The RIP Thread...

Jay!
It is a very good thing Dad is dead and did not see your question, wrongly stating he might have been a Spartan and not a Wolverine! ;)
The rivalry between the University of Michigan Wolverines and the Spartans of Michigan State is second only to that between U of M and Ohio State.

When Dad was five years old his father took the family to see Notre Dame play.
Knute Rockne, in his last year of coaching popped this little five year old on the head and said, "Son, are you going to come to Notre Dame some day?"
Dad says he always believed he would and the thought of that goal propelled him to work hard at sports throughout school.
After the war he went to apply to Notre Dame, and was admitted, but since so many were returning to school after the war they said he'd have to wait until the next February to start.

Bob Harrison, a Native American and Toledo, Ohio's Jim Thorpe played with Dad at Woodward High in Toledo.
He told my father he was going to the Univ of Michigan and to come along. The coaches at U of M knew of my father and let him come to the tryouts.
At the end of the first day his name did not appear on the roster.
As there were hundreds of fit, war-hardened men applying to play football, so many were passed over despite their abilities.

Dad did not give up. He went back the next day, picked up an armful of footballs, went to the opposite end of the field, dug his heel into the turf, set up a ball and kicked it through the goalposts. He stepped back five yards and did it again. this continued until he was booting them from a distance rarely seen in that day. He felt a hand on his shoulder and one of the coaches said, "What's your name?", added it to the roster, and told him to go into the field house and get a uniform.
Growing up we'd be playing touch football in the front yard with the kids in the neighborhood. When Dad got home the game would always stop as we'd insist he kick a field goal. A divot was made, a ball set up, and Dad would kick the ball clear down the block all the way over Beverly Drive.

All four years at Michigan Dad played offensive and defensive end, playing both ways as many did in those days, along with kicking.
Being just shy of 6'4" tall he could catch passes while playing offense over the heads of the average height male of those days.
On Defense his long legs and speed could overtake runners and downfield receivers easily.
Dad also played basketball all four years at Michigan, which turned out to be his true passion in life.
In 1998, on the 50th anniversary of Michigan playing in the Rose Bowl thirteen remaining members of the 1948 team were asked out onto the field before the game to be honored. They each wore a Michigan team jersey with their original number. Dad gave that #84 jersey to my son.


The Univ of Delaware played Grambling State in the Boardwalk Bowl in Atlantic City in 1973. Before the kickoff Dad and a coach from Grambling re-enacted a play in which they were key players in a game between Mich State and Univ of Mich. The Grambling Coach was on his way downfield for the winning Michigan State touchdown with seconds left in the game when Dad ran diagonally from the opposite side of the field and overtook and tackled him mere inches from the goal line, ensuring the win for the Univ of Michigan.
Alas, Grambling beat Delaware 17-8 in a tough-fought game that year.

More stories, but I have to head to the funeral home and complete arrangements.

Thank you all for the condolences and well-wishes. The Treehouse Community is a great one.

Love,
Pat
 
Wonderful history, Pat, and sorry about the team mistake! Going both ways in college, or even high school football, got to respect that. Helmets weren't very good in those days, and probably not yet a face mask during that era. Best wishes.
 
Jay, No offense taken at the team mistake. Just used it as an excuse to say more. :)
Been going through hundreds of photographs. Many memories.
 
Watching the video, it is obvious he was a brilliant and wonderful man in many ways Pat. What a great role model, he obviously had his priorities straight. God, family and country. His memory was amazing, being ale to recall all his players, the plays he called, coaches, acquaintances. I would have trouble just remembering all your siblings names! May we all follow his lead and live such an honorable and fulfilling life.









Ray
 
Interesting to read about the Michigan Rose Bowl team. They decimated USC, 49-0. Lead the country in offense for the year leading up to the big game. 10-0 for the season, AP poll #1 team in the country, getting the nod over Notre Dame. I can see why your dad was proud of his team. Huge attendance at those games and they rolled up big scores, it must have been a thrill. On the web, there are some photos of him with his team. It's a little hard to clearly make out the number, but I think that is #84 from right end catching a pass in the Rose Bowl game at 2:15. A write up said your dad was a great player. I know that formation they ran, the old single wing, the same as we did in high school. Obsolete now for the most part. An end like your dad had to be an all around good offensive player, both able to catch and run with the ball, and also a lot of important blocking responsibility.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AbTIDYhibzQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Thats the impression i got too, Limbrat. I bet he never forgot anyone's name. I have had coaches that would call me "Hey,uh, you! Get over here." I never played hard for a coach that would not even take the time to learn my name.

Thanks for the stories Pat! I bet your dad's players played their guts out for him!
 
Glen Edward McDuffie, 86, RIP. The sailor in the famous photo that grabbed a nurse in times square, and kissed her when he heard that the war in the Pacific had ended.
 

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https://www.facebook.com/christina.inche?fref=ts

Christina Inche, a fellow arborist from north of the border... some here knew her... I only 'met' her online. Sad day for family and friends:

For those not on Facebook, the link is this entry from her page: Christina Inche wrote:
Wednesday, March 26 at 3:27pm (9 hours ago)
"I am being put into a medically induced coma. I expect to be dead within 2 or 3 days. Goodbye."

Fare Thee Well, Peace go with you and no more pain, Christina.
 
RIP to the victims of a huge landslide from last Saturday in Oso, Washington. This is about an hour from my house. There are currently 16 recovered fatalities and 8 more currently being recovered and approx. 90 people unaccounted for. Huge news for this small logging community.
 
Mudslides are pretty common in countries that have monsoon like rainy seasons, sometimes whole parts of villages wiped out. They call out the army to poke around in the mud after. Seldom do you ever hear of survivors, and hopefully finding the remains of all the victims is all you can ask for. Seems like a bad way to go.
 
https://www.facebook.com/christina.inche?fref=ts

Christina Inche, a fellow arborist from north of the border... some here knew her... I only 'met' her online. Sad day for family and friends:

For those not on Facebook, the link is this entry from her page: Christina Inche wrote:
Wednesday, March 26 at 3:27pm (9 hours ago)
"I am being put into a medically induced coma. I expect to be dead within 2 or 3 days. Goodbye."

Fare Thee Well, Peace go with you and no more pain, Christina.
.... wow really sad, so few Women climbers...Joel (RiskyBiz) shared her FB...w / out knowing her and the details I'm guessing she was ill not injured...though it really does not matter when checking out...some sort of tribute climb with pics as well...
 
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