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By Miriam Raftery
photo: U.C. Berkeley Golden Bears blog
September 11, 2014 (El Cajon) – “Don’t Quit: The Joe Roth Story”, a documentary about Grossmont College football quarterback Joe Roth, will be honored at the La Costa Film Festival September 20th, with the film debuting there September 18th.
The El Cajon native led the Griffins to its first state championship in 1974. He was diagnosed with melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, but courageously battled the disease while triumphing on the field as one of America's top college athletes—all without telling friends or teammates about his condition.
After graduation from Grossmont Colelge, he helped the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears share a Pacific-8 crown with UCLA. In 1976, he was a leading candidate to win the coveted Heisman Trophy as college football’s top quarterback.
Surgery had halted the disease, but it returned in 1976. “Joe confided in me at the end of the 1976 season, but I told no one. It’s the way Joe wanted it,” said former Grossmont coach Dave Jordan, the East County Californian reported. He also kept up with his schoolwork, making academics a priority.
After doctors told him he had just one month to live, he went on to play in the Hula Bowl despite undergoing chemotherapy, before losing his battle with cancer in 1977 at age 21.
Two U.C. Berkeley graduates, Bob Rider and Phil Schaaf, produced the film. Schaaf said of the work, “ “It’s a heroic story. Joe didn’t tell anyone that he was sick during the season because he wouldn’t make any excuses. The fact that no one knew he was dying is the greatest secret in the history of college sports.”
Roth’s uniform number was retired by the Berkeley team. Every year since then, the Golden Bears have played a Joe Roth memorial game, donating a portion of proceeds to a charity.
For further information, visit the films website: joerothfilm.com.
- See more at: http://www.eccalifornian.com/article/story-grossmont-college%E2%80%99s-l...
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