{"id":249,"date":"2022-10-11T19:35:07","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T00:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/?p=249"},"modified":"2022-10-12T13:48:07","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T18:48:07","slug":"friday-night-lights-o-captain-my-captain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/?p=249","title":{"rendered":"Friday Night Lights, O Captain, My Captain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It\u2019s been six years since my last blog post, so I figured it was time to write a new one.&nbsp; I haven\u2019t really had a lot to say, until now.&nbsp; Don\u2019t get excited.&nbsp; It\u2019s nothing too earth shattering or poignant or even funny, but I came up with an idea so I started typing away.&nbsp; I\u2019m not the best writer in the world, but I do enjoy it.&nbsp; There is a lot that goes on in my head and sometimes I need to put those ideas on paper &#8211; or in this case, word processor &#8211; to free my mind of thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I recently went to the football game at my kids\u2019 high school.&nbsp; It brought back so many memories.&nbsp; All throughout the game I had this overwhelming sense of melancholy.&nbsp; Even nostalgia.&nbsp; Whenever I am feeling melancholic, my brain goes into overdrive, and I can\u2019t stop thinking.&nbsp; Thirty-five years ago, I was a 17 year old senior in high school.&nbsp; That was me on the field, just like those kids I was watching.&nbsp; There was nothing like it.&nbsp; It was such a fun time in my life.&nbsp; Many times I wish I could go back and experience that again.&nbsp; It\u2019s such a cliche thing to say, but there is a lot of truth in it.&nbsp; Sometimes I feel like those Rob Lowe DirecTV commercials from several years ago.&nbsp; I\u2019m Peaked in High School, Terry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\"  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_30840\"  width=\"860\" height=\"484\"  data-origwidth=\"860\" data-origheight=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cdHYi5dMEOw?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I started playing football technically in 7th grade.&nbsp; I was one of only two 6th graders to make the football team the prior year, but I hurt my back and never played.&nbsp; I felt better and went out for the team again in 7th grade.&nbsp; I made it and was a starter.&nbsp; Ever year after, all the way through senior year of high school, I was a starter.&nbsp; I loved it.&nbsp; I would get butterflies in my stomach in early August because I was so excited for double sessions to start in mid to late August.&nbsp; I couldn\u2019t wait.&nbsp; I was by no means the stereotypical \u201cjock\u201d.&nbsp; I got good grades, I never bullied anyone, and I was always respectful to teachers.&nbsp; I just loved playing sports.&nbsp; Football in particular &#8211; and I was pretty good at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was looking forward to playing my senior year.&nbsp; We thought we would have a pretty good year.&nbsp; My teammate John and I were named captains.&nbsp; Ever since I was a freshman, I knew I was going to be one of the two captains when I was a senior.&nbsp; I don\u2019t know why I knew that, I just did.&nbsp; It was not like in the movies where the most popular guys in school were the football captains and got all the girls.&nbsp; We didn\u2019t go \u201csteady\u201d with the head cheerleader.&nbsp; That was not John and me.&nbsp; We were definitely not part of the popular crowd.&nbsp; Unfortunately for us, we went to a school where the soccer players were more revered than the football players.&nbsp; They were the popular guys who got all the girls and went to all the cool parties.&nbsp; Our soccer teams were very good for several years, and the football teams were not.&nbsp; They referred to the field as the Soccer Stadium instead of the Football Stadium because they were known for winning and football wasn\u2019t.&nbsp; If you run into someone who played soccer during that time period, they still call it the Soccer Stadium today.&nbsp; I digress.&nbsp; I\u2019m probably the only football captain in the history of high school to not go to a homecoming dance. The closest I came to going to homecoming was being an escort to one of the girls on the homecoming court during the school assembly naming the queen.&nbsp; All the captains of the fall sports got to do that.&nbsp; That was both nerve racking and a thrill at the same time.&nbsp; That was as close as I was ever going to get to the popular clique.&nbsp; Luckily, I was assigned to someone I knew since first grade, so it wasn\u2019t as terrifying as I had built up it up in my head.