One Last Fall

By Tom Cole

Hope you enjoy One Last Fall.

It is a semi-true story,
about semi-true players,
in a semi-true football life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781546214618

Tom Cole

Tom Cole is a former RAF Engineering Officer who has built military vehicle models since his teenage years. This is Tom’s fourth book on the subject of military model making, and he has regularly contributed to military model making magazines. Tom is a proud father and grandfather and is looking forward to more babysitting now this book is finished!

Book preview

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© 2017 Tom Cole. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/06/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5462-1462-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-1461-8 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

1 THE CHIN STRAP

2 THE GM SPEAKS

3 TEST RESULTS

4 THE BACK UP

5 MINUTE THIRTY ON THE STADIUM CLOCK

6 MAC CAUGHT THE BALL

7 A BEER

8 A LOCKER ROOM ISSUE

9 POSNER GOES DOWN

10 THE FIGHT

11 BROKEN FINGER

12 BRIGHT LIGHTS COOPER

13 THE BULLDOGS BIG GAME

14 WES RACE RICHARDS

13-14-13-14-13-14

WHERE ARE THEY NOW

EPILOGUE

Thanks to all the players and coaches that crossed my goal line through the years

Special Thanks

To my wife Karen who is part cheerleader and full-time CEO; without her there is no ….

One Last Fall

1

THE CHIN STRAP

It’s a hot breezy day at Gilbert Stadium. Two high school age kids walk into the football arena. The tall very slender youngster says to the other youngster, How do you think we are going to be this year? The shorter youngster with his baseball cap on backwards says, We could be real good if Clint Clarkson can stay healthy.

Clint Clarkson has been the starting quarterback for the Dragons, the pro football franchise in the State of Michigan, and at age 27 has been a super nova in the league. He was all pro the last three out of his four years with a real pain in the ass attitude to match. Last year alone for the Dragons Clarkson threw for 3,800 yards and 28 touchdowns, the third best production from the QB position in the entire league. The Dragons just missed the play-offs last year, losing the last two games of the season because Clint Clarkson got hurt. It cost them a spot in the play-offs.

The shorter youngster with the backward baseball cap, chewing bubble gum says matter-of-factly, We will be in real trouble if Clarkson goes down this year! The tall youngster with a Dragons T-shirt says, Who is the old dude up there? They both turn their attention to the nosebleed section of the stands. Sitting up at the top of the football stadium was a very tall angular guy with graying hair and a Dragon hat on pensively staring out at the empty football field, smoking a cigar. The kids could not see the old guy’s eyes. He was wearing those big sunglasses, mirrored shades, the kind you buy at the local gas station after a fill-up. The tall boy says, That old dude is Trouble. The other youngster says, What do you mean? The tall kid’s face turns into a frown and says, That guy up in the stands is our back-up QB, his name is T.D. Tomorrow, #14. The other youngster says, Why do they call him TD, because he throws a lot of touchdown passes? The tall kid says, No, they call him TD because his real name is Teddy David. Last year TD stunk, he had five touchdowns and twelve interceptions. He’s a season killer! When he comes in the season is over. The shorter youngster grimaces and asks the question, Why do the Dragon’s keep him? The tall boy says, He’s cheap and the club is saving money on his salary."

TD spots the young kids and gets his angular body moving slowly and deliberately down the stadium steps with the hint of a limp like an old west gunfighter that has seen one too many fights. TD has had three knee operations, one on the left knee and two on the right. He can tell you very accurately when it will rain and snow. The knee ache never misses. TD strides up to the two kids and says, Hey, are you guys going to be coming to our games this year? He looks directly at the young kids, takes off his gas station shades and says, Look forward to seeing you two at the games. The tall kid with a little bit of hubris says, Do you think that you could get us Clint Clarkson’s autograph? TD smiles and says, I will try, see you guys at the games! The kids both wave at the aging quarterback as he ambles away.

TD heads down to the Dragons locker room. It was time to get dressed for a team workout. TD always liked the locker room. It was a sanctuary from the real work world, no worries, no bills, no real life problems. It was a protective bubble that in many ways allowed you to remain a kid, you were practicing and playing a game as an adult. TD loved it!

TD should have retired years ago. He truly liked the professional football life. To TD the game itself was special, unique and intriguing. He felt the way he gripped a football was a lot like the manner and fashion in which the game of football has gripped him since he was a kid, just like the kids he met today.

TD walks by Clarkson in the locker room. Clarkson spots the old quarterback and says, Hey, T-REX!, because TD is almost as old