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Post by costampede45 on Feb 23, 2008 2:11:01 GMT -5
Hey Semi-Pro Football Players: I wanted to take a moment to tell you of my story playing semi-professional football in hopes to inspire you. At 45 years old, I had the will and desire to see if I could strap it back up and make it on a local team, The Central Oregon Stampede. It had been 24 years since I played junior college ball down in Southern California. I made the team. In our first game of the year, I got in with 32 seconds left at nose tackle. I am 5'5, 155 lbs. On the second play I was in, I got roll blocked, tore my ACL, PCL, LCL, and had broken bone chips in my right knee. I was like, "oh great, two plays and that's it, it can't just end like that!" My doctor told me I had the same injury that ended Kellen Winslow Sr. career for the Chargers. I did an excruciating year of rehabilitation after surgery to repair the damage. I went back out, in a knee brace the next season. Again, I made the team. I played sparingly, on kickoff team only. Then, in our final regular season game of the year, my head coach put me in at tailback with a little over a minute left in the game. We were leading 53-8. From the 12 yard line, the play came in, 22 Power. Our 250 lb. fullback saw the fear and excitement in my eyes, and simply said, "Follow me." I did. After a seven yard run off our right guard, the next play came in... 23 Power. "Oh boy, they really ARE gonna keep giving me the ball" In the huddle, it finally fully hit me. THIS WAS FINALLY MY CHANCE, MY TIME! From the five yard line, I once again followed Big Mark Prickett and as I ran through the hole, I saw the crooked endline chalk, the safety coming over to crush me, the only thing I could hear was my own heavy breathing, everything slowed down, there was no sound, the feel was to get low, the dive, the knowing my head and shoulders were OVER... touchdown!!! Nearly 46 years old, I had scored a TD for the first time in my life. I knew at that moment, that there WAS one thing better than sex... That feeling, that cleansing moment, that perfect "eternal baptism in the endzone" ended a lifetime of doubters and self-doubt. I am forever grateful to Semi-Professional Football for allowing this old man to fulfill a lifelong dream. I am now being researched by the men who run the Record Book of Semi-Pro Football to see if I own a National Record of being the oldest player to ever have scored a rushing TD in a league sanctioned game. My best to all of you who desire to live out your dreams on the gridiron. Bill Hoffman
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Post by TOOZ on Feb 26, 2008 20:26:46 GMT -5
Great story. It brought a big smile to my 41 year old still playing ball, face. Maybe 1 day I too can score a TD, but I play center so........I would just need to fumble the snap inside the 1 and fall on it. Of course with more then 2 minutes left in either half !
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Post by costampede45 on Feb 28, 2008 0:52:48 GMT -5
Thanks TOOZ, I appreciate you writing me back. I commend you for still going out, strapping it up, and cutting loose inside the pit. At 41, to me, you are still a pretty young guy, I hope that you enjoy the game now more than when you were younger. I know, I certainly did. BTW: I believe that the Patriots used your Center Fumble Play a few times to perfection; it can be done, with or without the Coaches okay... I hope that you will stay in touch and let me know if you ever get to taste the most satisfying of all feelings in this world! Best to you TOOZ. Bill
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Post by Bill Dixon on Feb 29, 2008 11:26:14 GMT -5
I too have a story of inspiration. I am 40 years old and in my second season playing semi pro ball. Last year at 39 I was approached at a superbowl party by an owner and asked if I was interested in playing. I laughed because I had not played since I was 22. When I told him how old I was he was surprised. He said but you look so young and act young like you're in your 20's. Well I explained to him that is because 7 years before that day I had a Stem Cell Transplant because I had cancer (Nonhodgskins Lyphoma). That was a life changing experience that changed how I veiwed things in life and it made me take nothing for granted. At that point I said I will try out. I am glad I did. Not only did I make the team but I am the starting left gaurd. Life is too short and age is just a number. The best part about it is the look on players faces when I tell them how old I am. recovery on sundays is harder but when it hurts I just smile because that just reminds me I am alive. God Bless you both. Bill Dixon Manteca Thundercats of NorCal.