&nbsp; As far as the actual dance, I went to my job at the grocery store instead. I got to stock the shelves with canned goods and mop the floors at the end of the night.&nbsp; Every stereotype and movie got it wrong when it came to me. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enough of me being a social outcast and back to my memories of high school football.&nbsp; Game days were always fun.&nbsp; We either had to wear a dress shirt and tie or, if the coach was in a good mood, we got to wear our game jersey.&nbsp; Either way, everyone knew there was a game that night.&nbsp; John and I both had study hall last period, so we got to leave school early.&nbsp; We usually went back to his house and hung out and relaxed.&nbsp; At some point, I got some food and went back to school to get ready for the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Home games were the best.&nbsp; Sometimes our whole team would meet in the fieldhouse after we got dressed in our uniforms.&nbsp; The coaches would go over the game plan, and we would go through some drills.&nbsp; Other times, we would just meet outside the locker room.&nbsp; When it was time to leave, John and I would line everyone up and lead the team to the field.&nbsp; We would follow the band while they were playing.&nbsp; They would march us into the stadium.&nbsp; It was probably a ten minute walk from the fieldhouse\/locker room to the stadium, and it was the coolest thing ever.&nbsp; Traffic would stop so we could cross the street.&nbsp; It was such a peaceful and focused walk.&nbsp; I would quietly think about the upcoming game and take everything in.&nbsp; Once we got to the field, it was time to get everyone in place for warm ups.&nbsp; John and I would run to our spots up front while everyone followed us to their spots.&nbsp; We would lead everyone in our stretching routine.&nbsp; After we stretched, we would break down into starting units and run through some basic plays.&nbsp; At some point, John and I would get pulled out by the referees.&nbsp; We would head to mid-field for the coin toss.&nbsp; I can\u2019t remember who called heads or tails, but I think we would alternate each week.&nbsp; The coaches would always tell us ahead of time what to call and what to do if we won or lost the coin toss.&nbsp; After warmups were done, it was time for the starting line up introductions.&nbsp; The whole team would go to the end zone.&nbsp; Being a captain, John or I was introduced first.&nbsp; It was so cool to hear your name over the PA system.&nbsp; Once our name was called, we got to be the first person to run through the hoop with whatever slogan the cheerleaders came up with that week.&nbsp; When I was a freshman, I couldn\u2019t wait until I was a senior and could do that.&nbsp; As each player was introduced we would all high five each other at mid-field.&nbsp; Once the last person was called, everyone else would run behind him and follow.&nbsp; They all jumped around and yelled, then went to the sidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was game time.&nbsp; John was more of the rah, rah yeller kind of guy, so he probably gave the pregame speech 80% of the time.&nbsp; He was much better at it than me.&nbsp; I was much more quiet and didn\u2019t get into the yelling and screaming.&nbsp; Our chant was, \u201cOn 3.&nbsp; 1,2,3 &#8211; hit, hit, hit.&nbsp; We kept that chant from the previous year.&nbsp; The two captains the year before didn\u2019t like, \u201cOn 3.&nbsp; 1,2,3, Hornets.&nbsp; I guess hit, hit, hit sounded more menacing and intimidating.&nbsp; We would play the game and won most of the time.&nbsp; We went 7-2 in the regular season.&nbsp; That was good enough to win conference and make the playoffs.&nbsp; After the games, a group of us would drive around and goof off.&nbsp; We would go to Papa Passero\u2019s or Phillies for pizza.&nbsp; I didn\u2019t learn about going to Summit for burritos until track season. Someone had the idea of toilet papering the coaches\u2019 houses after every win.&nbsp; The clown of our team knew where all the coaches lived.&nbsp; I don\u2019t know how he did; he just knew.&nbsp; It had to take some work because this was long before the internet.&nbsp; We would go to Jewel, and everyone would buy a large pack of generic toilet paper.&nbsp; There were probably 15 of us.&nbsp; We hopped out of our cars, went to town on their trees and were done in 10 minutes.&nbsp; Then it was on to the next coach\u2019s house.&nbsp; Rinse and repeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My last football game was a State playoff game on November 6, 1987. &nbsp; We got annihilated.