Editor’s note: Baltimore Watchdog reporters enrolled in a sports journalism course conducted group interviews with Towson athletes in late October. Below are their profile stories.
By Kevin Watson
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
High school quarterback Jeff Miller walked into his California high school on a Monday after a tough loss. It was his first day working with students at his school who had special needs, and he spotted a girl he had seen in the hallways before but had never met.
Her name was Diane Ramirez, a student with cerebral palsy, and she had a message for him, spoken through a speech-generating device: “What happened on Friday?”
Miller was taken by surprise. She turned to see Ramirez and the device that tracks her eye movements.
“She was able to comprehend that we lost and she was making fun of me, which I love,” Miller said. “That was so cool. That was the first thing she said to me.”
It was the start of a friendship that lasted throughout Miller’s senior season and into college.
Miller, who had previously volunteered for Special Olympics, became Ramirez’s aide in the special education class. Ramirez, a sophomore when they met, became so attached to Miller that she would request his presence the moment he walked into her classroom.
“She had this icon that typed my name in so she wouldn’t have to put in J-E-F-F. It just said Jeff Miller,” said Miller. We would be sitting in class and you would just hear: Jeff Miller, Jeff Miller.”
Ramirez was so taken by Miller that she asked him to a prom sponsored by schools with special education programs throughout the area.
Miller said yes. During a school day, instead of going to classes, a few dozen students got on a bus and went to a ranch for the prom. Miller dressed up in a suit and tie that he had bought for college. He bought her a rose and a corsage. They danced for hours.
“One of the best memories I’ll ever have just from interacting with her and being with her,” Miller said. “It really put into perspective like, life worrying about football and this girl, like this day is the best day of her life, how important can other stuff be?”
Instead of playing close to home, Miller decided to move to the other coast to play football for Towson. One attraction of Towson to Miller: the chance to major in special education [and minor in deaf studies].
Miller attracted quite a bit of attention out of high school — he is 6 foot 6 inches and has a powerful arm. Still, he redshirted his freshman year so that he could improve on his skills, and get more experience at a different level. In practice he worked with the scout team, so he would learn other teams’ playbooks. He would then run the plays against his teams starting defense to prepare them for the upcoming game.
“Jeff learned more about football in his first month here than he learned in his entire high school career,” said Rob Ambrose, Towson’s head football coach. “He was not ready to contribute last year.”
This season, he is getting even more reps in practice. Miller is in the mix to be the team’s starting quarterback next year.
“If Jeff continues to improve at this rate, I believe he will be competing,” Ambrose said.
Miller has only seen action in one game this season. And the first drive of his college career didn’t go quite as planned: On one pass the wide receiver ran the wrong route, and on another the receiver dropped his pass. He completed a third pass, making his stats thus far: 1 for 3 for 4 yards.
When Miller graduates, he wants to be a secondary adult special education teacher. He also wants to coach football.
“Jeff is the type of young man that wants to make a difference in everything he does,” Ambrose said. “He wants to leave things better than he found them. He is a leader who wants to learn how to learn how to be a better leader constantly.”
Miller stayed in touch with Ramirez during his first year at Towson, visiting her whenever he returned to Southern California. Ramirez died a few months ago. Her death hit Miller hard.
“She sacrificed a lot for me to be out here so I’m going to make the most of it out here,” Miller said.
By Rachel Veslany
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
His name is Jeff Miller. Her name is Diane Ramirez. He was a star high school quarterback from Southern California who plays for Towson University. She was a girl with cerebral palsy who died earlier this year. They crossed paths for one academic year — and they made strong impressions on each other.
“She made me fully know I wanted to go into special education,” said Miller, a 6-foot 6-inch redshirt freshman. “She definitely made me realize how big and little things really are. She put things into perspective and that reminds me to enjoy every day. She made a huge impact on me.”
Before coming to Towson in fall 2018, Miller had a successful football career in Murrieta, California. He volunteered to work in a special education classroom at his high school, where he met Ramirez.
They quickly hit it off, and soon Ramirez was requesting Miller’s presence every day.
