Your best personal sports event (with mowing thrown in)

stephenPE

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I was going into 9th grade and at summer FB practice. The back story is my neighbor had the exact mower I had the big problem with. I used their mower all the time in their business. A great big Snapper mower with a belt that went out over the pan around the pulley and back to the engine. Well, my football coach, Charlie Roberts (played FB for the gators early sixties) told me to put the mower away in this little storage room. It would not go through the door so I thought it may back in. The blade had to engage to go in reverse so I did it. But the belt was slipping and would not engage. Sooooooo I grabbed the belt to help it. BLAMMMMMMMM!!! It grabbed my hand and pulled it back to the engine pulley. Crushing my three middle fingers on my right hand. The meat was gone from my middle finger to the first joint. Trish ran to the coaches house (a block away) and he came and got me for a ride to Shand sin Gville from Newberry where we were. I had a big towel all bloody wrapped around it. The year was 1969. Shands was called the J Hillis Miller Medical Center then. Half way to Gainesville it began to rain and coach's windshield wipers didnt work...............BLAMMMMMM!!!! We rear ended someone. His first words to me were "the wipers were working," I nodded my head.
Well, two old ladies said they would carry me on to the hospital. We got to I-175 and the pulled into a gas station and said that was a far as they could go. Two young fellas took me on to the hospital where the put me in a room with hand in some white liquid. Nothing for pain yet and hurt like a MOFO.......imagine the tactile nerves in your finger tips just chopped of. Finally, after what seemed hours the doc came in and I got novocaine in the fingers. Heaven had arrived. I could hear the snipping the bone down so they could sew it over.
And now the rest of the story (my first sports highlight)
I could not play for four games. I had a big bandage and it got infected and took awhile to heal. It was actually helpful as I had nasty blisters on both feet from shtty shoes they gave us young guys. Old cleats that were metal that came through the souls (i had no inserts). Could hardly walk. Finally, I get to play in game five. Im the center on punts and start at tight end. Im 9th grade on the varsity. We take the bus to Interlachen on at 0-4. We even stop at a Gville drug store to get the small plastic guard to tape over my finger. In the first half of my first game I catch 5 passes and two for TDs. We win our first game. The nutty thing was he didnt video the game (film back the) and he filmed ALL games. Even worse the Sun didnt have the story and they were great on HS foootball back them We always watched film on Mondays..........

My other two stories are basketball related...........but not nearly as dramatic or medical. Maybe the first one.
 

Schwifty

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This is a lot less dramatic than the above, but I used to play DT for Chiefland and full disclosure, I started playing football in junior year and flat out sucked due to being completely unathletic and out of shape. However by the end of that year I had improved decently, and recorded a few of solo tackles and a blocked xp (Jarvis Moss eat your heart out) vs Hamilton Co where we got blown out (Alex Brown was actually their QB that year). Got defensive player of the game in the local paper.

Senior year I lost my starting spot after getting food poisoning from a pregame meal, but I lost it to Jarrett Johnson who had a really nice career with Alabama (he got a sack on Jesse Palmer in the '99 SECCG...bastard) and the Ravens/Chargers, so no shame in that to be honest.
 

ppinesgator

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I was on the starting line of the Seven Mile Bridge run when I realized the air cushion of my racing shoes, beneath my right heel, went flat. There was no time to switch back to my training shoes.

The Seven Mile Bridge is actually only 6.8 miles. But it is one hundred percent, extra-hard concrete. This happened 25 years ago and I'm still walking funny.
 

AlexDaGator

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Alex.
 

stephenPE

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I was on the starting line of the Seven Mile Bridge run when I realized the air cushion of my racing shoes, beneath my right heel, went flat. There was no time to switch back to my training shoes.

The Seven Mile Bridge is actually only 6.8 miles. But it is one hundred percent, extra-hard concrete. This happened 25 years ago and I'm still walking funny.
Frank SHorter said his shoe fell apart right before an olympic race (maybe the 10k) and a friend ran back to his apt and got it in the nick of time
 

stephenPE

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This is a lot less dramatic than the above, but I used to play DT for Chiefland and full disclosure, I started playing football in junior year and flat out sucked due to being completely unathletic and out of shape. However by the end of that year I had improved decently, and recorded a few of solo tackles and a blocked xp (Jarvis Moss eat your heart out) vs Hamilton Co where we got blown out (Alex Brown was actually their QB that year). Got defensive player of the game in the local paper.