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Post by mmarrazo124 on Feb 29, 2008 12:20:22 GMT -5
both of these stories are an ispiration to me i really enjoyed reading them. i am currently in my first year of semi-pro and loving it. i am with the gulf coast panthers out of florida. i strapped it back up because i had some friends that were on the team and they needed help so they called me. i am a highschool coach by day and a player at night the kids love to aske me about it all the time it puts a smile on my face. i had numerous scholorships when i graduated but i felt it was more important for me to stay home and help my family my step dad went blind so it was more important for me to make sure my parents had a home and that the bills got paid. i look back at missing my oppertunity to go to rutgers, monmouth, delaware and others but that was my top three. i had a partial to rutgers full acidemic to monmouth and a full to delaware but i have no regrets i would do it all over again to help my family.
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Post by costampede45 on Mar 1, 2008 0:12:51 GMT -5
It is nice to finally see some of us "old timers" back on this forum and livening it up! Crimminee, looking at how little guys post back with replies was reminding me of a morgue. I am used to our Oregon Football League forum, we have guys shooting some good football talk ALL the time going on. Builds for some wonderful friendships on and off the field of battle too. To Bill Dixon: I think your story tells alot. You are obviously someone who has found appreciation to have a life to live. Playing football in comparision is fun. After what you've been through, who can "hit" you any harder? When you see the game from that unique perspective, you let the fear go, and enjoy all the more. Nothing or no one can intimidate you, and you are freed up to just go out and kick some ass! To Mark Marrazo: We are the lucky ones to have a 2nd chance at playing the "greatest game on the face of this planet". Given what you did to sacrifice your dream for the sake of your parents is most admirable. You will be awarded NOW for what you did earlier. Time has a way to bring us to full-circle in life. When I was in 8th grade, I picked off an INT and had nothing but green in front of me. I was pulled down five yards short of the endzone. Who would have dared dreamed that at 45 years old, my first, last, and ONLY TD came from a five yard run. Life is sweet, boys, life is sweet! Best to you both, post back and let's hear how your seasons pan out. And for godness sakes, get in the endzone, you all deserve one in your lifetime!!!!
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Post by Bill Dixon on Mar 3, 2008 12:14:29 GMT -5
;D Thanks Bill. Football is one of the reasons give when people ask me how did you deal with it all. I was off work for two years most of which I was so sick i couldn't even walk around the block but my inner strength that was discovered as a young kid playing football for some of the best mentors I have ever had helped me fight mentally. Cancer is a mental game. If you let it beat you mentally then it will beat you physically. My doctors all think I'm crazy at my age playing football because they know what my body has been through. I just laugh ans tell them no pain no gain. The experience of playing the game and the comradery you build with teammmates and opponents makes me feel so alive, just like a kid again except on Sunday when everything is on ice and I'm having a few beers to offset the pain LOL. Life is too short. I say don't wait until you can't do something, just do it and enjoy everyday you have on this earth. Keep in touch. Bill Dixon
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Post by costampede45 on Mar 4, 2008 1:55:18 GMT -5
Amen brother, amen!
If you can beat cancer, is there really anything on the field that can come even close? NOT!
My own brother beat Lymphoma seven years ago, he had too much to live for, his three young boys and too young to cash in yet.
You are living proof of bearing a great attitude, attitude generates the essence of who we are and the legacy we ultimately leave.
Keep on making believers!
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Post by Bill Dixon on Mar 4, 2008 16:30:32 GMT -5
;D Your brother is my brother because survivors are linked. That makes you my brother. Oh brother, are getting sentimental. I wouldn't scoring a touchdown like you though. One of my fellow lineman was lucky enough to fall on a fumble last year, man you would thought he ran it in from the 20. He took off running with the ball towards the sideline celebrating, picture a 6-6 325 tackle screaming like a little kid, so we were there lining up for a PAT, no ball and no right tackle. Needless to say it was a proud moment for the line and we still give him a hard time about losing his head. But back to your question, No there is nothing that will ever match that day I got the news the cancer was gone. By the way that day was Good Friday. I still pinch myself when I'm on the field. I would have never pictured myself playing football when I was sitting at Stanford hospital fighting for my life. When people ask me how I am everyday I just reply "Living a dream." Tell your brother he has a brother in Norcal. Take care and have a great season. Bill
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Post by costampede45 on Mar 5, 2008 22:47:03 GMT -5
Thanks Bill, I will tell my brother down in SoCal that we have a new brother named Bill in NorCal. Bill Now that is redundant!!
