Everyone Has A Story To Tell
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Sometimes when you just keep your mouth shut and listen you can hear some fascinating things. Take for instance the following...Yesterday I was visiting a fellow employee to discuss some business items and, after we got the business stuff out of the way, we started shooting the shit. We've worked together for almost 9 years and I consider him a friend, so sitting in his office wasting precious work time talking randomness comes easy. We had been discussing the craziness with NFL and NCAA Football games this year when he mentioned he played Full Back for East Carolina University 1969 - 1971.
Now that might not seem very interesting on the surface, but if you dig a little deeper, there is a story to tell. On November 14, 1970 his team triumphed over the Marshall Thundering Herd football team 17 - 14. Merely hours later every Marshall player, coach and booster that flew to the game died on the flight back home in a horrific plane crash. In all, including crew members and employees of the charter flight company, 75 people perished.
Today you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who has not heard at least part of the story of the team and the plane crash. This is mainly due to the movie, We Are Marshall, that came out in theaters in 2006 and just recently on DVD. I've yet to see the movie, but I asked my co-worker what he thought of it. He said he thought it was a really good movie and he's glad they decided to film it.He went on to note that prior to the movie coming out, about 3 years ago ESPN did a story about the Marshall team. There was footage of the final game and apparently he is shown jumping from the bench in celebration of the victory. His kids got a kick out of seeing their dad on ESPN.
In the small world department, his son is now a freshman in college and his roommate also has a connection to the tragedy. The roommates grandparents lost their son, who was a player for Marshall, in the plane crash. After realizing this amazing small world scenario, the grandparents have invited my friend and his family to join them at a Marshall football game this year so both families can meet. That's fascinating to me.
I had planned to watch the movie in the past and just never got around to it. Methinks I'll be renting the DVD this weekend.
Everyone has a story to tell. What's your story?
posted by TripJax @ 12:59 PM,
4 Comments:
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At 1:29 PM,
iamhoff said...
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I tried to see that movie in the theatre when it came out, but couldn't get it done. I had read about the tragedy before the movie, and had been looking forward to seeing it. Guess I'll rent the DVD. It is crazy, what a small world we live in.
Good seeing you at the WBCOOP on Sunday. I'm trying to get back into the regular tourney mode, so hopefully I'll see you at a MATH or Mookie down the road. -
At 10:08 PM,
The Bracelet said...
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My story begins on a dark, stormy night in the city of Chicago. I hadn't planned to be there, but sometimes the things you don't plan for result in the most extraordinary experiences.
This was one of those times.
I'd never been one to complain of pain, keeping my mouth shut and my teeth clenched in favor of bitching and moaning. This particular weekend followed the most grueling week of my life. Had you been there you could have felt it. The pain was palpable.
So work forces me to spend the weekend in Chicago and I can barely move. The how is irrelevant at this point. What is important is what I'm going to do about it. I make a phone call.
I'm told to be there at just after 8:30pm because any later and I'll miss out. I ask what time the woman on the other end of my phone call has and I synchronize my watch. I'm like a secret agent, only with bigger junk.
I arrive early because that's how I roll. I'm nervous, but that's to be expected. Any time I go somewhere I'm not familiar with I get worried. You never know when some degenerate lowlife is watching, just hoping you make a small mistake so they can roll you. I keep my wallet in my underwear for this very reason. (In the back because there isn't any room left up front)
The nerves get the best of me and I need to step back outside for a moment. It's times like these when I wished I was a smoker, inhaling delicious nicotine and tar to blunt the sympathetic nervous system from making me jittery. That's right, I got all smart up in this beyotch. Get off my nuts!
I suck it up, take a few deep breaths, and head back inside where I quit fucking around and choose the Carlos Mencia. This is where you select a Hispanic chick and, once naked, she tells an unfunny joke and you punch her in the face. Later you get to have sex with a nice white girl. -
At 10:11 PM,
TripJax said...
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uncle bracelet...
best.story.ever. -
At 7:22 PM,
www.algarvegolftravel.com said...
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Algarve golf
so good your articles love reading them
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