&nbsp; It had been several years since our football program went to the playoffs.&nbsp; Everyone made a big deal out of it.&nbsp; They even had an assembly for us.&nbsp; Many of the guys on the team dressed in cheerleaders\u2019 outfits and did a routine.&nbsp; I wanted no part of that, but I did have to get in front of the entire school and introduce every player on the team.&nbsp; The game was away versus Stagg on a Friday.&nbsp; We got to miss school and had this big breakfast buffet at the Holiday Inn before the game.&nbsp; I\u2019m convinced that\u2019s what did us in.&nbsp; We ate too much food and were so bloated, slow, and lethargic during the game.&nbsp; We played horribly.&nbsp; On the bus ride home, I cried for a long time.&nbsp; That was it.&nbsp; I was never going to play again.&nbsp; I was a good player and a good athlete &#8211; not as good as Al Bundy at Polk High &#8211; but I could hold my own. I was 5\u201911 and 182 lbs.&nbsp; I ran a 4.6 forty.&nbsp; I wasn\u2019t good enough to play Division I football or even Division II.&nbsp; I was too small to play outside linebacker and not fast enough to play defensive back.&nbsp; I was probably good enough to play Division III though.&nbsp; There are times that I wish I had.&nbsp; I was hurt most of my senior year and simply didn\u2019t play that well.&nbsp; My junior year was really good.&nbsp; I was one of about only 3 or 4 juniors that were starters.&nbsp; Going into my senior year, I was written up in the local papers as one of the top players in the area.&nbsp; I was not.&nbsp; It was a very disappointing year.&nbsp; I had what was essentially a hairline crack along my lower back the entire season.&nbsp; It hurt, a lot.&nbsp; I had lower back problems since I was 8 years old &#8211; the same back issues that prevented me from playing in 6th grade.&nbsp; Playing football did not help, but I was not going to miss my senior year.&nbsp; I never told anyone, well, until now.&nbsp; My dad was the only one who knew.&nbsp; The coaches just thought I was not playing well, and that I had checked out.&nbsp; They had no idea how much pain I was in everyday.&nbsp; I also sprained my ankle really bad right before the second game of the year.&nbsp; It never healed.&nbsp; The trainer would tape my ankle so tight in order for me to play every week.&nbsp; That stupid ankle still bothers me today.&nbsp; My heart was not in it anymore.&nbsp; My body was broken down at 17.&nbsp; Division III schools tend to be very small.&nbsp; Some are even smaller than high schools.&nbsp; I wanted to go to a big university.&nbsp; I was content with watching the football games at the University of Illinois.&nbsp; When I was a sophomore in college, I was playing a pickup game with some guys on the Illinois football team.&nbsp; I was covering this one guy who was a receiver, and he couldn\u2019t get past me.&nbsp; Maybe that\u2019s why he was later converted to defensive safety.&nbsp; But he told me, \u201chey, you\u2019re pretty good.\u201d&nbsp; That was a pretty cool feeling.&nbsp; Looking back, I do have some regrets not going to that smaller school and playing four more years.&nbsp; Though, I wouldn\u2019t have the life I have now, so I don\u2019t dwell on it too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fast forward to 2013.&nbsp; I was planning our 25th high school reunion.&nbsp; By planning, I mean I called a bar and reserved the outdoor patio for a certain date.&nbsp; Outside of sending a few e-mails to my classmates, there wasn\u2019t much planning involved.&nbsp; A couple months before the reunion, my family and I were driving down to Gatlinburg for our summer vacation.&nbsp; As we were driving, I got a phone call from my old head football coach.&nbsp; I hadn\u2019t seen him in several years, but we had communicated through Facebook.&nbsp; I don\u2019t remember giving him my phone number, but maybe I did.&nbsp; Maybe someone else gave it to him.&nbsp; It didn\u2019t matter; I just knew Coach wanted to talk.&nbsp; After the usual pleasantries, he finally got around to why he called.&nbsp; He wanted to come to our reunion.&nbsp; He said that he wanted to clear it with his captains first to see if it was okay.&nbsp; I\u2019m not sure if he called me first or John, but he wanted both our blessings.&nbsp; I couldn\u2019t say yes fast enough.&nbsp; The reunion came and Coach showed up with what basically can be described as a shrine.&nbsp; He brought footballs, pictures, and other memorabilia from our past.&nbsp; It was so cool.&nbsp; There were several ex-players that showed up.&nbsp; I think the only reason John came to the reunion was to see Coach.&nbsp; We had such a blast.