maryland husker
Four-Star Recruit
We had the pleasure last night of being joined in our little game watch party in Annapolis, MD by two former Huskers - former roomates, in fact - and despite the final outcome of the game itself, their stories made it one of the best experiences I've ever had.
Jim Belka (FB/LB 72-76) and John O'Leary (IB 72-75) joined us for red beer and runzas, and for hours and hours of entertainment. John is our current LS (T.J.'s) dad. They are both great guys, but polar opposites. In fact, that is why T.O. roomed them together in 1972 as incoming freshmen. They were both from Catholic schools - Jim in KS and John from Long Island, NY - but John had a reputation as a wild one, and T.O. thought Belka could "calm him down" a little. Didn't happen.
Their stories were rich, from John being recruited by Monty Kiffin; Jim's TV that ended up being tossed out the 19th floor of the dorm; the St. Patrick's Day debacle the two of them got into in O'Neill involving a flag; playing with Humm and Farragamo; John's punt return for a TD against Minnesota; his short stay with the Chicago Bears, and then to the CFL where he won the Grey Cup and Rookie of the Year with Montreal; and the "Bum-a-Rooskie" play, which they named in honor of Bum Phillips and John ran against Mizzou in 1974 for a TD. The FIRST variation of the Fumblerooskie play that I had always though originated in 1984.
One of the best anecdotes was about when Jim first made the travel squad in 1974 and went on his first trip to Boulder. John stole his helmet just before game time. When T.O. called for the kickoff team for the first play and Jim was part of that formation, he freaked when he went to get his helmet and it was gone. Jim was about to face the Coach when John produced the helmet at the last second.
Another interesting tidbit of information was about Al Davis, owner of the Raiders and whom Humm played for after graduating. Despite what people might think of Al, he has paid all of David's medical bills in his struggle with M.S., and will continue to do so for the rest of his life. Now that's generosity.
On the other hand, we also heard stories and insight on today's Husker team - both positive and negative - that could only come from the father of a current player. As much as I would like to pass some of this stuff along, I'm going to respect that relationship and the expectation of confidentiality that the stories were relayed to us. I will say, however, that there is something going on right now that will shock the Husker Nation if and when it ever becomes public.
The phone call from T.J. to his dad shortly after the game was over confirmed pretty much what we had seen on TV. The USC offensive line had their way all day, and there wasn't anything they tried that would counter it. The team did not tank emotionally at all, but the fumble return for long yardage right after the half took a lot of wind out of their sails.
So despite the outcome of the game last night, my head is still spinning from the piece of Cornhusker football history I was a part of for a short time.
For those who are interested, Jim is the Captain of the U.S. Capitol Police SWAT team in D.C., and John owns a bingo equipment business here on the East Coast.
Jim Belka (FB/LB 72-76) and John O'Leary (IB 72-75) joined us for red beer and runzas, and for hours and hours of entertainment. John is our current LS (T.J.'s) dad. They are both great guys, but polar opposites. In fact, that is why T.O. roomed them together in 1972 as incoming freshmen. They were both from Catholic schools - Jim in KS and John from Long Island, NY - but John had a reputation as a wild one, and T.O. thought Belka could "calm him down" a little. Didn't happen.
Their stories were rich, from John being recruited by Monty Kiffin; Jim's TV that ended up being tossed out the 19th floor of the dorm; the St. Patrick's Day debacle the two of them got into in O'Neill involving a flag; playing with Humm and Farragamo; John's punt return for a TD against Minnesota; his short stay with the Chicago Bears, and then to the CFL where he won the Grey Cup and Rookie of the Year with Montreal; and the "Bum-a-Rooskie" play, which they named in honor of Bum Phillips and John ran against Mizzou in 1974 for a TD. The FIRST variation of the Fumblerooskie play that I had always though originated in 1984.
One of the best anecdotes was about when Jim first made the travel squad in 1974 and went on his first trip to Boulder. John stole his helmet just before game time. When T.O. called for the kickoff team for the first play and Jim was part of that formation, he freaked when he went to get his helmet and it was gone. Jim was about to face the Coach when John produced the helmet at the last second.
Another interesting tidbit of information was about Al Davis, owner of the Raiders and whom Humm played for after graduating. Despite what people might think of Al, he has paid all of David's medical bills in his struggle with M.S., and will continue to do so for the rest of his life. Now that's generosity.
On the other hand, we also heard stories and insight on today's Husker team - both positive and negative - that could only come from the father of a current player. As much as I would like to pass some of this stuff along, I'm going to respect that relationship and the expectation of confidentiality that the stories were relayed to us. I will say, however, that there is something going on right now that will shock the Husker Nation if and when it ever becomes public.
The phone call from T.J. to his dad shortly after the game was over confirmed pretty much what we had seen on TV. The USC offensive line had their way all day, and there wasn't anything they tried that would counter it. The team did not tank emotionally at all, but the fumble return for long yardage right after the half took a lot of wind out of their sails.
So despite the outcome of the game last night, my head is still spinning from the piece of Cornhusker football history I was a part of for a short time.
For those who are interested, Jim is the Captain of the U.S. Capitol Police SWAT team in D.C., and John owns a bingo equipment business here on the East Coast.
