In preparation for this post I spent many hours thinking about how to approach it. Football, for my family, has always been more than a game, 4 quarters, and a jersey. Some people think we're crazy, and that's fine. But to tell the story from the beginning would take pages (I have always wanted to write a book...hmmmmm...
Football is...
Football is west Texas and sagebrush and Arizona ice storms
It is sweltering heat at the Red River Rivalry
and frozen toes for Bedlam
It is ponchos and storm delays
Kansas tornadoes
Smith Center, 13 degrees, defeat on the tongue, but hunger in the
eyes
St. Francis and icy wind, the adrenaline of a Regional victory and
the warmth of winning
Football is a small-town high school locker room
Leopard Pride
It is police escorts, charter busses, and 5-star resorts at bowl
games
Signing the first autograph after a Regional play-off game
It is colleges, coaches, letters, and film
It is one signature on February 5th
Football is tears of pride
Of frustration
It is the highest joy
and a bottomless sorrow
It is ‘what ifs,” “why
not now’s,” “why me’s?”
All in one season, one game
Football is cheese
dip, Tina's cookies, Taco Shop, Cheddar's, and $5 collectible OU cups
It is squishing
together on the sectional couch on Hargrave Street and blowing up air
mattresses in Norman.
It is sleeping in
the car and taking turns driving.
Dallas aunts and Texas traffic
It is coffee and
energy drinks and arriving home at 2:00AM
Football is 2 hours in advance
The first in line for tickets, not by the band
It is warm-ups and stretches
It is claiming the Musil section on Friday nights with blankets
It is first to arrive and last to leave, soaking up every second
Football is flags, pads, and hand-me-down helmets
It is carefully
choosing a number
It is cleats,
wrapped ankles, knee braces, and tapped wrists
It is shoulders,
cracked ribs, and punctured lungs
It is a heart, a
desire, that just won’t stop
Football is maroon and white with a head full of dreams
It is the black
and gold of Leopards, surrounded by teammates and coaches who share the same
vision
It is crimson and crème,
D1 on a stage in front of the world
And it is the
black and gold of Tigers
Home and loved
Football is family
It is grandparents driving hours to watch Little Dawg football on
an early Saturday morning
It’s deciding how many cars will be needed for a Friday night
Leopard showdown
It is football Saturdays that feel like family reunions
Football is four tickets
It is Osborne, LaCrosse, Colby, Hays, Bushton, Goodland, Norman, and
Dallas
It is humblness and gratitude to all those who have shared the journey
It is the rowdy section of the stadium
And the three best seats in the house
Football is Grandpa Bieberle shouting from the front row, nearly
bursting with pride
It is Grandpa Musil showing up on the couch in Osborne, ready to
cheer
Picking up where his son left off
Football is a living, breathing memory
Football flows in these veins, from a father who wore the jersey
and then picked up the whistle
To a son who plays for passion and a memory
It is not merely a game
It is a lifeline
A legacy
Football is
Love
