Football's Biggest Fan

I can not think of football without immediately thinking of my dad. My dad loved football. Pro, college, high school ... it didn't matter, he loved the game. So we learned to love it as well. Growing up, every Saturday and Sunday in our house, football was on the TV. He had his favorite teams but it didn't really matter if that team was playing because if a game was on TV, we were watching it. Therefore, I learned early on all about the game. Just because he didn't have any sons didn't mean he wasn't going to pass on his knowledge and most importantly his passion for the game.

We are Redskins fans, and from an early age I knew all the players, their positions and could follow a game pretty well. It was the era of The Hogs, The Fun Bunch and lets no forget, The Diesel, John Riggins. These names were often talked about and analyzed every Sunday from our couch. They were a part of our family. My dad took us to a Redskins game every year, an experience that I treasure and recall fondly. I remember my dad teaching me the counter trey in my bedroom with my stuffed animals as the defensive line and my two friends and I were the offense. It was hands on football training in the best way he knew. There was always a football around and he was always willing to throw it with you or anyone. He took the time to show me how to place my fingers on the laces and the exact way to throw so the ball would slide off my fingers into a perfect spiral down the field. No child of his would hear the words "You throw like a girl" coming from anyone if he had any say in it.  Boyfriends and guys from my school would often come by the house just to see my dad and bring friends and throw together a game in the back yard. When he found out that I was going to be attending the University of South Carolina, my dad's first response was "Great. They actually have a real football team!" In fact when my parent's drove me to college for the first time, we had to take a side trip out to the stadium before they headed home. We pulled up to the stadium and he pulled a football out of the trunk of the car. We some how managed to walk out on to the field and he told me to go long and threw me a perfect spiral pass. To this day, whenever I attend a game at Williams-Brice Stadium that memory isn't far away. When my son Jake was old enough and could barely hold his head up with the helmet on, my Dad signed him up to play football. My dad attended every practice and every game and was even named an honorary coach because he was there so often (and loudly coaching from the sidelines). To see my dad be able to pass that on to my son and share those moments with Jake is one of the fondest memories I have of him as a grandfather. Even life's challenges were often explained to us in football terms. The one he used most was: "Remember girls, don't go 99 yards just to punt."  I've even said that to my own kids when they feel like giving up on something.

I hope someday I'll be able to take my kids to a football game and let them experience the thrill of being in a stadium with the fans, the band and the excitement that comes along with it. But for now, I will be content with cuddling on the couch with my kids and thankful that I can pass on the tradition of loving the game that my father loved so much and instilled in me. So on this Super Bowl Sunday I hope you are enjoying the game with friends and family and cheering on you favorite team! I'll be sure to toast my dad and know that he's watching with us.

Poppi and Jake