&nbsp; We talked for hours.&nbsp; Someone brought up our toilet paper exploits.&nbsp; He told us he never once got mad.&nbsp; I think he even said he watched us.&nbsp; It was innocent fun and that he knew we were safe and not doing anything that would get us in trouble or hurt &#8211; i.e. drinking and drugs.&nbsp; He was not only a coach, but he was a dad too.&nbsp; He looked out for our well being as if we were one of his kids.&nbsp; It was the last time I would ever see Coach.&nbsp; We still continued to communicate through Facebook though.&nbsp; Shortly after the reunion, his health started declining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the reunion I sent him a message.&nbsp; I thanked him for coming and told him how much I appreciated him as a coach and how much of a positive impact he had on me and the countless people who played for him before and after me.&nbsp; When Coach passed away a couple of years ago, I sent his older son, who was a year younger than me and who I played with too, a note telling him basically the same thing I had written his dad.&nbsp; (Side note:&nbsp; he would TP his dad\u2019s house.&nbsp; His parents were divorced and he lived with his mom.&nbsp; I\u2019m not sure if he had to clean up his dad\u2019s house the next day or not.)&nbsp; I\u2019m guessing he got a lot of those notes from former players.&nbsp; As I mentioned earlier, John and I were named captains.&nbsp; The team did not vote on it like had happened in previous years.&nbsp; I\u2019m not sure why we were named, but I have a theory.&nbsp; I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s true or not, but I\u2019d like to think it is.&nbsp; Coach knew who he wanted to lead his team that year and didn\u2019t want to put it to chance, so he made the decision for the team.&nbsp; He told us during the first week of double sessions.&nbsp; John and I took it upon ourselves and already had been leading the team in the stretching routine before practice.&nbsp; Coach just made it official.&nbsp; I\u2019m sure Coach could have named every captain he ever had.&nbsp; I truly believe we held a special place in his heart for all of us,&nbsp; It was such an honor.&nbsp; I\u2019m guessing if you asked anyone else who got to lead one of his teams, they would say the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Things are so different today, but at the core are still the same.&nbsp; Friday nights in the fall are for high school football games.&nbsp; Just about every school has a student section at the home games.&nbsp; We didn\u2019t have that.&nbsp; Kids went to our games, but not like now.&nbsp; At my kids\u2019 school, each home game has a different theme.&nbsp; The kids dress up and go crazy.&nbsp; I bet there are 300-400 kids screaming and yelling throughout the game &#8211; maybe more.&nbsp; That\u2019s just the student section.&nbsp; There is a section for the band, one for the junior high kids, and then everyone else tries to find seats.&nbsp; It is so fun to watch them.&nbsp; My niece and nephew were in from Ireland last year, and I took them to a game.&nbsp; They were in awe.&nbsp; They couldn\u2019t believe that what they were seeing was real.&nbsp; They thought that what they saw on American TV and in the movies was fake.&nbsp; I tried to tell them that it\u2019s what kids all over America do on Friday nights.&nbsp; It\u2019s the big social event that caps off a week of school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope when these kids playing today look back when they are 52 years old, they will have the same great memories that I still have.\u00a0 In a few weeks, most of the seniors will be playing in their last game.\u00a0 I hope they will have loved it as much as I did.\u00a0 You\u2019re probably laughing at me reminiscing about my glory days and don\u2019t think it was that big a deal.\u00a0 I get it.\u00a0 But, looking back as a 17 year old who loved playing football, it meant everything.<\/p>\n<p>Hits: 683<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s been six years since my last blog post, so I figured it was time to write a new one.&nbsp; I haven\u2019t really had a lot to say, until now.&nbsp; Don\u2019t get excited.&nbsp; It\u2019s nothing too earth shattering or poignant or even funny, but I came up with an idea so I started typing away.&nbsp; I\u2019m not the best writer [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=249"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":252,"href":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249\/revisions\/252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.terrymccann.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}