OT: Fun poll: Who here has played football at any level?

[Tony2046]

One thing I am very proud of is my neighborhood area we played 9 v 9 up to 11 v 11 tackle football with only helmets on a field that was about 50 yards. In this day an age of organized sports that would be unheard of. No field goals and no downs which made it even better .. played until you scored or lost it. We had lots of fun. We also played 9 v 9 baseball, 5 v 5 street basketball and 6 v 6 street hockey. Hard to do like I said in this age or very, very organized sports. Nice memories ..

Small, scrawny all bones white kid who could run like the wind ... I was Bob Hayes LOL.

We used to play nerf football games daily on a field located in the middle of a military housing area.

If someone made "the play of the day " we would call it the Monday nighter.

"That's the Monday nighter right theah... yes sah! "

 

[Tony2046]

I played semi-pro real football. But in this country you call it soccer.

We call it football because that is the correct name historically.

The English were the ones who originally called it Soccer.

Rugby (a game created in Rugby England) was called Rugby Football.

Hence American Football which is an offspring of Rugby Football.

 

[aluminum seats]

OK, I'll play...played in high school, smallish school, thought I was pretty good. Went to Notre Dame, thought I'll show them, play as a walk on.

It did not go well.

 

[nabwong]

We call it football because that is the correct name historically.

The English were the ones who originally called it Soccer.

Rugby (a game created in Rugby England) was called Rugby Football.

Hence American Football which is an offspring of Rugby Football.

I was just joking with y'all

 

[MassPats38]

OK, I'll play...played in high school, smallish school, thought I was pretty good. Went to Notre Dame, thought I'll show them, play as a walk on.

It did not go well.

Rudy, is that you?

 

[aluminum seats]

Rudy, is that you?

Hey, Rudy made the team and got a sack! Dude's a legend.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Had asthma really bad in middle school & early HS. No inhalers, etc. back then so I missed out learning on all sports. I would have sucked anyway. Finally got to play unorganized tackle football in HS which was like rugby, but gentler. Came home with old clothes shredded. Good times.
In college all I got to be was a fraternity league player, blocking back on offense, small OLB on D.
When working at 3 different companies I always organized unauthorized company touch football challenges, engineering vs manufacturing. You can guess who had the bigger more athletic guys. I was always the QB. The mfg floor guys loved being able to take shots at the head engineering nerd. I'd taunt them.
After a few games each of the company outlawed the games because too many injured employees were missing work. Threw my last TD passes at age 55. Thought I'd broken ribs on a kickoff (I hadn't) Outlawed again.

 

[Tony2046]

Had asthma really bad in middle school & early HS. No inhalers, etc. back then so I missed out learning on all sports. I would have sucked anyway. Finally got to play unorganized tackle football in HS which was like rugby, but gentler. Came home with old clothes shredded. Good times.
In college all I got to be was a fraternity league player, blocking back on offense, small OLB on D.
When working I always organized unauthorized company touch football challenges, engineering vs manufacturing. You can guess who had the bigger more athletic guys. I was always the QB. The mfg floor guys loved being able to take shots at the head engineering nerd. I'd taunt them.
After a few games the company outlawed the games because too many injured employees were missing work. Threw my last TD passes at age 55. Outlawed again.

I suspect you and Brady may have something in common. Both throwing your last TD pass at the age of 55.

 

[BlueThunder]

I was going try out for our team in HS but saw film of JOKER demolishing players and decided to try out for ping pong instead....

 

[patchick]

I had a nerf football as a kid. It was blue and yellow. Ahh, glory days.

 

[FourierSeries]

I played semi-pro real football. But in this country you call it soccer.

Soccer is the fake ****. What we do here in North America is the real ****. Unless you risk knee dislocation in practice, let alone the game, I'm not sure it can even be considered a real sport.

 

[nabwong]

Soccer is the fake ****. What we do here in North America is the real ****. Unless you risk knee dislocation in practice, let alone the game, I'm not sure it can even be considered a real sport.

I'll raise you.

Soccer player collapses and dies during training session

 

[BlueThunder]

NO

 

[Sfpat]

One thing I am very proud of is my neighborhood area we played 9 v 9 up to 11 v 11 tackle football with only helmets on a field that was about 50 yards. In this day an age of organized sports that would be unheard of. No field goals and no downs which made it even better .. played until you scored or lost it. We had lots of fun. We also played 9 v 9 baseball, 5 v 5 street basketball and 6 v 6 street hockey. Hard to do like I said in this age or very, very organized sports. Nice memories ..