“She had this icon that they had typed my name into so she didn’t have to put the letters together,” Miller said. “We would be sitting in class and you would hear ‘Jeff Miller, Jeff Miller, Jeff Miller’ over and over again in the most annoying high pitched voice.”
For Miller, the highlight of their friendship — and one of his all-time favorite memories — was going to special ed prom together on a ranch. Miller wanted to ask Ramirez, but she beat him to it.
“I was planning on asking her… and the teachers were being weird about it saying, ‘Oh I don’t know if you should.’ Then there she was with a poster asking me,” Miller said.
The two had an unforgettable afternoon together. Miller dressed in a suit and tie he had originally bought to wear at Towson, and he bought Ramirez a rose corsage for her to wear. They danced the school day away. Seeing how happy Ramirez was and how much being at the prom meant to her was Miller’s favorite part.
“It really put into perspective life and how it is more than football,” Miller said. “For this girl this day is the best day of her life so how could anything else be more important.”
She loved football so much, she struck up friendships with other football players after Miller left for Towson.
“When I went back to visit her over winter break, she had started talking and flirting with other football players,” joked Miller. “It was a big joke when I showed up.”
Ramirez died earlier this year. Miller was at Towson when he received the news and couldn’t make it back for the funeral.
“That really hit me hard,” Miller said. “I’ve been lucky enough, knock on wood, that this was the first real death I have experienced back home while being here. It was definitely hard to process, but my teammates were here for me which felt good.
Miller has faced challenges being 3,000 miles away from his family. Miller’s parents attend one home football game and one away game a year, but other than that he does not see them until his breaks. Even for large family holidays like Thanksgiving he goes to his roommates’ house to celebrate.
Miller said Towson has always felt like home. Head coach Rob Ambrose scouted Miller and was impressed by his physical gifts.
“Jeff had the physical skill. He is a leader he wants to learn how to be a better leader consistently,” Ambrose said. “Jeff is the type of young man that wants to make a difference in everything he does. He wants to leave things better than he found them.”
On an unofficial visit with his parents, Miller fell in love with Towson. Having a special education department was key for Miller, because he knew that it what he wanted his career path to be after college. Miller also appreciated Amrbose’s honesty about his recruitment of Tom Flacco, who has started for Towson the past two seasons.
“The coaches told me about him when I was recruited, and I still committed,” Miller said. “The coaches were honest with me… they wanted him to come so I could learn underneath him.”
Miller, who redshirted last year, will be in the mix to be Towson’s started next year when Flacco leaves. He spent most of last year simulating the opponent’s quarterback in practice, and learned plays so he could signal during games.
“Jeff learned more in his first month here than he learned during his entire high school career,” Ambrose said.
As Miller continues the current season and preps for next season he continues to stay involved with his special education class from back home and with the Special Olympics in Maryland. He belongs to the Special Olympics of Maryland committee.
Ramirez also continues to loom large in his life.
“I think of her every time stuff gets hard… She sacrificed a lot for me to be out here, so I am going to make the most of it. I am always remembering her,” Miller said.
By Tim Utzig
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Jeff Miller has a passion for playing football and studying special education. The redshirt freshman is doing both at Towson University. And he’s been involved in both for quite some time.
Miller, originally from Murrieta, California, has been playing football for years. And he found an interest in special education when in 10th grade, when he began working for the Special Olympics.
“Jeff cares about helping and making others better, ” said Rob Ambrose, head coach of Towson’s football team. “He is a first class young man.”
During his senior year of high school, Miller was a teaching assistant in a special education class. On his first day, he met Diane Ramirez, a student with cerebral palsy. They formed a connection that lasted the entire year. Their bond became so close throughout the year that Miller came to know how to individually assist Ramirez in class.
Ramirez used a device that uses eye tracking an motion to help those with disabilities communicate more effectively. The device was a tablet connected to her wheelchair. And she used it to call for Miller whenever he entered the class.
Miller and Ramirez’s friendship grew throughout Miller’s last year of high school, culminating in a prom date.
“Honestly, she beat me to it,” Miller said. “I was going to ask her but she just asked me before it could.”
The prom, which was attended by special needs students and their dates throughout the region, was held during the school day.
