Adam Hoover (Enquirer photo) | ZOOM |

        From the time he started playing football, at the age of 10, Adam Hoover worked toward one goal: to be a starting quarterback at a Division I-A school.

        Finally, after two transfers that included a stop in junior college, plus two years volunteering on a Mormon church mission in Houston, Hoover got his chance. He was the quarterback for the University of Cincinnati in its opener against Purdue, playing in front of the largest crowd in the school's history.

        But six days later, Hoover's career was over, ended by a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. He's scheduled to undergo surgery Friday.

        “I feel a little shortchanged in my investment,” Hoover said Monday, “putting all this time in at Cincinnati. To get injured in the first quarter of the second game just can't be. But it is and I've got to deal with it.”

        Lost amid the euphoria at UC over the splendid relief performance turned in by freshman quarterback Gino Guidugli at Army on Saturday was the sad ending to Hoover's career. There's a chance the talented Guidugli, who was named Conference USA offensive player of the week, might have overtaken Hoover and become the starter anyway before the season ended, but at least Hoover would have had a chance to hold the kid off.

        “We really did lose a good quarterback Saturday,” said UC coach Rick Minter. “That's devastating to our team. That's a big blow to any squad.”

        Hoover, 24, a senior from Corona, Calif., said he will stay involved with the program, serving as something of a student assistant coach while he works to complete his degree in accounting, which he expects to receive in December.

        But Monday he was still trying to come to grips with the injury. While running with the football, Hoover tried to make a move to the right and felt a sharp pain when his foot caught in the artificial turf. He got up slowly but stayed in the game.

        Hoover handed off on the next play, then threw a pass that was dropped on third down. When he returned to the bench, he was examined by Dr. Angelo Colosimo, who knew right away that Hoover had torn his ACL.

        “They got my wife to come down and I burst into tears,” Hoover said. “I said a prayer, took a shower and came back to watch the rest of the game.”

        What he saw of Guidugli impressed him.

        “He played really well,” Hoover said. “But I think his challenge will be as the weeks come along. I remember my first playing time last year came after Deontey (Kenner) got hurt. You don't have much time to think about it. You just go in and start playing. The next week was tougher. Everybody knows you're starting.”

        For Hoover, meanwhile, there will be life after football. Unfortunately, that life is beginning a lot sooner than he had hoped.

        “I put everything into this and played the best I could. There's nothing I can do about it now,” Hoover said. “I've got to rehab and get back to 100 percent.I've got a long life ahead of me.”

Hoover's dream ends abruptly

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