He's got next: Kellen Winslow was the prototype for tight ends—until his son came along. Now, Miami's Winslow Jr. is making the position—and the name—his own

Sporting News, The, August 4, 2003 by Kyle Veltrop

The young tight end had just put on a Kellen Winslow-type performance, which is fitting since he is Kellen Winslow. In a game that meant everything, he caught all those passes all over the field--a field littered with superstars--yet it was impossible not to watch the young tight end, who was sleeker, faster than the bigger guys and stronger, more powerful than the smaller ones.

That show against Ohio State in the national championship game took place three days into 2003, but it felt like it was two days deep into 1982, when, in a playoff game against the Dolphins, another Kellen Winslow caught all those passes all over the field for the Chargers. The NFL has produced few performances that were better. Twenty-one years later, this much is clear about the young tight end for the University of Miami: Not only is he Kellen Winslow Sr.'s son, he is his second coming.

Winslow Jr. comes in a 6-5, 243-pound package that blends power, speed, grace, skill and smarts. He probably won't win the Heisman Trophy; no tight end ever has. But that doesn't mean he isn't the best player in college football. He was the best player in the Fiesta Bowl, which featured NFL first-round picks Andre Johnson and Willis McGahee from Miami and 2003 Heisman candidates Maurice Clarett mad Chris Gamble from Ohio State.

Winslow Jr. caught 11 passes for 122 yards, including one reception where he pinned a ball with one hand to the back of his helmet and shoulder pads while getting drilled over the middle. Winslow Sr., standing on the Miami sideline, muttered, "Damn, he caught that." Then this went through his mind: "I wouldn't have caught that when I was playing."

The Hurricanes lost, of course. It still is a crushing defeat for Winslow Jr., one that wrecked his goal of never losing at Miami--a goal that lived for 24 games. It is much easier being a father when your son is on a 24-game winning streak. But fresh off a one-game losing streak, they got into their car in Tempe, Ariz., and headed home to San Diego. Down I-10, across I-8, for nearly 6 hours and 400-plus miles, the father shared some guidance, a little wisdom and whole lot of perspective on how Winslow Jr.'s stunning performance was the result of hundreds of tiny building blocks coming together. Good genes aren't all that Winslow Sr. has passed on to his son.

'Be more than a football player'

Kellen Winslow and Katrina Ramsey split up when Kellen Jr. was 3, and their son lived with Winslow Sr. until college. Ramsey wanted to name him Kellen, but Winslow Sr. did not, thinking that would swell expectations that already were bound to be great. Especially in San Diego, where Winslow Sr. is a legend because of his Chargers glory days. Recently, in a hotel lobby in suburban La Jolla, a man in a business suit approached Winslow Sr., leaned in and started, "Aren't you ..." Winslow Jr., so used to this all his life, didn't glance twice.

Winslow Sr. knew he couldn't control people linking his child to his football success. But he could affect how his son was influenced by it. From the time Winslow Jr. was 2, his dad would have conversations with him, hoping the words would sink in: "Be more than a football player; use your mind."

Winslow hasn't devoured all of his dad's words. Though they have a close relationship, both are headstrong, so clashes occurred. The biggest ones involved football, as in when and where Winslow Jr. could play.

Football wasn't allowed until high school, which caused him to bristle. His dad steered him toward basketball and stressed the value of developing skills such as footwork and agility. Winslow Sr. implored him to take interest in other things--"You name it: chess, golf, reading, even cleaning the house," says Winslow Jr.--because he saw no reason to be piling on pads at such a young age.

The biggest battle came when Winslow Jr. had developed into a top recruit and wanted to go to Washington. The Huskies had few black coaches, and that turned off Winslow Sr., who had decried the lack of minority coaches in the NFL during his Hall of Fame speech. He also wasn't comfortable with how his son was recruited by the Huskies. Winslow Sr. thought Miami, which also was high on Winslow Jr.'s list, was a better big-picture fit.

As often is the case, a parent's words make more sense after some time passes. Winslow Jr. couldn't be happier at Miami, which develops pros as well as it wins games. "It's like playing for a dream team" he says. Now, he even sees the wisdom in his father's decision to keep him off the football field when he was younger. Some of his Miami teammates are bruised, their juice for the sport waning; Winslow Jr. is a green banana.

The technical advisers

Winslow led Miami with 57 receptions as a sophomore, which is quite a feat considering it was his first full season at tight end. At Scripps Ranch High, Winslow played wide receiver-slash-defensive end-slash-tight end-slash-punter, slash, slash, slash. As a freshman at Miami, he played on special teams; on offense, he switched at midseason from wide receiver to tight end, where he barely played behind All-American Jeremy Shockey. It was then, though, that Winslow Jr. became enrolled in a finishing school for tight ends, with his dad as the dean and Shockey as his valedictorian lab partner.