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Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, I once won tickets to an Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State football game, and I believe that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living. In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share a story about the day I encountered Brian Bosworth.
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What I Learned Yesterday:
To: Darrell From: Uncle Johnny, Aunt Susan, & Lacey DeAnn. Merry Christmas 1986. Those are the words inscribed inside the front cover of one of my Christmas gifts from that year. I know those are the exact words, because it’s sitting here on my desk right next to me as I type out this story.
The gift was a small 3”x5” photo album. The entire cover is padded and it has a embossed gold frame on the front cover. Most people would say it’s burgundy in color but here in Oklahoma, we like to call it crimson.
When the album is opened I see numbers. Numbers like 88, 4, 45, and 44. There on the very first page of the photo album is picture of 4 of my childhood heroes. Number 88: Keith Jackson. Number 4: Jamelle Holieway. Number 45: Lydell Carr. Number 44: Brian Bosworth.
The picture was taken in late summer of that year. My parents were now divorced and we spent some summer with my mom. She lived in a one-bedroom apartment just a couple of miles from where I now live. One summer morning my Uncle showed up out of the blue. Well, my mom knew he was coming, but my brother and I had no idea. Uncle Johnny was taking my brother and I to Norman, OK to meet the gridiron giants that had won the national championship the year before.
The 1985 football season had been amazing. OU had decided to move away from the run-based offense they had built their legend upon, and move to a passing offense. Why? OU had managed to land one of the top quarterback recruits in the country. A quarterback who played his high school ball in Henrietta, OK. A quarterback named Troy Aikman. OU lost only 1 game that entire season. It was the fourth game of the year. It was a home game against the Miami Hurricanes. That day Troy Aikman broke his leg. He would never play another down at OU.
You see, when Troy was carted off the field, a true freshman quarterback was called upon to take the field and lead the offense. That young man was an amazingly talented running quarterback by the name of Jamelle Holieway.
OU never looked back and went on to win the national title against Penn State in the Orange Bowl. The next day at school all the kids were talking about it. I can remember reenacting Keith Jackson’s game winning touchdown pass there in the hallway outside my classroom.
So when my Uncle showed up with plans to take us to Norman, my brother and I were uncontrollably excited. Every year college football teams all across the country hold a fan and media day. Fans are invited to come out and see the players and get autographs. However, the media day of 2014 is not at all like the media day of 1986.
Today you can expect to be lined up single file hours before the event starts. Once the event opens, you have to choose which position you want to go see. Running backs are sitting at a table in one area, quarterbacks are in a totally different line, etc. There’s probably 6 – 8 different sections, each with a separate line. Depending on the line you choose, you may not even get an autograph.
Back in 1986, it was amazing. The fans were allowed to commingle with the coaches and players. I remember asking my Uncle if he had seen Barry Switzer and him telling me to look behind me. I turned around and standing right behind me was the king himself. Barry smiled at me and said hello.
As I flip through the book now I see pictures of my brother and I standing toe to toe with the players. In many of the pictures they have their arms around our shoulders.
Some of the players drew more attention than others. For example, I don’t recall there being much demand to get the autograph of the kicker, Tim Lasher, or the punter, Mike Winchester. They’re in the book. Mike is even using my back as a flat surface to sign his autograph.
We didn’t take posters or footballs with us that day to get autographed. Instead we took a couple of plain white t-shirts. We weren’t the only ones that had brought shirts to sign but we were in the minority. Still, no one seemed to have an issue signing them. I have a picture of Keith Jackson with a big smile on his face. He’s still one of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game. Lydell Carr was a beast at running the football. He was incredibly nice and took time to sign each autograph and pose for pictures even though there was a line of people around him.
Jamelle Holieway was one of the biggest heroes on the team. He has saved our season and led us to the national title. To this day he is the only true freshman quarterback to lead his team to a national title and he was my favorite player on the whole team. He had such a crowd around him that he had to get up on a bench at one point so he could talk to people. He signed our shirts, but we weren’t able to get a one-on-one picture with him.
And then there’s The Boz. Brian Bosworth was now a legend. He was worshipped by many, his hairstyle was emulated by children all across the country, and his ego could not fit into a helmet of crimson or any other hue. The crowd around him was massive. We waited patiently and worked our way toward the bleached blonde mullet. We finally got close enough to him to stretch out an arm and get the shirt close to him.
I felt a tug at the shirt and excitement came over me as Brian took my shirt. He opened up the shirt, looked at it for a moment, and then shouted, “I don’t sign shirts!” He then tossed the shirt out into the crowd with no care as to where it came from or who it belonged to. Fortunately we got it back right away.
I was surprised to say the least. No one else reacted the way he did. Why did he even take the shirt if he knew that he wouldn’t sign it?
I was very disappointed that I didn’t get brian’s autograph, but it didn’t ruin my day. After all, I had just rubbed elbows with football icons, and I DID get an autograph from my favorite player, Jamelle Holieway.
Here’s what I learned.
There are a couple of less I’ll draw from this story. One lesson was an immediate one, and one is a more recent lesson. I grew up in a family that practically worships OU football. My grandpa had a shrine of OU memorabilia in his den and recorded every single game that came on TV. Nearly every fall Saturday of my entire life has included a few hours of yelling at the TV while watching OU play football.
Growing up around such a rabid football environment, it was easy to think that the guys on the field were invincible. We idolized them and wanted to be what they were and do what they did. When Brian was such a jerk that day, I realized that football players aren’t perfect. I know that I knew they weren’t perfect, but it was the first time I’d seen it first hand. It took him off the pedestal I’d wrongfully placed him on.
In the years that followed, the OU football program fell apart. Players were arrested for drug trafficking, sex crimes, other criminal behavior. Barry Switzer was forced to resign, and the dream was over. Any remaining ideas that I had about worshipping athletes was gone.
The second lesson I learned is about redemption. I’ve watched Brian Bosworth off and on over the last 10 years and he is now a different person. He has found humility and gratitude for all that he was given. There are a lot of reasons why he did the things he did and many of those things I believe he wishes he could take back. He’s made a lot of apologies, both public and private, for the things he did and the hurt that he caused people.
You see, that’s the way life is. While we only get one shot at life, as long as we have breath in our lungs we have a chance to make a step toward a better path. We all make mistakes, especially when we’re young. It’s easy for us to look at guys like Brian and point fingers, but I can’t say that I wouldn’t have done the same thing if I were in his position. After all, I became an egotistical jerk just because I was given keys to a bookstore and a new title that I thought made me special.
So in this season of giving, let’s remember the gifts that matter most. Let’s take time to embrace the gifts that cost nothing but bring unspeakable value. What are those gifts? How about forgiveness, reconciliation, and hope. Let’s recognize that all of us are sinners and we all make mistakes. Let’s be quick to forgive, full of grace, patience, and understanding.
Tis the season, right?
I’m Darrell Darnell and this has been stuff I learned yesterday.
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