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- Mar 17, 2005
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I started in Pop Warner at age 7. My best friend's dad was my coach in Football, baseball, and basketball. I was always taller and bigger than my classmates, even ALL of the girls and some teachers by 6th grade, So I HAD to play. I LOVED all three sports anyway. (Didn't have a cell pnone to waste my time) I Letttered in all 3, at Pass Christian High School, MS coast. I was 6-3, 200 my senior year of 1982. I played Tight End and Defensive end. (QB's Blindside ) We ran the Veer, so I was the "Adam Troutman" moving from left to right, depending on where the play was going. My job was to chip the DT, and seal the inside line backer, if I was on the left or right side of the line. Teams KNEW we were running it, and still couldn't stop us. We were a 2A school, BUT we beat 5A D"Iberville, (North Biloxi) my senior year at THEIR house! We went 6-4, and our 4 losses were by a combined total of 12 points.
We beat our arch rival Long Beach,MS which was a 3A or 4A school. They had the NERVE of scheduling us for their Homecoming game, which was the last game of the year. I won the Punt, Pass & Kick District finals at age 12 and 13, so I punted and kicked from junior High through High school. My greatest feat was kicking the extra point against Long Beach to beat them 21-20, for THEIR homecoming. There was about 23 seconds left on the clock, as my kicked went through the middle of the uprights.... Side note, Long Beach 13 year old all star baseball team had beaten my Pass Christain 13 year old all star team in the state finals, 2-0. We had beaten them in the district finals in PC, 6-5. I remember how crushed we were back then. I felt like beating them for their homecoming, ALMOST made up for them beating us in the state tourney in 1977, when I was 13.
I had the size, tenacity, dedication, and smarts to play Ju Co ball. The ONLY thing missing was SPEED! LOL My son had the size AND speed, and was awesome in baseball, but the practice part of the sport, is what he HATED. I'd give my left arm, to be thinking about running on the beach in the summer in PC, and getting ready for the gut wrenching time of two a days at the beginning of August in the South MS heat!!!
I think I was better at baseball, at 6-3 with a 35 inch sleeve, as a first baseman, I could almost strech and almost reach my shortstop with my very large and long first base mit. I made one error in two years. The slowest ball ever hit to me, and I pulled my glove up too early.. SMH....
I watched EVERY sports event I could lay my eyes on back then, so I knew all of the intricacies of the games, as I learned to play them. Most importantly, I LOVED practicing. My buddy and I would beg his dad/coach to let us practice for another half hour or so. We really didn't want to go home and watch GIlligan's Island, or the Munsters. I mean Mary Ann was very HOT and all, but we could see here ANY DAY on TV.... Thanks WGNO New Orleans!!! LOL
***I left out the fun part of having injuries: Tore my calf muscle in a "B game" in 10th grade. (missed last 4 games of the season)
****My ONLY major injury was when I was playing Fraternity Flag Football at Southern Miss... Tore my right knee up, on a wet field with tennis shoes on... (miniscus, Lateral and colatteral ligaments, and my ACL) AMAZING to me, after thinking of ALL the contact I had... I had a concussion in practice as a junior, didn't know my name, or where I was. I remember waking up, sitting in a chair in front of the shower..... No WAY in Hades, was I going to miss the next game.
---------See if you tell the coaches you are hurt, you will have to SIT ON THE BENCH. "Sit on the Bench" was NOT a part of my vocabulary! However, now I NEED both knees replaced, and I walk like Sasquatch, I think maybe, just maybe, I should have come out of several games. However, that white athletic tape, could do wonders for a 17 year olds body. I would be sore on Saturday mornings, but I was groovy by Monday's practice in shorts and helements.
We beat our arch rival Long Beach,MS which was a 3A or 4A school. They had the NERVE of scheduling us for their Homecoming game, which was the last game of the year. I won the Punt, Pass & Kick District finals at age 12 and 13, so I punted and kicked from junior High through High school. My greatest feat was kicking the extra point against Long Beach to beat them 21-20, for THEIR homecoming. There was about 23 seconds left on the clock, as my kicked went through the middle of the uprights.... Side note, Long Beach 13 year old all star baseball team had beaten my Pass Christain 13 year old all star team in the state finals, 2-0. We had beaten them in the district finals in PC, 6-5. I remember how crushed we were back then. I felt like beating them for their homecoming, ALMOST made up for them beating us in the state tourney in 1977, when I was 13.
I had the size, tenacity, dedication, and smarts to play Ju Co ball. The ONLY thing missing was SPEED! LOL My son had the size AND speed, and was awesome in baseball, but the practice part of the sport, is what he HATED. I'd give my left arm, to be thinking about running on the beach in the summer in PC, and getting ready for the gut wrenching time of two a days at the beginning of August in the South MS heat!!!
I think I was better at baseball, at 6-3 with a 35 inch sleeve, as a first baseman, I could almost strech and almost reach my shortstop with my very large and long first base mit. I made one error in two years. The slowest ball ever hit to me, and I pulled my glove up too early.. SMH....
I watched EVERY sports event I could lay my eyes on back then, so I knew all of the intricacies of the games, as I learned to play them. Most importantly, I LOVED practicing. My buddy and I would beg his dad/coach to let us practice for another half hour or so. We really didn't want to go home and watch GIlligan's Island, or the Munsters. I mean Mary Ann was very HOT and all, but we could see here ANY DAY on TV.... Thanks WGNO New Orleans!!! LOL
***I left out the fun part of having injuries: Tore my calf muscle in a "B game" in 10th grade. (missed last 4 games of the season)
****My ONLY major injury was when I was playing Fraternity Flag Football at Southern Miss... Tore my right knee up, on a wet field with tennis shoes on... (miniscus, Lateral and colatteral ligaments, and my ACL) AMAZING to me, after thinking of ALL the contact I had... I had a concussion in practice as a junior, didn't know my name, or where I was. I remember waking up, sitting in a chair in front of the shower..... No WAY in Hades, was I going to miss the next game.
---------See if you tell the coaches you are hurt, you will have to SIT ON THE BENCH. "Sit on the Bench" was NOT a part of my vocabulary! However, now I NEED both knees replaced, and I walk like Sasquatch, I think maybe, just maybe, I should have come out of several games. However, that white athletic tape, could do wonders for a 17 year olds body. I would be sore on Saturday mornings, but I was groovy by Monday's practice in shorts and helements.
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