Senior year I lost my starting spot after getting food poisoning from a pregame meal, but I lost it to Jarrett Johnson who had a really nice career with Alabama (he got a sack on Jesse Palmer in the '99 SECCG...bastard) and the Ravens/Chargers, so no shame in that to be honest.
Great story. We played Chiefland a few times. Seemed like late Oct and a cold front would come in and we would freeze. Once we played Jasper up there in Nov and it was cold. We beat em. Now they call them Hamilton County
 

AlexDaGator

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This is a lot less dramatic than the above, but I used to play DT for Chiefland and full disclosure, I started playing football in junior year and flat out sucked due to being completely unathletic and out of shape. However by the end of that year I had improved decently, and recorded a few of solo tackles and a blocked xp (Jarvis Moss eat your heart out) vs Hamilton Co where we got blown out (Alex Brown was actually their QB that year). Got defensive player of the game in the local paper.

Senior year I lost my starting spot after getting food poisoning from a pregame meal, but I lost it to Jarrett Johnson who had a really nice career with Alabama (he got a sack on Jesse Palmer in the '99 SECCG...bastard) and the Ravens/Chargers, so no shame in that to be honest.

1. My God you're young.

2. Great story.

3. The Chiefland...Chiefs. Really, who came up with that one? C'mon man.

4. 15 posts and 33 likes? Great ratio. You should post more.



Alex.
 

stephenPE

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Chiefland Indians. Gold and sky blue.
From my original post here is the mower that chewed on my hand.
1f17842f8976a2a5a16b42fe5ee0fd4a.jpg
 

stephenPE

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My old elem. school was in Archer. Until 1950 it was a high school, too. I think they were the Archer Archers........to be fair some Indians are Chiefs.............
 

Captain Sasquatch

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My best game in high school was my senior year on the road against one of the best teams in the state (who were also in our district). I had 6 catches for 66 yards and our only TD, along with 12 tackles, 2 TFL, and a sack on defense. The TD was probably the best play I ever made. QB had me on a wheel route in the back of the end zone, just threw it up for grabs. I outjumped three defenders and came down with it. We lost 19-10, the opposing coach chased me down before I could get off the field after the game to tell me I was "a hell of a football player." Meant a lot that he did that.

Best game in college was also my senior year. We had started 0-2 and were playing our last non-conference game against a team that had beaten us at the last second the year before. Had 6 catches for 135 yards, including a 60 yarder that set up the go ahead touchdown in the 3rd quarter and changed the momentum in the game. Every catch was on 3rd down and resulted in a first down. Got the game ball and an interview in the paper after that one. We would end up winning that game and not lose until the 2nd round of the playoffs that year.
 
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Schwifty

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1. My God you're young.

2. Great story.

3. The Chiefland...Chiefs. Really, who came up with that one? C'mon man.

4. 15 posts and 33 likes? Great ratio. You should post more.



Alex.
yep it's the Indians like stephenPE said, except our colors are gold and columbia blue lol.

I'm a lurker at heart but I'll try to post more often (when I find time).
 

cover2

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Great stories! My junior year, we were getting ready to play Graceville and they had a big stud FB/DE named Mike Clark, who eventually played at UF and for a couple of pro teams (Redskins, etc.). He was 6'4" 215 lbs or so and was tough running the inside veer, hard as heck to tackle and would usually bust one or two a game. I played Nose at an intimidating 5'10" and 185 lbs. I think I might have stained myself when we first watched film of Clark and the Tigers. But we did a pretty good job of scouting them and their blocking tendencies and my confidence grew as Friday night drew near.