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Post by costampede45 on Mar 6, 2008 0:06:12 GMT -5
Hey Guys: CHECK THIS OUT. Scroll about 1/2 way down the homepage. This is devoted to all the "old guys" out there who are still willing to go out there and show the world that we still got it in our hearts and souls! www.leaguelineup.com/gnfa
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Post by irish111 on Mar 6, 2008 7:06:02 GMT -5
Great stories and thoughts. I'm 41 and in my second year of semi pro ball. It's not as easy as it was 23 years ago but I appreciate it much more. We had a down year last year but the experience was fantastic. Hopefully I'll make the transition to coaching next year but this year I'm looking forward to putting on the pads one last time with my 18 year old son and 24 year old brother.
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Post by Bill Dixon on Mar 6, 2008 12:52:13 GMT -5
;D here's an idea. We should start an over 40 league like softball. We could have national tournaments like ASA. Now would that be cool. BenGay could be a sponsor along with Budwieser and Advil & Phisar. LOL We could have team names like the Over the Hill Gang and Blue Pill Renegades. Now that would be cool to watch. Great stories guys. Keep em coming. It's definitly motivating. Bill
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Post by costampede45 on Mar 7, 2008 1:07:30 GMT -5
Playing football at our age is more appreicated. Why the hell is youth wasted on young people. Hell, I love it all: the practices, the team meetings, the drive to games, the staying at the hotel the night before a game, the stadium, the feel of the turf, the ritual of putting on the uniform, the looks in the eyes of my commrades, the admiration in the eyes of young kids playing ball in the endzone during warm-ups. The ability to go out there, to be on Kickoff Team, the lining up, the beat of your heart coming though your chest, the movement of surrealism coming down the field, the contact, the collisions, the being there.... man, like pussy, just can't get enough of it! Be well boys, and best to you knocking the snot outta some young bucks this year!!!
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Post by mmarrazo124 on Mar 7, 2008 22:01:22 GMT -5
im really glad that i got to stumble on this blog it puts a smile on my face to see others share their love for this game as i do myself i am really proud to be back on the gridiron and again wouldnt have done a damn thing different it was a way for me to show my graditude and love for my family
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Post by costampede45 on Mar 7, 2008 23:54:50 GMT -5
Hey Mark,
Your story reminds me a lot of Jim Plunkett. Both of his parents were blind, they were poor and uneducated folks, but they loved and supported Jim. Jim's mother would go to his games, never was able to "see" her son play football, but she felt the excitement and was always there for him.
This is an article on him. Read and enjoy.
Jim Plunkett's background gave him every excuse for failure.
He refused to take any.
Despite his Irish surname, Plunkett is 90% Mexican-American. Both his parents, William and Carmella, were blind, having met at a school for the sightless in New Mexico. They moved to San Jose, where William Plunkett worked at a Post Office news stand to provide his wife and three children with a meager but honorable living, although for awhile they subsisted on welfare. But they were not bitter. "My folks were poor and uneducated," Plunkett later observed, "but they accepted life for what it gave them."
As a high school senior Plunkett lead his team to an undefeated season and was named to the North squad in California's Shrine Game. North's roster, however, was so stocked so with quarterbacks, Plunkett was moved to defensive end. Even at a new position he proved impressive.
That the fall he entered Stanford. But a serious potential problem had developed. During the summer Plunkett had felt a bump on the left side of his neck. It turned out to be a tumor in his thyroid. An operation that September removed it. The growth proved benign, but the incident weakened him and when he returned to the gridiron his performance suffered. Stanford head coach John Ralston had three other quarterbacks plus a keen memory of Plunkett's fine performance at defensive end in the Shrine Game, wanted Plunkett to consider a switch to that position.
Plunkett promised to think about it. But after he did, he tersely informed Ralston: "I am a quarterback."
Yes, he was. And to regain his now eroded skills, he threw 500 to 1,000 passes per day. Nonetheless, in Plunkett's sophomore year Ralston redshirted him. The next year, however, he was ready. In his first varsity game Plunkett completed ten of thirteen pass attempts for a total of 277 yards and four TDs. In the next two years he threw thirty-four touchdowns and gained 4,829 yards in the air.
