My playing days are long-since behind me.  I’m ok with that.

I grew up in Michigan, going to a high school that was known for its football team. I was too big to play hockey, so football was it for me.

And I loved it.

I still remember game days, the sounds, the fans, the band, the smell of freshly mowed turf… and Randy Lange’s father’s cigars.

I can explain that last one.

Randy’s dad was the unofficial team photographer my junior year.  He took really good pictures, and smoked incredibly cheap cigars on the sideline.  At a change of possession we’d run off the field into the cloud of smoke that hovered over our bench.  To this day, I associate cigar smoke with football.

I wouldn’t change that for anything.

That’s “why.”

We were pretty good.  The varsity went 8-1 four years in a row.  We lost to Monroe Catholic Central every year.  I remember linebacker Brian Oliver smashing his helmet against the locker room wall after one of those losses. I can still hear the sound, thunderous in an otherwise silent locker room.

Does it matter now, more than 20 years later, that we couldn’t beat MCC no matter how hard we tried?

Yeah, it matters.  I still feel it in my chest.

That’s “why.”

I miss those days.  This isn’t some Bruce Springsteen “Glory Days” sob story.  I love where I am today, what I’ve earned and learned and experienced.  There’s not much I would change.

Time marches on.  Like Monroe Catholic Central, it can’t be stopped.

But, I miss the locker room, the teammates, and the coaches.  And game days.

That’s “why.”

I envy you, the high school athlete.  Your best memories lie ahead.

Enjoy every moment.  Live every moment, every play, even every practice.  

Breathe deep on gameday.

Never quit.

Because before you know it, it’s gone.

That’s “why.”

Brian is Creative Services Director for FOX 11and My Tucson TV.