Back then, Graceville played at the old field near a peanut mill (it's now a place for the REA I think) and it was packed to the brim. Also cold as the devil. Clark looked like Too Tall Jones warming up. We kicked off to them and they set up shop around the 25. First play was going to be to Clark. Everybody knew it, especially me. Time to grow up. I was in a strong shade and when the QB opened up weakside, I crossed the center's face, squared up low and hard, and met Mike Clark in A gap. Low pad, hat on the ball, wrap him up, and keep your feet moving...low and behold, I stop him for no gain! All of a sudden, I'm starting to swell up. Next play, they run the same thing. Same result. Two plays and I got two solos on the biggest guy in the stadium. They try to pass on 3rd down and it's incomplete. We get the ball and move it some but punt it back to them. First play of the second series...inside veer and I make the stop again. I'm now thinking I got it figured out and we're gonna beat this bunch. Next play, looks like inside veer again, only the QB pulls it and pitches to this tiny little RB who couldn't have weighed 120 lbs soaking wet and was not much over 5' tall. But good Lord he could run fast! Our fastest guy had an angle on him and he just walked away from him for a long TD run. Kid would have two more long runs like that and I don't know that we touched him much at all that night. As for Mike Clark, he just played good D and was a decoy on O for the rest of the game.

We wound up losing by three TD's and my night ended in the 2nd quarter when Graceville's NT fell on my ankle after a play was over and tore some ligaments. I had to sit on the bench with my foot in a bucket of ice in the 30 degree weather. I played pretty well while I was in there and ended up with the three solos and a couple of assists. The real story, however, was the tiny RB that scored three times and ran circles in and around our defense. Found out later that it was Neal Anderson and he was in Jr. High School at the time. I remember thinking after that game that he would probably be a good player, but didn't think it would be with the Gators and later the Chicago Bears. To this day, I'm just proud to say I was on the same field as he was. Wish I could have tackled him! I'd like to say that night eventually ended with me and the cheerleader captain snuggled up on the bus, her rubbing my...ankle, and promising me heaven a little later on. But the sad reality is that I ate a cold chicken box on the ride back, hobbled from the bus to my old worn out car and drove home, where the only thing warm waiting for me was the bath tub! Still, great times. Wish I could do it again.
 
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ppinesgator

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Don't know if they still do, but when i was at UF, they had an Ultimate Frisbee team. It was much less of a commitment than cross country and track and a hell of a lot less pressure. I made the traveling team and did away matches to Georgia and Ole Miss as well as a home match.

In practice one day, I jumped for a catch the same time as a teammate. We bashed our heads together, or so I was told, because I don't remember a thing. There were no concussion protocols in Ultimate then and I doubt there are now.

Anyway, apparently I sat on the sidelines and then got up and drove my way back to my apartment. Except I went to the apartment I moved out of the year before! The current tenants thought I was high, not concussed, and just told me to get lost. So I tried to again, only this time I knew where I lived.

Oh, man, I had a headache the next day.
 
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stephenPE

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Great stories! My junior year, we were getting ready to play Graceville and they had a big stud FB/DE named Mike Clark, who eventually played at UF and for a couple of pro teams (Redskins, etc.). He was 6'4" 215 lbs or so and was tough running the inside veer, hard as heck to tackle a
I remember Mike Clark Pretty good LB for UF if I am correct. HS memories are cool. I tell my young kids all the time this "You dont need a job and that truck in HS. You will have that all your life. Play some sports or something in HS because it is a time when you can and will not have that opportunity again.

Don't know if they still do, but when i was at UF, they had an Ultimate Frisbee team. It was much less of a commitment than cross country and track and a hell of a lot less pressure. I made the traveling team and did away matches to Georgia and Ole Miss as well as a home match.
I always wanted to play that game or teach it. But I teach young kids. Looks bad ass and fun.
 

cover2

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I remember Mike Clark Pretty good LB for UF if I am correct. HS memories are cool. I tell my young kids all the time this "You dont need a job and that truck in HS. You will have that all your life. Play some sports or something in HS because it is a time when you can and will not have that opportunity again.
You're spot on. Hardest thing about the last coaching I did was try and convince the kids of what you speak. These latest generations have a lot of kids that want it without working for it. Bad pattern for the rest of your life. Learning how to set goals and work hard to reach them and getting back up when you get knocked down is the best recipe for success I know. And you're right...if you miss the teenage opportunities for sports participation, you don't get a second chance. For those who play, it's gone before you know it. My son is very near that stage. I tell him he's had a good run and even though it'll be gone soon, the life lessons and the good friends will be with him always.
 

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