Friday Night Lights has nothing on Shilder High School Football games. The greatest anticipation for me was the weekly football games at Shidler. Everyone showed up and the field was lined with cars all the way around it honking and yelling and cheering the team on. The stands were always full and the farmers and ranchers and oil folks just rolled in for the festivities. The concession stand was huge and every week it was loaded with teachers who supported us acidemically and then athletically. The entire administration and all the maintenance folks and literally just about everybody in the school district were there. The atmosphere was thick with excitement.
Every week on Saturday morning after the game I would count my cuts and bruises as if they were metals on honor. I thoroughly enjoyed the stiffness and scars from the battle. There was something about putting on a helmet that stirred my soul and made me excited to even practice. The thing about football was the work never bothered me of getting ready each week with practices and drills and running. If there was one thing that stuck in my mind it was the smell of those pads which never went away. I think I can smell them today! But other than that getting dressed after class and getting suited up to go practice was a thrill to me. Looking back I really wished I would have been a more serious student of the game. For some reason I never gave much thought to the technique outside of practice. I did not watch film or lift weights but I listened to those coaches and tried to do just what they said. It started with Coach Gilbreth who just kept me excited about the game and then Coach Bower or Bouher (not sure how to spell his name) who just seemed to make it a fun game. I think what he loved most was hearing those helmets collide. Probably the most outstanding coach to me was Coach Cotham. He had a passion and understanding of the game but he loved us. He praised us and yelled at us and all he wanted was the best we had. I think he was able to bring that out of us particularly when the name of the game was defense.
Probably my senior year the best player was Frank Ball even though he never got the credit he deserved. He was a lineman that worked both ways meaning he played offense and defense so he was on the field every play. He was quick and huge. I really don't know if he was as big as I remember but it seemed like he was the 6' 3" 300 lb. gorilla. The great thing about Frank was that during the game he really was a gorilla and could man handle anyone but off the field he was a gentle giant. I don't remember Frank ever getting mad or taking advantage of folks because he was the strongest and biggest guy on campus. I guess I could say he was my biggest fan.
Now I will give one exception but I don't think he was mad as much as when he played sports he played to win. We were playing cowboy basketball. Now that is where everyone is on the court and there are no rules other than when it goes in the bucket you get two points. You do not have to dribble or pass or anything other than keep about 50 people from tackling you at one time before getting rid of the ball. Well Frank and I were on opposite teams and I was about at the free throw line when Frank came in for a landing and just about killed me. All is fair in this game but we kind of got into it just a little. Well Coach Cotham had gotten in these boxing gloves and everyone wanted to see Frank and I box and this was the set up.
A few days later a bunch of us were in study hall late in the day when Coach came and got all of us and took us to the gym. There he handed out the boxing gloves and Frank and I were the featured match. I have to tell you that Frank had a hay maker punch that scared me to death. Luckily he did not catch me in the head and I survived. I really don't remember who won and that may be because he knocked me out but just the same I don't remember. I think it was a draw and I was glad to be out of the situation, free from Frank's hay maker punch.
Well what do you learn in the Osage?
Every week on Saturday morning after the game I would count my cuts and bruises as if they were metals on honor. I thoroughly enjoyed the stiffness and scars from the battle. There was something about putting on a helmet that stirred my soul and made me excited to even practice. The thing about football was the work never bothered me of getting ready each week with practices and drills and running. If there was one thing that stuck in my mind it was the smell of those pads which never went away. I think I can smell them today! But other than that getting dressed after class and getting suited up to go practice was a thrill to me. Looking back I really wished I would have been a more serious student of the game. For some reason I never gave much thought to the technique outside of practice. I did not watch film or lift weights but I listened to those coaches and tried to do just what they said. It started with Coach Gilbreth who just kept me excited about the game and then Coach Bower or Bouher (not sure how to spell his name) who just seemed to make it a fun game. I think what he loved most was hearing those helmets collide. Probably the most outstanding coach to me was Coach Cotham. He had a passion and understanding of the game but he loved us. He praised us and yelled at us and all he wanted was the best we had. I think he was able to bring that out of us particularly when the name of the game was defense.
Probably my senior year the best player was Frank Ball even though he never got the credit he deserved. He was a lineman that worked both ways meaning he played offense and defense so he was on the field every play. He was quick and huge. I really don't know if he was as big as I remember but it seemed like he was the 6' 3" 300 lb. gorilla. The great thing about Frank was that during the game he really was a gorilla and could man handle anyone but off the field he was a gentle giant. I don't remember Frank ever getting mad or taking advantage of folks because he was the strongest and biggest guy on campus. I guess I could say he was my biggest fan.
Now I will give one exception but I don't think he was mad as much as when he played sports he played to win. We were playing cowboy basketball. Now that is where everyone is on the court and there are no rules other than when it goes in the bucket you get two points. You do not have to dribble or pass or anything other than keep about 50 people from tackling you at one time before getting rid of the ball. Well Frank and I were on opposite teams and I was about at the free throw line when Frank came in for a landing and just about killed me. All is fair in this game but we kind of got into it just a little. Well Coach Cotham had gotten in these boxing gloves and everyone wanted to see Frank and I box and this was the set up.
A few days later a bunch of us were in study hall late in the day when Coach came and got all of us and took us to the gym. There he handed out the boxing gloves and Frank and I were the featured match. I have to tell you that Frank had a hay maker punch that scared me to death. Luckily he did not catch me in the head and I survived. I really don't remember who won and that may be because he knocked me out but just the same I don't remember. I think it was a draw and I was glad to be out of the situation, free from Frank's hay maker punch.
Well what do you learn in the Osage?
- Shidler is as good a place you can find to raise a family or grow up
- Teachers are great mentors and we as a country need to let them teach and lead not be regulated to death
- Shidler had the best teachers because they truly cared about the individual and they had good character
- I don't think I could ever say enough good about those teachers in Shidler, we will owe them forever
Thanks for your time,
gary@thepioneerman.com
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