After Plunkett's class graduated without him in 1970 (he had fallen behind a year) he became eligible to turn pro. Despite his success on the gridiron, his financial situation had not appreciably improved from his poverty stricken childhood. His father had passed away, and even with his scholarship Plunkett needed to take a series of construction jobs to make ends meet. A pro bonus would come in very handy, and might even provide Jim with the means to finally buy his mother a home of her own.
The proposition was very tempting, but Plunkett resisted it—not only out of loyalty to his school, his team, and his coach—but also out of concern for his heritage and the Chicano youngsters he tutored and urged to stay in school.
"Coach [John] Ralston, all our coaches, and my teammates have been building something at Stanford for the past couple of years," Plunkett explained, "If I were to leave now, I would always have the feeling that I would let them down before our goals were reached. Besides, we are always telling kids today not to drop out, to finish school, to set targets and to work toward them. What would they think if I were to drop out now for professional football?"
Plunkett remained at Stanford, guiding the Indians to an 8-3 season and the Pacific Eight championship. He was magnificent (Washington State coach Jim Sweeney called him "the best college football player I have ever seen"), but not only was there no guarantee of a Heisman Trophy there was some very spirited debate whether he was even the best quarterback in the college game.
Nineteen Seventy was dubbed the "Year of the Quarterback." Joe Theismann, Kenny Anderson, Dan Pastorini, and Lyn Dickey all enjoyed outstanding seasons. Theismann of unbeaten Notre Dame eventually finished second to Plunkett in Heisman balloting (2,299 to 1,401), but in the early going Mississippi's Archie Manning was Plunkett's primary competition. Not only was Manning playing faultlessly, but a Manning-mania engulfed the South, where a ballad titled "The Ballad of Archie Who" -- enjoyed a real, if nonetheless, brief rage.
Manning's chances dimmed when he suffered serious injury. Typically Plunkett graciously wired his former rival: "Sorry to hear about your broken arm [sic]. It's a shame you couldn't end your career the way you always played—brilliantly."
Aside from his quarterbacking excellence, there was something that set Plunkett apart from his peers. He remained exceptionally devoted to his family and often returned home to San Jose. That his fellow students didn't, puzzled him. "I don't understand why they don't go home more," Plunkett said, "Even if I just go inside the house and tell my mother I'm going to sack out, she at least knows I'm there--and she's happy."
And he had time to think about football and the nerve to express his thoughts. "There are some aspects of the game I don't like," he admitted, "It can become so routinized that you lose interest and sometimes the pressure on the athlete, particularly in college, can be too much. But all the benefits I received have helped me tremendously. For that, I'm grateful to the sport."
His totals for that Heisman-winning season were 191 completions in 358 attempts for 2,715 yards. He threw for 18 touchdowns and ran for additional 183 yards and three more TDs. UCLA coach Tommy Prothro said: "Plunkett is the best drop-back passer I've seen in college football. He has real strength and good speed. If you go all out to blitz him, he'll eat you alive."
Aside from the Heisman, he captured the Maxwell Award and was named player of the year by United Press International, The Sporting News, and Sport Magazine. The American College Football Coaches Association designated him as their Offensive Player of the Year.
Oregon State coach Jerry Frei gave him the most succinct and genuinely sincere compliment, however. "I'm just happy to see him graduate," Frei sighed with relief.
Plunkett got the news of his Heisman at close hand. He was in New York City to appear on Chris Schenkel's television show. He knew the award would mean a lot to the Mexican-American kids who already looked upon him as hero. "Yes, they can take pride in the fact that someone of their race has won it," said Plunkett, "I think it will help the Mexican-American community."
Yet, he did not generally emphasize his origins. "Jim doesn't want sympathy, that his family didn't have it, or was on welfare," explained Stanford's sports information director Bob Murphy, "But he realizes now that it's going to stay with him and that he'll have to accept it."
At that year's award dinner, artist Tommy McDonald presented a portrait of Plunkett to the young Stanford star. "I wish," said McDonald to Plunkett, "I could give my eyes to your mother for a few hours so she could be here to see this."
But his season was not over. Plunkett's Heisman-winning season powered Stanford to their first Rose Bowl in nearly two decades. There, they faced Woody Hayes' powerhouse Ohio State squad, tabbed by the pundits as a ten-point favorite.