“It was an incredible experience, and the promposal was really cool to be a part of, especially because it meant so much to her,” Miller said.
Several months ago, Miller got a call that Ramirez had died, and it hit him really hard.
“I was at college at the time, and it just shocked me. I hadn’t really had death in my life before so this was just a really tough experience, and I’m sure it was for the family,” Miller said.
Miller couldn’t attend the funeral because he was at Towson, 3,000 miles away from his family. He was drawn to the school in part because of its academic offerings and in part because of the football fit.
“Towson, coach and the whole recruitment process made the decision easy for me, on top of the education and special education department here at Towson,” Miller said.
Miller is a pre-special education major and wants to go into the secondary adult special education field.
“My goal is to be a special education high school teacher, but also coach the football team for the school I am at,” Miller said.
But first, he wants to earn playing time on the field. That hasn’t happened much thus far, largely because Tom Flacco has been taking snaps at quarterback.
“I’m learning a lot from watching Tom, and being in the team practices,” Miller said.
He said he is ready to compete for the starter spot at the quarterback position next semester, but in the meantime is focused on helping the team where he can, and improving in general.
“If Jeff continues to improve at this rate I believe he will competing,” said Ambrose.
Miller, now in his second year at Towson, is working in practice on speeding up his decision making.
“Jeff moved too slow last year technically. He has worked incredibly hard in the off season and improved greatly over the past year,” said Ambrose.
Miller is up early every day to workout and make strides in his game.
“My practice and workout schedule consists of waking up early and weight lifting, throwing practice and team practice, outside of the individual practice I do, and all of that on top of classes,” Miller said.
By Brooks Warren
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Towson redshirt freshman quarterback Jeff Miller is patiently biding his time, eager for the chance to finally prove his abilities at the college level. The 6-foot-6-inch Miller sat out his first year while Tom Flacco became the starting signal caller.
Miller is set to be in the mix to become starter next season when Flacco leaves.
“I’ve been preparing for two years,” Miller said confidently. “ I literally didn’t play at all my first year — I feel ready.”
Miller was a highly touted recruit, and he’s spent years studying quarterbacks on television — and for the past year plus on the sidelines.
“I always watched [football] growing up,” Miller said. “Obviously football is fun and stuff but I loved watching the quarterback and how everyone follows him and how he leads.”
Miller began playing football in fifth grade as an offensive lineman. He played against eighth graders because of his size. The next year he took his first of many snaps at quarterback. He was intrigued by being the leader on the field — even though in his first year the team went winless.
Still, when his dad asked if he wanted to continue at quarterback, he didn’t think twice about quitting.
“ I worked hard at it and every season since then I’ve gotten better,” Miller said.
Fast forward to high school. Miller excelled at Murrieta Mesa High School — but had to split time his sophomore year. As a junior starter he became an intriguing prospect. He was being recruiting by high-level football programs, but was concussed early in the season and lost his starting position. Miller’s future seemed uncertain.
“ I had to earn back my spot midway through my junior year,” Miller said, “which sucked because I was trying to get recruited. That put a huge toll on me. But I got the spot back.”
Miller was heavily recruited by programs such as UCLA, USC and Wisconsin, but none offered him. Other schools figured he’d land at a big program, so they stopped recruiting him. But Towson showed interest, as head coach Rob Ambrose liked what he saw.
“Jeff had the physical skill set (size, arm strength, arm quickness, mental acuity, leadership),” coach Ambrose said. “We sell the institution, opportunities both on and off the field and personal relationships with coaches.”
When Miller took his official visit to Towson he remarked on the family atmosphere that Towson created. When Miller committed, it was that family atmosphere he cited that helped him make up his mind.
Ambrose was struck by Miller’s character.
“Jeff is the type of young man that wants to make a difference in everything he does,” Ambrose said. “He wants to leave things better than he found them. He is a leader who wants to learn how to learn how to be a better leader constantly.”
After redshirting his true freshman season, being assigned to signal calls for the Tigers no-huddle offense, running scout team against the Tigers defense and learning the ins and outs of being a college quarterback from current starter, Miller is ready for his shot.