It was the most controversial call during the second week of college football play in the 2018 season. College Station, Texas is the home to the Texas A&M Aggies, home of the 12th man, and they were hosting the second ranked Clemson Tigers for a classic Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference match-up.
What is your alarm clock? How do you wake up in the morning? When Sarah and I were married, she brought an alarm clock that has the most un-godly sound. When it goes off, it can wake someone from the deepest of sleeps.
Sarah has always set this clock ten minutes ahead, it is an attempt not to be late…yet ten minutes ahead. I think it is a comfort zone, giving us the sense of control that we can stay on time…even though we know that we are ten minutes ahead. I think it is our false sense of security…ssshhhsss…she might get think I am being snarky! 🙂
My mom…I do not have the right words to express my love for my mom. She taught me the value of hard work, determination, importance of education, and most of all…the gift of family.
I have a helmet on my shelf that was signed by Gaines Adams. Each time I look at it…I think about that amazing play he made against Wake Forest in 2006.
Clemson was trailing 17-3 at the end of the third quarter. Wake Forest was attempting a field goal to take a 20-3 lead, but let time run out in the third quarter before taking the snap.
After changing sides of the field, the botched snap was knocked in the air by Gaines Adams, who snagged the ball and ran it 66 yards for a TD. This sparked Clemson’s offense, scoring two more touchdowns and a field goal in the 4th quarter to tbeat the Demon Deacons 27-17.
That play was named one of the top four game-changing plays of 2006 by ESPN.
Clemson is playing Wake Forest this Thursday night in Winston Salem. I think many Clemson fans are thinking about that amazing play and remembering the life of Gaines Adams.
Gaines passed away tragically after going into cardiac arrest in January 2010. It shocked his family, the Clemson family, the Chicago Bears family, and so many people that knew and loved Gaines. I wish I was one of the fortunate ones to meet Gaines. My mother knew Gaines and had the helmet signed for me as Christmas gift.
This year, I was fortunate to work on a project for Clemson Letterwinners Association. Gaines was one of ten Clemson athletes to be inducted into this year’s Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame. When I learned Gaines was going to be one of the inductees, I spent lots of time thinking how could we tell his story.
Many times we try to tackle something from a 30,000 foot perspective, covering all aspects of a person’s life. Gaines was so gifted, with so many accolades both athletically and as a person…I knew it would be hard to fit it all into one 4 minute story.
So we decided to go micro, tell the one story very few people knew and one that really illustrated how one person could impact so many others.
Gaines’s high school coach was Steve Taneyhill. Yes, Steve Taneyhill! The last memory I have of Steve was when he was quarterback for the Gamecocks and he tore up the turf at Death Valley after beating us.
Steve and Gaines had a special relationship, a special friendship, and a special commitment to what they loved…they game of football. Steve is probably the reason why he chose Clemson. In the video above, Steve tells his story of watching Gaines play against the Gamecocks. Steve shares the internal debate he was having, trying to restrain his joy as he watched Gaines sack the Gamecock quarterback numerous times.
I hope you enjoy this story and I hope you will always remember Gaines for being Gaines.
I cherish the signed helmet on my mantel.
If you would like to watch all the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame Stories from this year’s ceremony, CLICK HERE.
Links used as reference for this blog post:
http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/8881/clemson-mourns-loss-of-adams
Sometimes…you never know when you will find that bend in the road. Life always throws us curve balls, but it is up to us to find ways to work through the struggles. Nancy Welch was that person for me that taught me that we don’t always have to look at something as traumatic as cancer as the final destination.
I normally do not talk about religious issues on this blog, but today I think it is most appropriate. Johnny McKinney of Boulevard Baptist spoke about that final destination and asked, “What would we do if we knew our final day on this earth. Would it change our outlook on life, our priorities, and even our daily routines?”
Nancy Welch did not look at the “Big C” (as she called it) as the final stop on this journey in life. She just looked at it as a bend in the road. She took full advantage of this opportunity to engage her friends and family during this journey.
The story above is more than Nancy’s story about fighting colorectal cancer, it is a story of community. I know the video is long, 9 minutes long…but it was the only way I knew how to share this story. A of a strong community around her that decided to pitch in and help her along the way. Sometimes it takes a group of people to help us through the tough times. Sometimes we need to feel that sense of community to make it through that bend in the road.
We all know Nancy and her impact on the Upstate of South Carolina. From hosting a show on WSPA-TV7, to serving on numerous boards, and along with donating her time to the causes that she believed were important…her impact was felt. I was fortunate to know her son. We both went to Clemson together. I worked for Clemson Football while he kicked his way into stardom including that monumental kick at Virginia.
Nancy’s story is one that I am glad I had a chance to tell. She taught me more than you know!
To read my blog post on Greenville Hospital System’s Blog –> CLICK HERE
To see all the other Greenville Hospital Centennial Stories –> CLICK HERE