BIG GAMES, Brockport at Mansfield, 1964

I'm going to tell you another story that's almost as good as the Shepherd game...... We were down at Mansfield playing them and the guy across from me was an absolute monster. He got drafted by the Colts believe it or not and actually played for them for a couple of years. He was 6'3' and weighed well over 300 lbs. On the first play he gathered up me, Northrup and Cox and deposited all three of us about 5 yards in the backfield. I almost shit my pants in absolute amazement that the guy could be that strong. I told Northrup that if he was uncovered we both had to go for one of his ankles in hopes that we could break one some how and get rid of that big bastard.

I stayed as low as I possibly could on every play and tackled that SOB and twisted one of his ankles as hard as I could. He kept screaming at the ref that I was holding him on every play and the ref would just smile at him. Finally, the ref looked at me about half way through the game and said - "Have your hands full, don't you son?" to which I responded - "You just keep looking the other way, please." The ref just smiled and he never once called me for holding that big bastard. I think he actually felt sorry for a soaking wet 180 lb. scrappy kid attempting to wrestle a real life monster of the midway.

After the game Doggie said to me, "Hell, Stevie, you handled that big boy pretty well." Little did the old Coach know that I had an extremely sympathetic ref on my side and thank God for my high school wrestling experience. Those were the days!

Steve Bender, #65

Class of 1966

Tucson, Arizona