Small, scrawny all bones white kid who could run like the wind ... I was Bob Hayes LOL.

Sounds like me growing up, except we didn't wear helmets (and didn't play street hockey). I too was the scrawny, all bones white kid who could run.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Soccer is the fake ****. What we do here in North America is the real ****. Unless you risk knee dislocation in practice, let alone the game, I'm not sure it can even be considered a real sport.

*sigh*

Just when this thread was going so well ...

 

[patfanken]

Actually, Ken's story as I recall it is going to training camp with the Broncos for 2 offseasons and being a late cut in at least one of them. He was some kind of LB conversion project, I forget whether that was vs. DL or S, and also whether the pro conversion was to the heavier position or to the faster one.

I never played in anything above a 4th grade level flag football league.

Fencer got it right. It was the Broncos, and yes in 71 I was a late cut. The league I played in was the Atlantic Coast league that had teams running from Quincy, MA in the north to Richmond and Roanoke in VA. I made $25o/game, which was more than the $175/wk I was making teaching school in Boston.

I went to the Broncos because one of my coaches got me an invite and they sucked so bad then, I though I had a better shot at making the team. Fencer almost got it right on my position. I was a 200 lb NT/LB in college. I played OLB in Quincy and my first preseason with Denver. I actually had my closest shot as a SS.

In the end, though I was fast enough, I wasn't a good enough athlete. Though I had lettered in 4 sports in HS, and 2 (lacrosse) in college, I was always a better football player than athlete. Watch some time how these DB's can get their bodies into positions to defend passes. Sadly, I came to understand, that I couldn't do that, though I was great against the run.

But it was a different time then. 45 man rosters, 14 game seasons, around $15K minimum wage. Preseason was longer. Most included 2 a days. Most practices featured contact, and somehow most of us survived. Bruised and battered, but survived.

I played my last year at 6'1 200, and I was considered a big SS. But those were still the days when most offensive lineman where still in the 260 range and there were still OLB's playing at 220. I failed the previous year at 210, hence the position change.

Now almost 50 years later, I am no longer 6'1 and I struggle to keep my weight under 220. Getting old sucks, but on the bright side, I have my memories, and in those memories I get better and better every year. By the time I'm 80, I'll be coming here and claiming I actually made the team.

 

[Dorito Dink]

(Backup) Quarterback in high school, could throw a football over them mountains. If coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we would've been state champions. No doubt. No doubt in my mind.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

My Swiss cheese memory says "Colts" -- but he'll let us know, I'm sure.

You have a "Swiss cheese memory?"
Does that mean you played in the NFL?

OK. OK. Bad joke. Not funny...but not irrelevant either.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I once worked with a guy who made the roster of the Cowboys and another NFL team. He was an LB who didn't see much action. His knees were shot in his early 30's, but he had some great stories to tell.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Fencer got it right. It was the Broncos, and yes in 71 I was a late cut. The league I played in was the Atlantic Coast league that had teams running from Quincy, MA in the north to Richmond and Roanoke in VA. I made $25o/game, which was more than the $175/wk I was making teaching school in Boston.

I went to the Broncos because one of my coaches got me an invite and they sucked so bad then, I though I had a better shot at making the team. Fencer almost got it right on my position. I was a 200 lb NT/LB in college. I played OLB in Quincy and my first preseason with Denver. I actually had my closest shot as a SS.

In the end, though I was fast enough, I wasn't a good enough athlete. Though I had lettered in 4 sports in HS, and 2 (lacrosse) in college, I was always a better football player than athlete. Watch some time how these DB's can get their bodies into positions to defend passes. Sadly, I came to understand, that I couldn't do that, though I was great against the run.

But it was a different time then. 45 man rosters, 14 game seasons, around $15K minimum wage. Preseason was longer. Most included 2 a days. Most practices featured contact, and somehow most of us survived. Bruised and battered, but survived.

I played my last year at 6'1 200, and I was considered a big SS. But those were still the days when most offensive lineman where still in the 260 range and there were still OLB's playing at 220. I failed the previous year at 210, hence the position change.

Now almost 50 years later, I am no longer 6'1 and I struggle to keep my weight under 220. Getting old sucks, but on the bright side, I have my memories, and in those memories I get better and better every year. By the time I'm 80, I'll be coming here and claiming I actually made the team.

thanks for sharing that.
also explains how you know so darn much about the game.
thanks again.