Monday Night, March 6, 1967, AFH
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Here's one more post from the "Way Back Machine." If I don't get any comments (Approxinfinity?), then I'll quit.
My Dad and I had a tradition for the end of each football game in Lawrence when I was young. Depending on which team was leading with two minutes left in the game, we'd go down onto the track (You could do that in those days!) and walk toward that team's locker room to watch “the big boys” jog off the field. On this particular day, October 1, 1960, KU was playing Syracuse, the 1959 National Champions featuring All-American-to-be Ernie Davis. With two minutes remaining, the Orange were up 14-7 (the eventual final score), so we headed out of the west stands and down onto the track. Laying beside one of the wooden benches was a pile of about ten white Syracuse jerseys. The Orange were wearing “tear-away” jerseys, and some of them had been replaced during the game. Dad said, “Why don't you ask someone if you could have one of those jerseys?” Instead, I just grabbed one. I stuffed it under my gray hooded sweatshirt and walked on. Much to my amazement, Dad didn't say a thing! When we got outside Memorial Stadium, I pulled the jersey out, and it was #44, Ernie Davis'. Ernie was a great football player and a great person. He would be diagnosed with leukemia at the College All-Star Game and die within the year. The jersey was pinned to the wall of my bedroom for many years. As an adult, it was in the bottom of a drawer. -
@JoJoAndMe wow. I had no idea that the first black player to win the heismann died of leukemia before ever playing a professional game. I will have to check out Express The Ernie Davis story. Thanks for sharing this beautiful story. I need to catch up on your other tales!
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@JoJoAndMe Hadl sounds Chamberlainlike in the freakishness of his athleticism. Would be nice if we had someone that dynamic on our teams. Everything is so specialized now. We had a few football players on Self teams. It would be really cool if one of them were good enough to play meaningful minutes
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@JoJoAndMe I love how accessible the players
were in your stories. -
Great stories. Appreciate your posts!
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@approxinfinity In the '50s players had to play both ways. Then the rules changed and you could substitute two players on offense and defense. Shortly before Hadl, McClinton, Schick, and Cone (what a backfield!), the rules changed to unlimited substitution. I was always under the impression that the NCAA did that so more guys could play.
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@jojoandme gotcha!
In other news I ducked into a library yesterday for a booksale and we bought an old cook book for a dollar. I flipped to a random recipe and the first step was to kill the chicken. It's good to remember how much has changed over the last 47 years!
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@approxinfinity I remember my grandmas killing chickens. It’s a very vivid memory! Definitely where the saying, “Chicken w/its head cut off” came from. Both my parents were raised on farms. Lots of fun times. Good chicken n noodles.
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@approxinfinity honestly, the live chicken recipes are much tastier
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@crimsonblu22 I’m a little jealous.
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I’m starting to think being 37 years old I maybe one of the youngsters on here haha. @jojoandme I really enjoy the old stories from before my time. 100% Wilt is the GOAT imo, people forget he was a track star and unbelievably athletic. They are only about 5 guys the good lord put on earth with his size and athleticism. They changed the rules time and time again to prevent Wilt from dominating games. They changed the rules time and time again so guys like Michael and LeBron could dominate. Big difference in the two. If Wilt was born about 20 years later it wouldn’t even be a question as to whom the greatest was in college or professional.