It's no wonder Plunkett was once more an underdog. Some said that year's Ohio State roster was one of the strongest in all college football history. Plunkett faced six Ohio State All-Americans--fullback John Brockington, tight end Jan White, middle guard Jim Stillwagon, and defensive backs Jack Tatum, Tim Anderson, and Mike Sensibaugh. But as Plunkett once observed: "I kind of like the role of an underdog. I don't know if that has anything to do with my past, but it's something that seems to make me strive for higher goals."
Nonetheless, Plunkett triumphed again, leading Stanford to a startling 27-13 victory. Before an energizing crowd of 103,838 fans Plunkett completed twenty of thirty pass attempts for 265 yards in the air and added another 49 yards on the ground for good measure. Not surprisingly, he was named Player of the Game. Eight days later he led the North squad to a Hula Bowl win. Again, he gained Player of the Game honors.
Plunkett displayed the same grit during the ups and downs of his pro career. The then-Boston patriots chose him first in the January 1971 NFL draft, but he seemed bitten by the jinx that sometimes afflicts Heisman winners. With the Patriots Plunkett suffered from numerous shoulder problems and had to undergo surgery. The Patriots let him go to the 49ers in 1975 for a number of draft choices. The draft choices did well for the Pats, but Plunkett struggled for San Francisco and was released.
He caught with on Oakland, serving as a backup to his old rival for Heisman honors, Dan Pastorini, during the 1980 season. When Pastorini was injured, Plunkett stepped into the breach and rallied a team of castoffs much like himself to a second place AFC West finish. In the postseason Plunkett led the Raiders past Houston, Cleveland, and San Diego to face the highly-favored Eagles in Super Bowl XV. Once again, the underdog had his day as the Raiders upset Philadelphia 27-10. "It was the spirit of the redeemed," the editors of The Football Encyclopedia inelegantly wrote of these unlikely champions, "of those who had come back from the garbage pile to smell the roses." And Plunkett's role did not go unnoticed as he earned Super Bowl MVP honors.
In November 1991 Stanford retired Plunkett's old number sixteen. Although twelve Stanford players had been inducted into the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame, his was only the second Stanford number to be retired, the first being the legendary Ernie Nevers' number one.
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Post by costampede45 on Mar 23, 2008 22:59:19 GMT -5
Opening night for the Oregon Football League next Saturday.
Time again for the greatest game on the planet to allow for young and old men to dream the dream!
Best to all of you who dare strap on the pads of gladiators past!
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Post by Bill Dixon on Apr 1, 2008 12:45:26 GMT -5
;D Hey COSTAMPEDE45, good luck. My season started already and because of our depth problem on our line I am playing both ways, left gaurd and D tackle. We lost our first game by 8 but it was really cool to play both ways even though I was hurting like a big dog the next day. I had a couple tackles and a sack but my real damage came on offense. They ran a 50 style defense so I was smashing linebackers all day. There were a few Olay's in there but I got my share of pancakes. It was all you can eat at the buffet. The best part was when the other team came to me and gave me props for being 40 years old and playing both ways. I just told them it only hurts when I smile. ;D
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Post by costampede45 on Apr 5, 2008 10:05:41 GMT -5
HEY BIG BAD BILL!
Way to go, buffalo! Nice work, old man, nice work. Sorry but I haven't been back on this site for several weeks now. Congratulations on going both ways, man, that was maybe, something we did back in high school, certainly not in our 40's. But you did it, old timer, and you did it well.
All my props to you. What team are you with in Nor Cal? Hope to hear more from you and all of us oldies as the season and our careers take off into new heights and new dreams made.
Best to you Bill,
Bill
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Post by Bill Dixon on Apr 7, 2008 15:37:39 GMT -5
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Post by costampede45 on Apr 18, 2008 23:42:05 GMT -5
Hats off to you Bill.
Again, been out of the loop for the past 10 days. My father passed away last Thursday and I spent time down in San Diego with family. My dad was the epitome of never say die, never quit, and never back up. He was a war hero in WWII, served six years as a Gunner's Mate, First Class in the U.S. Navy. He was brave in the heat of battle, went into the ocean after a torpedo sunk his Destroyer, and came back to continue fighting for the freedom of this country.
I draw my inspiration from him, and his legacy of honor. I liken this great game to the battles of war: comraderie, spirit, toughness, and courage. My dad stared death in his face every day for six years without flinching or retreating. That is the stuff true heros are made of and I am proud to be his son.
