Running through walls



Some folks are Baptist. Some folks are Catholic. Still others are Methodist. Well, I’m Football. Texas Football Magazine is my Bible. I attend church Saturdays, Sundays, and now Friday nights… again.

This weekend, Minnesota ’s John Randle (from Hearne), Dallas ’ Emmitt Smith, San Francisco ’s Jerry Rice and a few others will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. After that, there will be football of some sort on t.v. every weekend until February 6. Halle-freaking-lujah.

I’ve done a lot of traveling over the past few years. Been to eight different states all over the South, so I know I’m not the only one that feels this way. Tennessee loves their football. Louisiana loves their football, Mississippi and Arkansas feel the same way. I’ve got some family out in South Carolina , and they are huge football fans also. But I’ve got to tell you, what they say about football in Texas is true. There’s nothing quite like it.

I watched Kenny Chesney’s new video, “The Boys of Fall”. For the next two hours, I believe I could have ran through a wall. The video did a great job of talking about locker room smells, the smell of fresh cut grass, walking through the high school halls wearing your jerseys on game days, etc.

When I watched the video and heard the song I wasn’t thinking about my own high school playing days because, well, the water boys got about as much playing time as I did. I didn’t even like football when I was that age.

I could, however, close my eyes and remember my nephew’s ten-catch game in the playoffs a few years back. I could remember when their playoff run finally came to an end, the players were openly crying on the field and their fathers were hugging them and shedding the same tears.

I could close my eyes and remember former Hearne coach Craig Slaughter running and jumping down the sideline like a kid, trying to keep pace with Ken Dunn or Montre Webber as they scored another touchdown. I could also close my eyes and see the sea of red that is the stands at a Bremond football game.

In the video, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton told a group of high school players that people live vicariously through them. And God, was he right.

I’ve never, ever been more proud of my nine year old son than when he takes his helmet off of his sweaty little head after running hard in practice, or when he accidentally finds himself in the middle of a tackle and can’t wait to make sure I saw him.

Look, he weighs 50 lbs. and has the speed of cold syrup, so I know he will likely never be Colt McCoy or Drew Brees. And I couldn’t care less. In my eyes, he’s a Hall of Famer.

And the lessons that he and other little boys are learning when they play sports- hard work, responsibility, the meaning of the word team, etc.- you just can’t learn anywhere else. That’s why it amazes me when people- especially parents- tell me they aren’t sports fans. It’s such a great metaphore and teaching tool for life.

So if you ever played a little high school football, enjoy the game now, or are a woman with a son that plays, you have to watch this video. Go to YouTube, go to ESPN.com, go wherever you have to go. Just watch it.

And just try not to run through a wall.



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