Post by los on Jul 17, 2006 11:12:54 GMT -6
I found out recently that one of my old HS teammates passed away (age 53) of cancer. Since I couldn't attend his funeral, I thought I'd offer a small eulogy here. John was like the majority of high school football players in most respects- not real big, not real fast, no real chance of going on to a higher level, just one of the many kids who make up the backbone of the average hs team. But for those of us who were lucky enough to know the real story of this guys athletic career, he was an inspiration to all. John loved playing football and never missed an opportunity to play in our many pick-up games and started his organized career in the 7th grade along with most of the rest of us. Initially, we had no idea of the physical problems he lived with on a daily basis, but just brushed it off to bad luck when he left a sandlot game quickly because of bruises or cuts and constantly having joint problems after a big hit? It wasn't until HS that we were fully aware that John was a hemophiliac, with other assorted problems! His folks supported his desire to play football and he never asked for any special treatment from the coaches or players. Thru hard work and dedication, he worked his way into the starting fb position in his junior year and never relinquished it , in the face of tough competition for the job! Throughout his 2 year starting career he never missed a practice or game in spite of assorted cuts, abrasions, deep bruises and a couple shoulder separations, many which required "us" to make him go to the sidelines, so the Doc could take a look! For our incentive to carry on and not quit when things got tough, we needn't look any further than our own 5 ft. nothin, a hundred and nothin version of "Rudy" , John Cuff. We love you and will miss ya bro!
