“Time slips away and leaves you with nothing mister but boring stories of…Glory Days.” – Bruce Springsteen
This past weekend afforded me the opportunity to relive some of my old glory days. Saint Ignatius celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the 1993 State and National Champion football team, as recognized by USA Today and ESPN. As a member of that team, I was invited back for a 2 day celebration.
Friday night a get-together was held at the high school for the team. I was able to catch up with several friends and former teammates that I have not seen since graduation. It’s crazy to think that it’s been 20 years since my senior year of high school. Most of the evening’s conversations were filled with stories involving kids, jobs and doctors. A far cry from the stories we shared in high school which usually revolved around girls, parties and music.
At Saturday night’s game, just prior to kickoff, we were introduced as a group and recognized for our significant accomplishment. We gathered at midfield and cheered on the current Wildcat football team as they took the field and proceeded to win the game and secure yet another playoff appearance, the 25th in the past 26 seasons.
Additionally, I was recognized as an honorary captain for the game, however, declined to participate in the coin toss due to the annoying rain. However, God was kind enough to halt the rain so that I could join the team on the field for our introduction.
As another former teammate pointed out, it might seem trivial to be recognized for something which happened 20 years ago, but it wasn’t about re-living “Glory Days”, but rather about a chance to look back at a point in our lives, take pride in an accomplishment that very few people can claim and celebrate everything that we put into accomplishing that feat.
And he’s right. On the surface, we were recognized for being a great football team. The friendships we formed and the bond we shared all those years ago produced an achievement very few will ever claim. But at its core, the real honor was having been part of the magic that happens when a group collectively works together putting in the time and effort needed to accomplish a meaningful objective. And to me, there’s nothing boring about that kind of story.
A.M.D.G.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support! Stand Strong!
Scott
Sounds like a wonderful day, so glad you were able to be there and enjoy old friends. God bless
I’m so glad you were able to attend that wonderful reunion. You are a remarkable individual and I am so glad you were honored as the honorary captain of the team.
Thanks for ALWAYS inspiring!
God Bless You – Mary
Awesome story Scott. I often think back to my glory days winning soccer tournaments when I was 14 to 18, and every now and then I get the chance to see a couple of the guys I grew up playing with and we reminisce about how awesome we were!! And we were. We lived, ate, breathed, slept, dreamt soccer, and we were such a tight and professional group for a bunch of teenagers. I’d go back to those innocent and easy days in a heart beat if I could!
Scott, I wholeheartedly concur, nothing boring at all.
Scott,
As we get older, we realize how nice it is to see our old classmates. I just had a high school class reunion, and it was like yesterday that we graduated! It was so nice for you to be honored.