Because I'm old all my athletic memories keep getting better every year.
I kind of break them down into things I actually earned and things that I have because I was at the right place at the right time.
I was always a good athlete but not a great one. Sort of a jack of all trades but master at one. Over the 4 years I lettered in Basketball, Baseball, Wrestling and spring track, but I was really only good at football. I was a Globe all scholastic in 1964. I played football and lacrosse in college. I was ALL ECAC something for 2 years in football, and all league one year in lacrosse.
One highlight was being a member of the Quincy Giants in the old Atlantic coast football league. The highlight was getting my first paycheck for $250/game, which was a highlight because it was more than my check for teaching school.
I spent a couple of summers trying to make the Broncos in early 70's. On thing still sticks in my mind was early in camp my first year, I was in a nutcracker drill, which was a RB, TE, and me (a 210lb OLB at the time) between 2 cones. I beat the block, but the RB pretty much faked me out with his first move, but inexplicably juked again and ran right into me. The collision was one of those that made everyone stop and look. It was a highlight because the RB was Floyd Little, and I'm sure it kept me around a few more weeks, and led to them giving me another chance the next year, but at SS. I did better the next year, but still not quite good enough.
Later in life I played on a tag football team for the Celtic's front office run by their GM at the time, Jan Volk. Over the years I played for them, I got to play with at times ML Carr, Randy Vataha, and Tim Fox. Once played the Pats FO under the lights in Foxboro Stadium. Those all were highlights of a fading athlete. I also played club lacrosse into my late 40's, but by then there were NO highlights, just pulled muscles.
Another sports highlight (once removed) was when I was 10 or 11 at a Celtics game I won a name the pony contest which I only entered because 2nd prize was a bike, and I was a 10 year old without one. I screwed up and won the f*cking pony. Not a great move for a kid living in a housing project in Dorchester. But the highlight was getting to meet the Celtics and shake Bill Russell's hand. Got my picture in the paper for that. Me on the pony with a headline that read, "Look Ma, no peddles."
