Football, What motivated me?

dear old Shidler High

You could probably say I was an adventurous person as I wanted to do everything that was available.  When I transferred to Shidler (the big school) I was more than excited.  I grew up loving the Dallas Cowboys and Tom Landry so being a Shidler Tiger football player was the ultimate.  Coach Gilstrap became almost a god to me as I would do anything he told me.   I actually transferred one year early, the eighth grade, to Shidler and the only reason I know for doing it was I wanted to play football.  The only reason I was afraid was I had heard stories about Mrs. Stebler and how hard she was and how you had to write a book.  Luckily I missed that but actually over the years I learned she was an excellent teacher and a great lady.

56 were in the class 

I knew nothing about the basics of football and I have always wondered what those coaches thought about me.  I was 6 foot 2 inches and 195 pounds in the eighth grade actually I was that big in the 6th grade.  Now when the coaches put me on the roster they listed me at 205 lbs.  which I knew was not the case but it sounded good.  I suppose they saw a rough farm kid who blindly did what they told me to do.  They may have thought I was going to be 6' 8" and 285 lbs. but it never happened.  I graduated high school about the same size I entered the 8th grade.  Anyway I ate it up and every play of every practice was like playing a live game to me.  I wanted to win every time.  The problem was Frank Ball and Jody Price and Tim Davis were just as big and just as tough and every time the coach would put me up against them.  They were all shorter but all out weighed me.  When games came I was so nervous and intense those days.  My hands would sweat and I would almost get weak from the tension.  I never thought about getting hurt or wanting to hurt someone (one time but that is another story and it occurred a few years later) but I wanted to run and hit someone as hard as possible every play.  I must have had a split personality or a lot of pent up aggression because I loved the violence of the sport.  Every play was a chance to do something great.  

I cannot say this is good or bad but as I looked around at my team mates I was always comparing myself to them.  I wanted to be fast like Steve Chrisco and AJ Jacques, Bo Fulsom, Larry Graham, Rick Cottle, Johnny Payne, Eddie Robertson, and of course Jay Snow.  I knew that if I was going to compete against them I had to have them in close quarters before they got away.  There is a lesson here and it is this:  If they are big like Frank and the boys, hit hard and fast and get away.  If they are fast like Steve and the boys, hit hard and fast and sit on them so they cannot get away.

Life was great back then just like my mom says, "those were the good old days".  But my mom also said, "life is better these days".  

What do you learn in the Osage?

• All days are good days, it is just what you make of it
• Decide that every day needs a chance to be great
• You decide your strategy in life 
• work hard, fast and run
• work hard, fast and sit
• Love your enemies, sounds like something from the Bible or maybe the Ten Commandments

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com