March 21, 2025: The Football Flashbacks

Growing up, neighborhood tackle football was my sport of choice.

Mostly 2-on-2. And my buddy and I often beat the older kids on my block.

Our “stadium” was my front yard, complete with cement driveways serving as end zones. Clearly, safety wasn't our priority, proven by the concrete rash marks on our knees and elbows.

But who cared? We were young and invincible and played with reckless abandon. My crowning achievement came when a well-known youth coach “scouted” me and invited me onto his team.

In high school, during an impromptu game, I guarded a friend as he sprinted for a deep route. Our mid-air collision ended on the ground with my knee knocking out two of his teeth. To this day, they’re lost in a field somewhere.

In grad school, my roommates and I walked to a local high school at night, kicking field goals and running pass patterns. A great way to spend a summer evening.

I still enjoy heaving a football, though my tackling days are long behind me.

With Jake and Sam home this week for spring break, I've heard repeatedly, "Hey Dad, wanna throw football?” I always say yes.

Today, Jake and I threw for about half an hour. I love tossing the pigskin, but there's something special about a game of catch with my kids. There’s an ease to it, a connection, creating random yet memorable conversations as we pass the ball. Simple but magical.

And thankfully, no teeth are ever lost.