Florida St. QB To Miss '98 Season

Quarterback Dan Kendra, who injured his knee in Florida State's spring game, said Thursday he will not play for the Seminoles this fall.

"I want to heal my knee back to 100 percent so I can perform like Dan Kendra can perform," Kendra said at a news conference. "I don't think I can go out and perform to my full potential."

Although Kendra, 22, has already used a redshirt season, the school will seek a sixth year of eligibility for him. Florida State coaches and administrators at the news conference could not recall an instance where the school had been successful getting a sixth year for an athlete.

"Dan knows there is a chance he doesn't get a sixth year," Richt said.

"I know he hurts," Florida State tackle Jerry Johnson said. "I feel bad for him. I know it's a big disappointment. He'd been working out pretty hard."

Kendra, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee April 4, had hoped to rehab the injury in record time to be ready for Florida State's opening game Aug. 31 against Texas A&M.

"Dan does not feel his knee has stabilized to point he would like it," team trainer Randy Oravetz said in a statement released by the school. "Our goal remains to safely return him to pre-injury status."

Kendra, a backup to Thad Busby the past two seasons, had won the starting job in spring practice before he was injured April 4 in the school's annual Garnet & Gold spring scrimmage.

One of the nation's most heralded prep stars coming out of high school in Bethlehem, Pa., Kendra passed for 1,006 yards and 12 touchdowns in limited playing time his first two seasons.

Sophomore Chris Weinke, who turns 26 at the end of the month, will now go into camp as the No. 1 quarterback with sophomore Marcus Outzen as the backup. Outzen missed most of spring practice with a shoulder injury but is healthy now.

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Weinke, who is from St. Paul, Minn., has not started a football game since his senior year in high school in 1989. He left Florida State during his freshman year to sign a professional baseball contrack.

"That's why you have three quarterbacks, coach Bobby Bowden said after injuries to two of his three scholarship players. Bowden was on vacation and did not attend Thursday's news conference.

Kendra's rehabilitation schedule was interrupted last month when he was cut on his nose, chest and stomach after a homemade explosive device he built with the use of household chemicals blew up outside his apartment the Florida State campus.

The 6-foot-1, 234-pound version Kendra was one of the team's fastest, strongest and most agile players. His 1,330-pound leg press is a school record.

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