Football Career -

Before I toot my own horn and talk about my illustrious football career. You must know I had a full ride athletic scholarship during college, it wasn't because I was a great athlete - it was given to me by the Sport Information Department. Basically we were in charge of the press boxes and the official stats for the NCAA. We also helped the media covering the games, to make sure they had everything they needed. So in college I watched a lot of players far better than I ever thought of being. My football career started in the schoolyard across the street from our house. We would watch a game at the university or on T.V. and then all the kids in the neighborhood would congregate at the Whittier School for a full contact scrimmage. I was a little clumsy but was always big for my age making this football quite easy - just run over the guy next to you. There was another kid in the neighborhood that just out right had moves, but he had to run further then I did - going back and forth like that. I guess if I think about it I played basketball the same way. I remember going to some high school games that my brother played in - he played wide receiver. He wasn't that big and was as slow as cold tar, but man did he have great hands. I remember him catching the ball once and getting killed by the defensive back - but he held onto the ball. That's when I knew I wanted to play football. We didn't have any little league or Pop Warner until a couple of years before I went to high school, that's just the year it started in our community. Myself and one of my best friends (every one had best friends at that age, girls seemed to continue the practice even into adulthood), played both ways. We started at running backs and defensive ends while our other friend was quarterback. It was always good to be friends with the quarterback because he decided whom to give the ball too. I usually played the blocking back because I still played the same way I did at the Whittier School, running over the guy next too me. Our lineman use to get mad because I would run into their backs. Well if they would make a hole for me I wouldn't have to run through them. This is when my confidence began to increase - a sport I could clammily run over people and it was legal, that's why defense was by far my favorite. My friend ultimately was a better athlete than I was but I held my own. The best part of being a defensive end is that you get to mess up the running backs and quarterbacks in their own backfield, I remember one little league game that I block two of our opponents punts in the same half. In both cases after I blocked the punts I ran to get the ball and my "friend" scooped them up first and scored touchdowns. I mean he was on the same team and the object was for us to score, but come on those were my blocks keep away. When we went into high school the coaches moved both of us too linebacker, which I really enjoyed until the varsity defensive end got hurt and they moved the kid who took our place up to varsity. Shortly after that is when I got hurt in practice - the smallest guy on the field did a great job of filling the lane and took out my knee. That season was over but I still was able to play a couple of more years. During my high school career our team played against two players that would eventually become All-American and then All-Pro in the NFL. One was Rulon Jones who played for the Denver Broncos - he was a man among men even in high school, or should I say he was a beast. Basically it looked like he would crab five people and then throw them out one at a time until he found the one with the ball. Luckily I was already hurt before we played him, so I could sit that game out. The other one was Jim McMann who led the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl victory. When we played their team they were the best in the state. It was toward the end of the season and no one had scored on them first. I remember I got a sack that day - but after I did, Jim's line was so mad they beat the crap out of me for what seemed like the a week. We scored first and thought we would be all right until we kicked off and they ran it all the way back for a score. They proceeded to score thirty some odd unanswered points to keep their record in tact. At one point in my junior year I led the team in tackles, interceptions and even had a college recruiter contact me about playing football at the next level. Of course I would have had to gain a thousand pounds and lift weights ten times a day so I wouldn't get beat up. That didn't really matter as I had to have another knee operation and knew that a college career was out of the question. But I did play again my senior year with no injuries and a brace the size of the Golden Gate Bridge. That year was the first since - I don't know Merlin Olsen and his brother Phil played at our high school, that we had a winning record. We must have trained the under class man pretty good because the next year they went 13-0 and took the state championship for the first time ever. I remember scoring a number of touchdowns, catching some passes, making some great hits on some guys that didn't know I were there. But what I remember the most is the association with the other guys and the friendships that I still have today.