I’m not saying this because I’m his coach, but he was the best quarterback there for the Elite 11 tryout. I was surprised that he wasn’t a shoo-in. The selection committee struggled to accept him because they’d traditionally only had seniors make the finals. David forced the issue, though, and they picked him to be one of the quarterbacks invited to the Nike campus to compete in the finals.
In between the regional camp and the finals, we attended Alabama’s football camp. David again set himself apart, so much so that they offered me a job as their quarterback coach. I explained that I had a duty to finish with David. He’d hired me for the summer to go to the various camps and coach him. They agreed I should honor my commitments, which made me happy.
When we went to Elite 11, David finally believed that he was the best quarterback in high school, regardless of class. All the work came together at the right time. He was clearly the best. To this day I can’t believe they only named him Co-MVP. That’s another reason I hated these types of camps and had steered David away from them.
The next camp we went to proved to be another life-changing event for me. Once again, it was due to David. For the second year in a row, we attended the invitation-only Elite Camp in Houston, TX.
Last year at the camp, I paired David up with Bud Mason, perhaps the best quarterback coach I’ve ever met. Bud is a crusty old guy who may have coached in the NFL longer than I’ve been alive. This year, Bud surprisingly wanted to have David again, something I’d never, ever, seen him do. David confounded Bud with his ‘controlled chaos’ approach to football.
I wanted David to work with Bud because Bud would teach him when to cut loose and when to rein it in. The mental control and the knowledge David gained took his whole game up yet another notch. It just seemed that every time I thought David might be hitting the ceiling, he’d open the door to a new higher floor.
I think I got distracted and forgot to tell you how David affected my life a second time. The little shit strolled into our apartment in Houston and said, “Hurry up and take a shower. I got us dates.” He’d gone to the pool to relax and swim some laps and met a mother/daughter combo. I didn’t believe him at first, but he seemed so confident about it I decided to see what he’d gotten himself into. Turns out it was me that got into something. That was the night I met Tanya Masters, who I hope someday will be my wife. She was in Houston on business and with her daughter Jordan.
It’s funny (and somewhat ironic) that David and Jordan didn’t get along, and for good reason: Jordan’s a brat. Before I go, I should fill you in on what happened after David left camp and I took the job at Alabama. David had spent the summer with Tami, who I assumed to be his girlfriend. You could just look at them and see they had a special connection. He was just better when she was around. I heard they had decided that they weren’t really going to try and make a go of it. I heard later that she broke his heart.
That wasn’t the only emotional hit that he took that summer. His best friend was killed when he tried to rescue a fellow student in a swimming accident, and they both drowned. Knowing the kind of person David is, I’m sure he was devastated. I’m equally sure that with his family around him, he’ll get through it just fine.
David’s a special kid. As far as football goes, he’s in a class by himself. If David continues to develop and doesn’t get hurt, he has a real shot at being a top collegiate quarterback and then going on to a long career in the NFL. I personally think that he can do almost anything he puts his mind to. I can’t wait to see how his life unfolds. I hope that you’ll see him in an Alabama uniform soon. Roll Tide!
Chapter 1 – My New Reality Sunday August 23
I woke up to someone getting into my bed. I tried to figure out who it could be when I heard the sound of thunder rumbling. Then I felt a paw on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and saw that Duke, my Labrador retriever, had a worried look. It was a toss-up as to which he feared more, the vacuum or thunderstorms. Duke knew he wasn’t allowed on the bed, but I rubbed his ears and he snuggled up to me. A moment later, it began to rain.
“I don’t think we’re running this morning,” I said.
He seemed to understand and was soon in doggie dreamland. I envied him because I was now awake. It gave me a chance to think. I rolled out of bed and put on some water to make tea. I looked out my window, saw the mood of the weather, and had a half smile. It was perfect for how I felt. The good news was at least now I knew. Tami and I, as a couple, were never going to happen. Well, that might not be true; there was always ‘someday,’ that mythical place and time when everything was possible. It was the Disneyland we all created in our minds, that someday everything would be perfect. I had to stop living for someday and start living for today, the here and now, where we really lived.
I’d been fooling myself for long enough. If Tami really had loved me, it would have been enough. I thought we’d proven that over the last eleven years. I watched as lightning raced across the sky and momentarily made everything clearer with its brightness. In that moment of clarity, I realized I couldn’t continue to allow Tami to run my life. I needed a clean break so I could move on. I would no longer allow myself to be hobbled emotionally by my desire to be with her. I was stronger than that. My pursuit of her had been a colossal mistake, but she had always been my blind spot. At that moment, I was disappointed that I’d shown so much weakness. Like so many worthwhile lessons, you have to learn them the hard way. No one could have warned me, and I wouldn’t have listened anyway. In a way, I should have thanked Tami for teaching me a valuable lesson.
Whenever I felt like I had steered the proverbial boat of my life into the rocks, I reviewed my life goals to correct my course. I got my tablet out and pulled them up.
Financial Stability
Comfortable Life
Good Education
Physically Fit
Solid Moral Foundation
Religion / Faith
Man of Integrity (Man of my word)
No Gossip
Think before saying ‘yes’
Learn to say ‘no’
Healthy Sex Life
Reviewing the goals, I didn’t see anywhere where it said anything about finding my life partner. Uncle John had explained that as I got older, my goals would change. I thought about my summer activities. The two main areas I’d focused on were football and Tami. Uncle John had taught me that my life goals were like a business plan for a company: if you were busy doing activities that didn’t align with your goals, you were wasting company time and resources.
Football had a slim chance of making me financially secure. All it would take would be an injury or some bad breaks and I would never make it to the NFL. It might open the door to scholarships for college, but did I really need the money for that? Would I be better off paying my own way and focusing on academics exclusively? Being a Division One college quarterback is a full-time job, and would eat up a tremendous amount of my time and energy. Did I seriously consider that route would get me to where I wanted to end up? The short answer was obviously ‘yes.’