A bias towards football...

As my family and many of my friends know, I have been a fan of the sport of football for nearly my entire life.  I was born in Dallas and remember watching Cowboy players like Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, and Tom Landry at a very early age.  Many a day was spent playing tackle football in the back yard with my brother Chad and boys that lived down the road.  I played as soon as I could, starting my freshman year in full pads for the first time.  I was a cornerback and a quarterback, and not that good at either one.  Football was not the only sport I played though, as basketball and baseball both kept me busy during my high school years.  I grew quickly and thoroughly during high school and ended up playing tight end and defensive end by the time I was a senior.  I then went on to play tight end, offensive tackle, and linebacker in college, along with every special team there was.  I loved the sport, though I must admit I got a little burnt out by the time I was a senior in college.

Seminary followed college and with it came football.  My first year in seminary I quarterbacked an inter-mural team that wiped out everyone we played.  I continued to watch football, but I thought my time with the sport was at an end.

Not long after seminary, I ended up teaching and coaching in high school sports in Oregon.  Football drew me back into coaching and I found that I enjoyed the sport from the vantage point of  the coach as much as I had enjoyed it as a player. (to be continued)...