I Love Football!!

Sometimes I think I was born with a football in my mouth!  I love it so much, at least watching those teams I choose to watch.  I'm not a fan of professional football, unless there's a player I'm familiar with, but I do enjoy college football. The players seem a little less arrogant than players who are getting paid to perform.

I grew up in a football family. My dad was an all-star player in his high school and was even asked to stay another season so he could play football for his championship team.  (I guess they could do that in the thirties!)  After high school the Oregon State Beavers gave my dad a scholarship to play college ball which he did for only two years.  Marriage, home, and the war interfered with future football playing.    

My dad, Bill Gent on the left, Enterprise, Oregon High School, 1937

My older brothers, Buck and B.J. played football in high school as well.  The first year after moving to Cascade Locks, Oregon they played 6 Man Football instead of the regular 11 man.  Their games were all over the state in order to compete with other 6 man teams.  The next year the 6 man teams were changed to 8 Man.  It still meant traveling long distances for games, but we did it as a family.  B.J. went on to make a couple of cuts on the BYU freshman football team, but a concussion and broken tail bone ended that career.

During my brothers' high school years we lived about an hour away from Portland, a very large city that hosted many college and high school games.  My dad would load us in the car; stop at the 19 cent hamburger joint on the way for burgers and fries, and off we would go to some football game in the Portland State College stadium.  My memories are of trying to catch up with my dad who was usually 50 yards ahead of us wondering why we aren't at the ticket taker with him.  Another great memory is the smell of cigar smoke, natsy in any other place, but at a football game almost sweet.  Later in life my dad and mom would go to the state high school championship games, along with their bag of peanut M&M's.

My brothers, Buck and B.J., Cascade Locks, Oregon High School, 1961

I didn't want to be outdone by my brothers on the football field so as a junior and senior in high school I played powder puff football.  Just one flag football game a year, but enough to satisfy those longings.  Maybe enough because I would play backyard football with my brothers, although they always made me play center!

 Me, Powder Puff Football, Stevenson, Washington High School, 1964
Running for a 3 point conversion!

I'm happy football season has started.  If there's a BYU, U of A game or another PAC 12 team, you'll find me sitting in front of the television gritting my teeth, shaking my head, or gleefully whooping!