Tuesday, October 09, 2007
October 6th, 2007 - Emotional Rollercoaster
October 6th, 2007 - a day I will never forget. Stanford's monumental win over 41 point favorite USC. I missed it to attend Jessica and Paul's wedding. But the real shocker arrived in my in-box that morning. Mom told us all that she had a serious blood disease that turned out to be leukemia.
More on Mom later. I need to compose myself and my words. I also want to wait and see how her treatment goes.
For now, I want to write about Stanford football. Stanford may not win another game the rest of the year, but this one will still resonate for a long time. I think that the magnitude of the win will diminish as USC is shown to be a flawed team. But Stanford's accomplishment is still phenomenal. Here is what I wrote on the New York Times blog:
Look up the phrase “long suffering” in the dictionary and you will find a picture of Stanford fans. This is not only a reflection of the last five years (16 wins and 40 losses). Stanford has one of the best and longest legacies in college football. No Pac 10 team other than USC has played in more Rose Bowls. Stanford’s history includes several of the greatest coaches and players ever. There have been many memorable victories. In my four years, we beat #3 Oklahoma in Norman and #1 Washington and tied one of the all time great USC teams in 1979 (it felt like a win). But the history is also littered with stunning losses to seemingly-outmanned opponents (usually San Jose State) and what seem like countless heartbreaks as we snatch defeat from the gaping jaws of victory.
Yet these rollercoaster experiences are what bond us to Stanford football. Philip Taubman’s essay certainly captured the essence of my emotions on Saturday. It was extra special because it was USC. My gosh, we once went 16 years without beating those guys. I love the phrase “you take victories like the one on Saturday and set them in mental amber.” This one is embedded for life for me. At least for this week, everything is all right now.
A Proud Stanford Graduate
I also love these post-game reflections - MizzouCard on Stanford's win
And this terrific video of the post game celebration - Stanford 24 USC 23, October 6, 2007
More on Mom later. I need to compose myself and my words. I also want to wait and see how her treatment goes.
For now, I want to write about Stanford football. Stanford may not win another game the rest of the year, but this one will still resonate for a long time. I think that the magnitude of the win will diminish as USC is shown to be a flawed team. But Stanford's accomplishment is still phenomenal. Here is what I wrote on the New York Times blog:
Look up the phrase “long suffering” in the dictionary and you will find a picture of Stanford fans. This is not only a reflection of the last five years (16 wins and 40 losses). Stanford has one of the best and longest legacies in college football. No Pac 10 team other than USC has played in more Rose Bowls. Stanford’s history includes several of the greatest coaches and players ever. There have been many memorable victories. In my four years, we beat #3 Oklahoma in Norman and #1 Washington and tied one of the all time great USC teams in 1979 (it felt like a win). But the history is also littered with stunning losses to seemingly-outmanned opponents (usually San Jose State) and what seem like countless heartbreaks as we snatch defeat from the gaping jaws of victory.
Yet these rollercoaster experiences are what bond us to Stanford football. Philip Taubman’s essay certainly captured the essence of my emotions on Saturday. It was extra special because it was USC. My gosh, we once went 16 years without beating those guys. I love the phrase “you take victories like the one on Saturday and set them in mental amber.” This one is embedded for life for me. At least for this week, everything is all right now.
A Proud Stanford Graduate
I also love these post-game reflections - MizzouCard on Stanford's win
And this terrific video of the post game celebration - Stanford 24 USC 23, October 6, 2007
