Trauma to triumph in three minutes!
A Kick in the Butt
This high-school football story involves no stadium nor game. It happened on the practice field at the south edge of the two-block Cretin Campus.
Likely I was a senior--possibly a junior. We were running plays in a minimal contact scrimmage. (Note: While coach Warner often showed anger and cursed us out, our practices were free of the senseless, get-tough drills that typified high-school football.) On one play that day a defender got to the runner behind or at the line of scrimmage. Coach Warner ignited in anger. He had both offense and defense line up again to identify who had missed his assignment. I, at center, knew I had carried out my assignment. As I crouched over the ball I waited to see who to my right or left would get the coach's wrath. In that frame of mind, I felt a sudden, heavy blow to my rear end that sent me sprawling forward onto the grass. It was a mighty kick from the shoe of Coach Warner.
I knew I was unjustly accused, but it was not my personality to confront the coach and tell him so. His point apparently made, Warner said little more. I lined back up with the others, we ran that play and many more without incident.
I can only guess that the assistant coaches behind us whispered to each other and then to Warner, because it was few plays and fewer minutes later that Warner announced loud enough for all to hear. “I apologize, Komives, that was not your blocking mistake.” Facing away from the coach I could risk a smile. I could see everybody else also had a surreptitious smirk on his face. I looked back briefly to catch a glimpse of assistant coaches smiling behind their pretend coughs. After all, this was an historic occasion. I doubt anybody before or after heard Coach Tom Warner utter an apology. My minimal humiliation of a kick in the butt gave me the unique honor to receive that historic apology.
Trauma to triumph in three minutes!
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