Anthony Pierce was between classes one afternoon when he got word that there was someone waiting to meet him at the football office. Pierce had no clue who it was. It was early January and the Mission Viejo senior was more than disappointed that he had yet to receive a single scholarship offer. He felt overlooked, and with good reason after an All-County season at cornerback.

“I look in and see Norm Chow. I was blown away,” Pierce said. “He has this demeanor about him. You automatically respect him and you want to succeed for him.”

To this day Pierce is unsure how Chow, who a couple weeks prior had taken the Hawaii job after spending 2011 as the offensive coordinator for Utah, even knew who he was. It wasn’t simply because of his father, former NFL linebacker Antonio Pierce, who starred on the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants.

Antonio Pierce watched as a few schools expressed interest but ultimately decided not to “pull the trigger” and offer a scholarship to his 5-9, 170-pound son. Antonio could relate. Once upon a time, he was the undersized athlete that had to play two years at Mt. San Antonio junior college before transferring to Arizona and then went undrafted out of college.

“When Norm Chow came on board, I think their coaching staff recognized what Anthony was able to do, not looking at size or weight,” Antonio said. “Just being a football player. That’s what they spoke of. They loved how competitive he was. The film doesn’t lie. The kid had an outstanding season.

“Forget the coaches, he impressed his dad. I was the one in the stands biting my nails every time he was facing these kids.”

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