14. Catching Heroes
Today is 26 days from the first anniversary of Dad’s passing. I’ve committed to writing 40 stories about him as that day approaches. Forty Steady Stories.
In the 1970s — way before Charlotte brought the NFL to town — Dad used to root for both the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. He pulled for the Redskins because they were the closest team to where he grew up. He pulled for the Cowboys, well, because they were from Texas! Names like Billy Kilmer, Larry Brown, Charley Taylor, Roger Staubach, Randy White, and “Hollywood” Henderson were names I heard just about every Sunday.
During Sunday game breaks, Dad and I would go throw the football in the yard on Merrifield Road. At some point, I got the uniform in the picture above, and I thought I was all set for the NFL.
Number 10 on the field; number 1 in your heart.
Dad would tell me about the drills the players above would go through to get better, and we often practiced those same drills. He told me about route patterns for receivers like “down and out,” “down and in,” and “post pattern.” I ran the routes, and he would throw spirals to me.
I LOVED catching the balls thrown to me and wanted to get every single one.
After the drills and a lot of fun, Dad came up with an idea and a tradition was born. He said something like, “Alright, it’s time for some ‘Hero Catches.’” Hero Catches were just on the edge of uncatchable and meant that I had to jump high or dive low or run faster to have a chance at pulling the ball in for a catch.
I absolutely loved Hero Catches. Dad would call out the pattern to me. Then he’d say, “Down! Set! … Hut, hut!” He’d hike the ball to himself, and I’d take off running the route. Then he’d float an almost uncatchable ball to me, and I’d do my best to get to it. I didn’t always get them, but I never got tired of trying for Hero Catches.
There was only one rule at the end of each session. It was a hard and fast rule that Dad never wavered on — in any sport.
The rule: Never quit on a miss.
We never did. Whether football, basketball, or baseball, we never quit until the last ball was caught or the shot went in. My entire sports career — whether at school or in the back yard — Dad instilled that wonderful lesson in me. I could never bring myself to walk off a field or court without completing a pass or shot — even if the game was over. Even if no one was watching.
What a great rule for life: get back up and keep going until you succeed, and never quit on a miss.
But here’s the thing about the Hero Catches that I realized when I got older: Dad was letting me be the hero. Sometimes when we know more than other people, we try to make sure they know that. I’ve done that. Frankly, Dad did that sometimes as well. But not during Hero Catches. He let me dream about and practice winning the game by doing something difficult. He let me learn how to be a hero. He also taught me how to lose when I missed. It’s fine to lose a game if you tried your best, but still… you don’t quit on a miss.
To this day if I do something as simple as throwing a piece of paper into the trashcan, I can never quit on a miss. My friend Scotty and I practiced that same principle as teenagers when we were egging cars driving down Colony Road — not something I would recommend these days. Eggs are just too expensive.
So, go practice some Hero Catches with someone this week.
Just make sure they — and you — don’t quit on a miss.
