Football Memories

 

"When the consciousness is kept on God, you will have no fears; every obstacle will then be overcome by courage and faith." Paramahansa Yogananda

"Every individual has a universal responsibility to shape institutions to serve human needs." Dalai Lama

I was the only girl among four brothers with a sports nut for a Dad. Fortunately for Dad I was a real tomboy and he could count on me to play sports with him. He taught me how to play baseball and softball. My absolute favorite sport however was football. Dad taught me how to throw one heck of a pass. To this day I can play a mean game of quarterback.

I love football. Sunday afternoon was spent watching the Oakland Raiders play. I can still see John Madden running up and down the sidelines yelling to and at his team and the officials. During the 80s however my team was the San Francisco 49ers with Joe Montana as quarterback. One of my prize possessions is my autographed picture of Joe. It did not get put into storage and is hanging on the wall where I type on the computer. I often look at it and smile.

One of my fondest football memories was when I was living in Denver and putting up with obnoxious Bronco fans. They were playing against Montana and were ahead by 10 points when the 2 minute warning sounded. They were so sure they had it in the bag. Two minutes, heck that is nothing to Joe you might as well give him an eternity. He took those two minutes and scored two touchdowns. I didn't have to say a word at work the next day my grin said it all.

The genius behind the 49ers winning era was a quiet, soft spoken man named Bill Walsh. He was an inspiration to his team and all who knew him. When they talk of the West Coast Offense they often forget sometimes that the West Coast Offense has a name. It is called Bill Walsh. He never railed against sports casters who ignored his contributions to the game. Three Super Bowl rings more then made up for it. Above all Bill Walsh was a teacher. Give him a blackboard and a piece of chalk and he could teach you anything you wanted to know about the game.

I'll always think of Bill Walsh in conjunction with Joe Montana. Joe said, "For me personally, outside of my dad he was probably the most influential person in my life. I am going to miss him."

In addition to his influence on football offense Bill Walsh was instrumental in opening coaching up to minorities. It no longer was a lily white world. After retiring he still kept up his interest in education and charity work. He was a quiet genius who made this a better place to be in. For this football loving lady his death is a sad occasion. Thanks coach for all that you have done for a game I love and for all the good that you have left behind. It isn't only the football world who owes you a debt. Anyone who wants to know the true meaning of greatness has only to follow your gentlemanly example to know how to make the world a better place.

The picture is called Score.

The real counter is 5743.