Ed’s death has had an impact on me. He had a big impact on me in football. I mean IMPACT! I dreaded being on the practice field with him. He was the only one I EVER dreaded. He had SIXTY pounds over me. Those 60 pounds were all MEAN!
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RevDate: 140209, (Changes posted at the end) Start Date: 140208.
Written by DonDesignJr.
Then on Fridays, I was very glad he was on the playing field, on OUR side. I would NOT want to play against him. He was our middle linebacker, the toughest guy on the field. He was ALWAYS the toughest guy on the field. No other teams’ middle linebacker came within 20 pounds of his massive 240 POUNDS!
. . Those teams thought they could run around him. NO they COULDN’T. He would cut them off, then cut them down. It took three blockers to stop him, that left us, including me–the right defensive end, the second toughest guy on the team and the second fasted runner on our team, behind Dave Johnston, my junior college teammate and good friend–free to pursue the ball carrier with fewer blockers to fight. He was a BIG part of our team, THE BIGGEST. He WAS the CAPTAIN!
. . In case you didn’t know: the middle linebacker and the opposing fullback are BITTER enemies. I was our fullback. I am glad, VERY glad, I never had to face him in a game. That might have been the only game in my life I would have gotten beat. No one ever beat me, not in High School, not in junior college. I could have gone on, Cal Poly wanted me, but I was injured, injured to THIS day.
. . Ed was the toughest Guy I ever RAN INTO.
. . Ed played on the varsity as a FRESHMEN, first team. I am sure coach told Ed to take it easy on his teammates during practice. Because if Ed didn’t, there would be no team left; he would be the only one left standing. There was no one who could take Ed on at full speed, NO ONE. I saw the difference between Ed in practice and Ed in a game. I never wanted to see THAT Ed face to face.
. . I played JV in my freshman and sophomore years. At the end of my sophomore year, I was moved up to the varsity to play a whole game at defensive end in the post season; the varsity had won the league Championship. I was given the JV award “Most likely to succeed in the varsity.” Of course Ed would have won it, if it was called “Sophomore most likely to succeed in the varsity.”
. . Ed wins my “Best player I ever play with or against in High School and Junior College” Award. A few people say that I was the best football player in our High School’s history, far from it; I know the truth; it is Ed. I am not even second; I am in a group of several players far behind Ed. I am not even in the front of that group. I am more near the end. I was not even second behind Ed on the team we played on: there were several players who could do things I could not. I was good, but never great. But I was good enough to be Captain in junior college.
. . Ed is the best as far as I know. I do know that, since my time, our High School has won some big time Multi League Championships. They had some great players to do that. But I would be surprised, if they were better than Ed.
. .I did not know him much off the field. He seemed of good nature and did not take advantage of his great power. People liked him; I did.
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So now, the TOUGHEST and the FASTEST guys are gone. That leaves me in first place three ways (I was ALWAYS first in endurance running on ALL my football teams, and first in the forth quarter of every game, when the other guys were spent). Being in first place in three ways is a place I DO NOT want. I had never felt pain being in first place, until Dave died, and then again TODAY. I have never really gotten over Dave; the weight is even greater now.
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Published: 140208. Posted: 140208. Check sgv, Checked nonee.
DonDesignJr aka SantaDon
"A Better Life 4 All"(TM) 