Sanders’ Burst of Speed Leaves 49er Teammate Smiling in Dust

Merton Hank, a 49er cornerback, commenting to C.W. Nevius of the San Francisco Chronicle on Deion Sanders’ 74-yard interception return for a touchdown against New Orleans on Sunday:

“He may be the fastest person I have ever seen on the field. When he made that cutback, he went from second gear to third and was instantly in the open. I said, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ ”

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Trivia time: Who was the only man to coach teams representing three institutions in Rose Bowl games?

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Perspective: Oliver McCall, the new World Boxing Council heavyweight champion, told Ron Borges of the Boston Globe that he was a bad kid growing up.

“When I done dangerous things, it was such fun,” McCall said. “Getting into the ring is not as dangerous as going into someone’s house when you’re not sure if you’re going to get your head blown off.”

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Boilermaker clan: Emmett Zitelli, a sophomore center, was destined to play football for Purdue.

His father, Bob, is a real-life boilermaker. So was his grandfather, Pete. And his great-great grandfather, an Italian immigrant, was a railroad boilermaker.

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Now hear this: Bob Ryan in the Boston Globe: “The Three Absolute Dumbest Things Anyone Could Do In Sports Today:

“1. 49ers convert Jerry Rice to nose tackle. 2. Rockets trade Hakeem Olajuwon for Acie Earl. 3. National Hockey League fails to open ‘94-95 season on time.”

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Desperation? Safety Dennis Smith, 35, former USC standout, was brought out of retirement by the Denver Broncos to play against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.

“I thought it was going to be a P.R. move until I found out I was starting,” Smith said. “If they were 3-0, I wouldn’t be here.”

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Gone with the wind: Bill Lyon of the Philadelphia Inquirer gloating over Buddy Ryan’s 0-3 record as coach of the Arizona Cardinals:

“Now that Jerry Glanville is gone, there is no one in the National Football League that the coaching fraternity would rather whip than the self-trumpeting wind bag in the desert.”

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Add Ryan: “The Coach has a bar and grill near the stadium and now the disgruntled say that there is a sandwich there named for Buddy Ryan.

“ ‘Uh-huh,’ ” goes the punch line, “ ‘a little tongue and a lot of baloney.’ ”

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Bonus: Miami Hurricane center K.C. Jones, who has the same last name as six of his teammates:

“There’s one neat thing. I get my whole name on my jersey.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1923, Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees hit his first major league home run, against Bill Piercy of the Boston Red Sox. On the same date 15 years later, Gehrig hit his 493rd and last homer, against Dutch Leonard of the Washington Senators.

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Trivia answer: Hugo Bezdek, who coached Oregon, 1917, the Mare Island Marines, 1918, and Penn State, 1923.

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Quotebook: New Orleans Saint defensive end Frank Warren, after a game in Tampa: “It was so hot I saw a dog chasing a cat, and they were both walking.”