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Post by Bill Dixon on Apr 24, 2008 16:30:53 GMT -5
Hello Bill, sorry to hear about your fathers passing. My father too was a WWII survivor. He also survived Pearl Harbor. The stories he told us were amazing as I'm sure your fathers were too. Peace be with you and your family & May God bless you all. Good luck with the rest of your season and kick some ass for Ole Dad.
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Post by costampede45 on Apr 26, 2008 10:57:17 GMT -5
Thanks Bill,
Very much appreciate your kind words of compassion,
Bill
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Post by costampede45 on Jun 8, 2008 13:55:09 GMT -5
Holy Toledo.
My dream has finally come true. Three years after getting into the endzone, the Greater Northwest Football Association has put me into their Record Book as the Oldest Player to Score by a Rushing Touchdown.
Now, my grandchildren, and I have one grandson, will have this to look at. Thank you Mark Meadows, Steve Brainerd, and anyone else of allowing this old man to smile for the ages!
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Post by costampede45 on Jun 9, 2008 23:32:17 GMT -5
Who says, there is "no country for old men"?
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rp56
New Member
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Post by rp56 on Jun 10, 2008 17:04:31 GMT -5
hey guys my name is roy price i play for formerly the central oregon stampede and now the high desert lightning of cental oregon..just wanted to say thanx for puttin bill on the map for his touch down---i know he has more heart than most players in the league and i was there the day ol bill got that touch down and it was truly amazeing-- i didnt think his walker was gonna make it all the way in but it did.. he was pretty happy it did also he jumped up and down like rudy in the movie. jk ..pretty cool either way ---just wish we had a hundred bills to pick from with the heart he had for the game -it would make it alot more fun. god bless ya bill hope to see you again sometime..
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Post by costampede45 on Jun 11, 2008 17:27:17 GMT -5
God Bless you Roy,
Know that I will always love and respect you as a man and as a top OFL football player. If there is, and there is, a Hall of Fame for players who love and participate in semi-pro football, you should have a place there someday. But, hopefully, not too soon, we still need you out there.
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Post by costampede45 on Jul 6, 2008 2:37:34 GMT -5
My goodness, there are lots of us old men who refuse to say DIE. Look at the article on Mike Flynt:
59-year-old linebacker suits up for Texas college
07:29 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 Associated Press
Mike Flynt ALPINE, Texas - Mike Flynt was drinking beer and swapping stories with some old football buddies a few months ago when he brought up the biggest regret of his life: Getting kicked off the college team before his senior year.
So, one of his pals said, why not do something about it?
Most 59-year-olds would have laughed. Flynt's only concern was if he was eligible.
Finding out he was, Flynt returned to Sul Ross State this month, 37 years after he left and six years before he goes on Medicare. His comeback peaked Wednesday with the coach saying he's made the Division III team's roster. He could be in action as soon as Sept. 1.
Flynt is giving new meaning to being a college senior. After all, he's a grandfather and a card-carrying member of AARP. He's eight years older than his coach and has two kids older than any of his teammates.
"I think it was Carl Yastrzemski who used to say, `How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?' I'd be in my late 20s or early 30s, because that's how I feel," said Flynt, who has made a living out of physical fitness. "That's been my approach to this whole thing. I feel that good. I'm just going to find out if I can perform and make a contribution to the team."
A longtime strength and conditioning coach at Nebraska, Oregon and Texas A&M, he's spent the last several years selling the Powerbase training system he invented. Clients include school systems and the military. His colorful life story includes being the son of a Battle of the Bulge survivor and having dabbled in gold mines and oil wells -- successfully.
Flynt's life was supposed to be slowing down this fall. With his youngest child starting at the University of Tennessee, he and Eileen, his wife of 35 years, are planning to take advantage of being empty-nesters for the first time.
Instead, they've moved to this remote patch of West Texas so Flynt can mend an old wound and, he hopes, inspire others.
He became emotional discussing his goal of "helping a bunch of young men to make up for those guys that I let down." Then he laughed about the reality that fellow Baby Boomers are getting the most out of his comeback.
"People are kind of in awe. They keep comparing me to themselves and where they are physically," he said. "If I can help anyone out by what I'm doing, then it's all worth it."
