Trouble in School: part 9

Trouble in school wasn’t always in the classroom and wasn’t necessarily from misbehavior. My freshman football season started going badly before we had a game with another school. I didn’t understand underlying motives for reactions of adults in my community until reflection when I was an adult.

The afore mentioned eraser thrower¹part-5 asked me during the summer after eighth grade if I was going out for football. Except for him, I beat everyone else in gym class wind sprints at least once, but I had not thought about school sports. He convinced me it might be fun even though I’d never handled a football or watched a game.

I learned to cradle the ball and run sideways. But there were enough running backs, so I was assigned to play center on offense and linebacker on defense. Neither was a suitable assignment for my size – 5’2, 110 lbs.
We played single wing, so the quarterback didn’t get the ball any more than the right or left halfback or the fullback.

The pre-season freshman/senior scrimmage was a tradition.

Not too long into the game, the freshman defensive line opened like frightened ducks leaving a pond. I was in my center linebacker position a few yards back from the right and left linebackers. The only thing between me and the 210 lb. varsity fullback was groomed football turf.

I held my ground and took a step forward as he closed the distance between us. I expected him to dodge or for me to give him a lucky shoulder hit with my ill-fitting body pads and leather helmet. He veered only a little and got a low center shot from my helmet. He threw up on the turf and was out for the first game of the season.

I knew some teachers, who like many men of that time, cursed now and then. At the injury timeout, the varsity coach Mr. Hdcoach let loose with a barrage of profanity directed at me such that I don’t remember hearing in anger since. I didn’t understand. I learned later the fullback was key to a winning season and coach was hungry. I was uninjured but didn’t play the rest of the game.

The fullback told me when he returned that he wasn’t angry with me because I was doing what any opponent linebacker might do. Then he confided that Hdcoach had instructed him to bowl me over instead of dodging a tackle I might try.

I also realized later, if Mr. Hdcoach was at a freshman game, I was on the bench.