mr. furley
Footballguy
in light of everything going to ####, and the NCAA canceling the big dance, i got to thinking about how some kids seasons ended ignominiously... or without a chance to shine before their careers were over.
for any number of reasons i never got to play organized school sports beyond elementary school. we were a small school. so not many kids to draw from. 7 kids for basketball. 25 for football in our best year, etc. there weren't cuts. whoever showed up got to play.
we got killed in every game. killed dead. there was one other school of similar size that we actually beat in basketball & football, but they were our only wins.
i had two shots at real glory. a real reason to celebrate and get excited. both ended in utter failure.
(1) we played at a park with terrible drainage. it always rained. the field did not get taken care of. every game we played resulted in a muddy field. we played in one game that was like Verdun after a downpour. i was a running back, 6th grade, we sucked. game was 0 - 0, late in the 4th. i got the ball and somehow miraculously a hole opened in the line. i cleared the mess and started to break free for my first ever touchdown run..... when i sank knee deep in to a mudhole that looked like the rest of the field. i immediately stopped. could not pull my leg out of the hole. got tackled. tried to get up, but had to be lifted out by a referee. my shoe came off and could not be extricated from the bottom of the pit. that was the end of my game. couldn't play with one shoe.
(2) 8th grade. similar'ish scenario. muddy field. i broke free and was streaking up the sideline. high stepping to try keeping my feet from getting stuck in the ground. wasn't quite as free and clear this time, but i'd turned the corner and was picking up speed.. when *BLAM* i got absolutely ####### boomed. out of nowhere. just obliterated. oh well.. #### happens. i get up, look to see who nailed me because i had friends on the other team.. and all i see is our center. other kids who were chasing me had either got slowed by the mud, got blocked or weren't close enough to be a factor.
i looked around and asked him who tackled me. he said "it was me.. i got so excited that i just lost my head, i guess, and tackled you." we had a weight limit and i was at the top end. so was he. we were probably roughly the same speed-wise. he caught me at an angle because the field was not quite as muddy via his path. he just ####### BLASTED me. i'll never forget the look in his big, goofy face. a mix of excitement and sheepish embarrassment.... but mostly excitement because he really whacked me good.
for any number of reasons i never got to play organized school sports beyond elementary school. we were a small school. so not many kids to draw from. 7 kids for basketball. 25 for football in our best year, etc. there weren't cuts. whoever showed up got to play.
we got killed in every game. killed dead. there was one other school of similar size that we actually beat in basketball & football, but they were our only wins.
i had two shots at real glory. a real reason to celebrate and get excited. both ended in utter failure.
(1) we played at a park with terrible drainage. it always rained. the field did not get taken care of. every game we played resulted in a muddy field. we played in one game that was like Verdun after a downpour. i was a running back, 6th grade, we sucked. game was 0 - 0, late in the 4th. i got the ball and somehow miraculously a hole opened in the line. i cleared the mess and started to break free for my first ever touchdown run..... when i sank knee deep in to a mudhole that looked like the rest of the field. i immediately stopped. could not pull my leg out of the hole. got tackled. tried to get up, but had to be lifted out by a referee. my shoe came off and could not be extricated from the bottom of the pit. that was the end of my game. couldn't play with one shoe.
(2) 8th grade. similar'ish scenario. muddy field. i broke free and was streaking up the sideline. high stepping to try keeping my feet from getting stuck in the ground. wasn't quite as free and clear this time, but i'd turned the corner and was picking up speed.. when *BLAM* i got absolutely ####### boomed. out of nowhere. just obliterated. oh well.. #### happens. i get up, look to see who nailed me because i had friends on the other team.. and all i see is our center. other kids who were chasing me had either got slowed by the mud, got blocked or weren't close enough to be a factor.
i looked around and asked him who tackled me. he said "it was me.. i got so excited that i just lost my head, i guess, and tackled you." we had a weight limit and i was at the top end. so was he. we were probably roughly the same speed-wise. he caught me at an angle because the field was not quite as muddy via his path. he just ####### BLASTED me. i'll never forget the look in his big, goofy face. a mix of excitement and sheepish embarrassment.... but mostly excitement because he really whacked me good.
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