Tag: September 11 attacks

Reflections of a middle-school football player during 9/11

What do you remember about 9/11?

As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, it feels fitting that I will spend it watching football. When I watch Notre Dame and Toledo battle it out in South Bend, I will feel a connection to these players. That’s because at the time of the attacks, as crazy as it sounds for the people I know, I was a football player for my Catholic parochial school at the tender age of 12.

I say this because it was football that really drove home the point to me on how big and how serious these attacks were. Towards the end of school that day, an announcement came on the PA that the evening’s JV practice was canceled. This didn’t affect me because I was on the varsity, and it was a scheduled day off. Still, I wondered why that was happening for no apparent reason because the school had chosen not to inform its students of that morning’s events, so we were completely in the dark until after we were let out.

The next day, we returned to practice, and that’s when I really felt the gravity of what was happening. From our field, we always saw airplanes coming in for landings. Now, with civilian airspace closed, the sky was completely empty. It was one of the most eerie things I’ve ever seen.

A few weeks later, we were at halftime of a game when it was announced that the first troops had entered Afghanistan. The PA announcer led everyone, including us players, in a reciting of the Lord’s Prayer. It was the least we could do for the men and women who were heading into combat. Little did we know that they would have a presence in that country for almost 20 years.

It was a season I never will forget, and it’s why I hope the Irish and Rockets understand the significance of playing a game today. They either weren’t born or were too young to know what was happening on a day we commemorate every year. The post-9/11 world is all they’ve ever known. That we’re saying this about today’s college football players is a testament to how much time has passed.

Let us never forget that terrible day, and let us never forget the people who perished.

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Rutgers football unveils uniforms to commemorate September 11

Rutgers football will wear special uniforms this weekend to remember those who lost their lives on September 11.

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On Saturday, Rutgers football will wear special uniforms to honor all those who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Among those lost were 37 alumni of Rutgers.

The uniforms will commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the attacks that saw two of the towers at the iconic World Trade Center fall. In addition, terrorists attacked the Pentagon, blowing a hole in the side of the military facility. A fourth hijacked plane saw the passengers successfully thwart the intended target, resulting in the plane crashing in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. There were 2,977 victims from the attacks that were perpetrated by terrorist group Al-Qaeda.

The uniform reveal includes the patriotic messaging on the gloves, reading ‘Never Forget.’ The message was a popular slogan in the days and weeks after the attacks.

Rutgers will play at Syracuse on Saturday, putting the two states most affected by the attacks in terms of loss of life against each other on the gridiron.

 

The days after the attacks saw an outpouring of emotion on playing fields all over the country. Of note were moments such as the New York Yankees and New York Mets wearing hats featuring the different first responders to the site of the World Trade Center. Football players carried American flags onto the field as part of pregame introductions.

All sports, from local to the big leagues seemingly commemorated the attacks and the loss of life on that day. MLS star defender Mike Petke of the then MetroStars poignantly was photographed wearing an ‘NYPD’ hat and carrying an American flag into the field prior to the national anthem when MLS returned to action after a hiatus following the attacks.

Boston College uniforms for Notre Dame game an honor to American hero

When Boston College welcomes Notre Dame to town on Saturday, the Eagles will be wearing very special uniforms in honor of an American hero.

I’ll start by saying I’m kind of boring and old school in the sense that alternate uniforms don’t usually do very much for me.

Notre Dame wearing green on Saturday when they upset No. 1 Clemson would have made the game no more special to me than it was with them wearing blue and gold.

Maybe it’s the years of disappointment when the green was worn in huge games that made me this way, but whatever the case, I’m generally not much for them.

I will say Boston College’s alternate uniforms this weekend are about as good as it gets, however.

And it’s not simply based off their look, but the story behind them.

Saturday will be a “Red Bandanna Game” for Boston College, in honor of alumni Welles Crowther.

If you’ve never heard the story of the “Man in the Red Bandanna” during the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, then it’s worth a few minutes of your time to learn more.

In short, the 24 year old former Boston College lacrosse player was working in the WTC when the attacks took place.  A volunteer firefighter when he was just 16 years old, Crowther sprung to action immediately by helping guide many to stairways and exits, saving their lives before the tower fell.

Because of the smoke he put a red bandanna over his mouth and nose to protect from the smoke.  It happened that he always kept the red bandanna with him and survivors who he helped simply referred to him as the “Man in the Red Bandanna”.

At just 24 years old his spent the final minutes of his life helping save as many others as possible instead of running for the exit and saving himself.

If you’re interested, I try and watch the following piece on Crowther each September 11 just for some life perspective.

If there were more people in the world like Welles Crowther today, it’d undoubtedly be a much better place to live.