It’s something we all dream about as kids. Like when you’d look forward to waking up on a weekend to play back yard ball with your boys, or “toss it up-catch it-try to score”, and when you sat in front of the tube playing those NCAA video games and created your own straight 100 player and won the ‘Ship and Heisman with a bunch of crazy numbers.
Football. It’s one of the biggest, most prestigious awards in all of life to be out on that ball field working with your brothers…dreading those runs in that heat burning down on your back on that practice field. We’re all talking trash to teammates in scrimmages trying to get the one-up as we prepared. Intense battles between the wide receivers and DBs (The names are classics – WRs: Eric Blount, Kurt Green, Joe Juach, Corey Holliday, Randall Felton, Juice Reese, Bucky Brooks, Steve “Showtime” Jerry. DBs: Torin Dorn, Doxie Jordan, of course the original rude boys Cookie Massey, Thomas “Smitty” Smith, Rondell Jones, Cliff Baskerville, Sean Crocker “Crock”, Bracy Walker, Lawrence Winslow, Jimmy Hitch-knock, Tito Wooten, Tim Smith, Sean Boyd, Fuzzy Lee, Eric Thomas). Meanwhile, me and my dudes in the backfield were all running like track stars trying to get away from those other Phi Hit boys hunting for someone to knock out: Roy Barker, Cecil Gray, Dwight Hollier, Willie Joe Walker, Dennis Tripp, BT (Bernard Timmons), Stuffy Hewitt, Reggie Clark, Tommy Thigpen, JR Bolden, Rick Shaw, Curt Brown, “Choo” (Jonathan Perry…my gawd), Eric Gash, “Big A” (Austin Robbins), wild man Bracy Walker, Troy Barnett, Riddick Parker*, Bernardo Harris, Ray Jacobs, Eddie Mason, Mike Morton, Marcus Jones…etc.
The ball coach Mack Brown starts yellin’ for better attention to detail. Hard-nosed Darrell Moody threatening to “kick you in the balls”. Coach Vince Hoke stopping practice again seemingly for no reason, after a few seconds he reminds (“Doxie!”, “Baskerville!”) to adjust their alignment. Ah yes, the small things. Donnie Thompson says something grammatically incorrect, and laughs loudly when corrected, then Willie Joe replays the flawed english making us all burst out in laughter. Players are slumped over from fatigue, someone’s throwin’ up, while another gets knocked into an on field golf cart…pause of silence…we walk over to see who’s dead (cue that scene from Boyz ‘N The Hood) …”oh he’s fine”, Mack breaks the silence…”Move it up 5″! Haha! Cavanaugh, Terry “T-Lew” Lewis, and Dan Brooks are still coaching the boys up when Monk Tomlinson yells, “Water break”! Whew…all is well for a moment in HEELS-ville!
The last period’s horn blows…fffeeeeerrrrrnt, “oh thank God” we exclaim! After a come together with the whole team, Mack completes his notes for the day. Just when we thought it was a wrap for a day’s work all done, Rich’s assistant Greg Saporta yells out, “on the line”! “Damn”, someone quips! That means it’s time for sprints…good grief! It feels like we ran for 14 days. Then the real last whistle eventually blows, BEEEEEP! “Shower up boys, time to eat”. We crack a rare smile. Now we get to go have fun trash-talking with Jerry Greenwood and the boys, fill our bellies, and then a check-in with Brian Davis (BD) before headin’ to study hall. But…it would be a clear shame to let all these boys finally clear the field without a stiff reminder of more pain to come. So Moody gets all cerebral on us and shouts…”sleep good tonight ’cause Tuten’s got your asses before class in the morning” (a reference to strength coach Rich Tuten). It was funny at the time, but man oh man..does it ever end? Nope! Tomorrow, we get to do it all over again.
But here’s the truth, WE LOVED ALL OF IT BECAUSE WE’RE JUST A SPECIAL BREED! It’s definitely that time of year again folks. Smell that grass? See those wavy lines from the heat haze? Youngsters, the sweat may drip, you will not win every daily battle, and you might feel like phoning home to momma, but don’t you complain. Get that work! It’s all a dream come true! Respect it. Treat it with the affection it deserves. And play ball like it’s your last time doing it. Trust those of us who have been there…its but a brief moment that ends too soon. YOU WILL MISS IT when it’s gone. Now smile and let that joy out!
Remembering football days in a heart-space reserved only for “Sweet Caroline”, my Chapel Thrill!!!
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