Sul Ross State University Mike Flynt, 59, could be in action as soon as Sept. 1. Flynt's position is still being determined, but he used to play linebacker. Wherever he lines up, he'll likely become the oldest player in college football history. Neither the NCAA or NAIA keeps such a statistic, but research hasn't turned up anyone older than their mid-40s. And even those are rare, for obvious reasons.
"I told him he's an idiot," said Jerry Larned, who coached Flynt at Sul Ross in 1969 and counseled him at the start of his comeback. "I said, `Gosh, dang, Mike, you're not 20 years old any more. You're liable to cripple yourself.' He understands all of that. But he has a burning desire to play. ... He is in great physical condition. He still runs a 5-flat 40 and bench presses I-don't-know-what. He's a specimen for 59 years old."
Back in the day, Flynt was quite a player.
In 1965, he was on the first state championship team at Odessa Permian, the high school featured in "Friday Night Lights." He was offered a partial scholarship at Arkansas when the Razorbacks were among the top teams in the land, but instead went to Ranger Junior College.
He wound up at Sul Ross in 1969. An NAIA school then, the Lobos were in the Lone Star Conference with East Texas State, which at the time had future NFL stars Harvey Martin and Dwight White, and Texas A&I, which was starting a two-year run as national champs. The highlight of Flynt's two years at Sul Ross was sticking A&I with its only loss in '69.
Flynt was going into his senior year in 1971 when he got into a fight that was far from his first. School officials decided they'd had enough and threw him out of school. He earned his degree from Sul Ross by taking his remaining classes elsewhere.
"I actually grieved for more years than I can remember the loss of that senior year," said Flynt, who'd been a team captain and the leading tackler as a junior. "What really got me was I felt that was MY football team and I had let them down. ... I don't know if I ever got over it, but I finally learned to live with it."
Then came word of a reunion of former Sul Ross students from the 1960s and '70s. Randy Wilson, who has been best friends with Flynt since they met as college roommates in 1969, talked a bunch of his former teammates into using that event as an excuse to get back together.
During several days of reminiscing, Flynt's pain became fresh as ever, especially when one of the guys said their '71 season went down the drain without Flynt.
That's when he told them of his remorse. And, he added, "What really gets me is that I feel like I can still play."
"You might as well give it a shot," Wilson told him. "The worst thing that can happen is you get your head knocked off and come home."
When Flynt returned home to Franklin, Tenn., his wife wasn't as fired up by the idea.
"I feel like I'm married to Peter Pan," she said.
It took time to accept that instead of joining their daughter at Tennessee's home opener she would be watching her husband hit kids one-third his age.
Eventually she came around. They've sold their suburban Nashville home and are now living in Alpine, a town of about 6,000 residents near the Big Bend National Park, a three-hour drive from the nearest major airport.
"I told her, for me to know that I can do it and not do it would be worse than losing out the first time," he said.
A devout Christian, Flynt sees many religious undertones to his story. He also believes it touts the benefits of strength training.
"People have asked me, `Mike, what is the fountain of youth?' Well, it's strength training that builds muscle, increases bone density and burns calories," he said. "It's the one thing you can do in your 90s and benefit from."
Just to be clear, Flynt won't be playing football in his 90s.
He'll be out of eligibility then.
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Post by costampede45 on Jul 6, 2008 3:07:58 GMT -5
PLAYER RECORDS Most Years Playing 35 Dick Barnes, Seattle Cavaliers Oldest Player 68 Dick Barnes, 1989 Seattle Cavaliers (*Top National Record) 51 Wayne Palmer, 2008 Oregon Monarchs 46 Bill Hoffman, 2006 Central Oregon Stampede 45 Greg Kinnunen, 2008 South Sound Shockers 44 Eric Murray, 2007 Lane County Dragons 44 David Gomez, 2008 South Sound Shockers Oldest Player to Record Rushing TD 45 Bill Hoffman, 2005 Central Oregon Stampede ;D
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Post by mmarrazo124 on Jul 11, 2008 13:56:31 GMT -5
congrats on your record bill. it has been a while since i had been on so missed so much. my prayers are with you on the passing of your father. i to recently lost a loved one. my grandfather. he had coached pop warner football for 30+ years and was my hero. since the passing of him i have been contacted by 3 professional teams over seas and 2 division 3 schools out of north carolina. and im due to be married august 16th. that is going to be the biggest challenge is being a newly wed and trying to go to college for football or going over to italy to play.
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