. I'll be here next year.' And that's the way he came across. Ricky said, 'yeah, he's going to be out there...what a great guy.'"

Duncan McColl

"The nicest guy, so humble...some players have an air of arrogance, and try to prove that they are better than everybody else, and Joe was definitely not that type of person. You just said, 'that's the kind of guy I'd like to play with.'"

Chuck Muncie

"I've never met anyone like him. I mean, the guy was just very strong. He wasn't wavering, wasn't a flip-flop type guy. The way he presented himself to you was the way he was all the time."

Steve Rivera

"Joe was a game player. He’d put on his helmet and turn into someone who was very clutch. And very rarely did he overthrow somebody or throw it short. He was always on target."

Joe Rose

"Can you imagine Joe Roth today in the draft? Can you imagine him going through all those tests? He'd be the first guy taken every year. 'Joe, what have you overcome in your life? We'd like to know about you.'

Can you imagine all the GM's and coaches after meeting with that guy for an hour?"

John Roth

"I think that his character alone gave him the ability to remain positive and keep his courage up...there was hope, because nobody said there wasn't."

Kim Roth

"Joe wanted to make a plan about his future without an illness in it, to talk about playing in the East-West Shrine game, the Hula Bowl and the Japan Bowl...and then the draft."

Lena Roth

"They kept wanting to, 'take him out! Take him out!'

It's really tough to sit in the stands and hear that about your son."

Tom Roth

"He loved mixing with people even though that he was dragging around this invisible sack of rocks behind him...there were some obstacles here and there, but he was going to get through it."

Al Saunders

"We were talking about his difficulties and Joe said, 'you know, coach, everybody has their own battles.' And that would be Joe, because he didn't want to burden someone else with his trials and tribulations. That part of his humility and courage was just unbelievable."

Pete Sitta

"Be true. Be focused. Walk that line. Stay out of trouble. Work hard. Get it done. Respond to adversity. Take the challenge. Do your best. There’s a hundred different angles at this."

Joe Starkey

"Aaron Rodgers would be the only quarterback over the years at Cal since then that would be a Joe Roth caliber talent."

Barry Switzer

"The Joe Roth's are who you're looking for today. That's who you want to recruit. He was ahead of his time."

Roger Theder

"I don't think Joe ever realized how good he was.

I think inside he knew, but I don’t think he ever could accept that when other people said it about him."

Bud "Dog" Turner

"At Oklahoma, football is king, and Joe is walking off the field at the end of the game and all of a sudden these people near our exit stood...and started applauding. Not yelling or saying anything, just applauding. It was extremely impressive."

Dick Vermeil

"None of us know how much courage we have until we're tested. Very few of us have ever been tested like Joe Roth was tested, so I don't know how much courage I have. I've never really been tested. Most of us haven't. But in Joe Roth's case, it was there."

Wesley Walker

"I wish I could go back and tell him how much I love him."

Marilyn White

"He had all these talents, looks and all of these things. But Joe didn't act like he knew it.

We all thought he was extraordinary, but Joe didn't find himself extraordinary."

Mike White

"Joe was far ahead of most anyone I ever knew. He made us all better and gave us an opportunity to learn about ourselves. There were no phonies at the end of the line. There were no agendas. It was just an outpouring to a person who cared more about you than he did about himself...and that is hard to do."

Duane Williams

"Winner. And I'm not just talking
about on the field. I'm talking about
teammate. I'm talking about human being.
I'm talking about everything. He was the
total package. A guy that wrapped
everything into one. You talked to him
one time and you saw it in his eyes."