The Class of '73

By Tom Cole

The Class of '73 is about a fictional College called Hillside. This story represents a myriad of real colleges across America in the 70's. The Class of '73 is about events in the classroom, on the football field, in the dorms and the Frat houses. Events that happened to the main character Tommy Hawk Quarterback. The Class of '73 puts into clear view the highly unusual times that Hawk and his friends were living through. These college kids survived Vietnam, Woodstock and Watergate. They laughed and loved and learned.
College was never the same after The Class of '73......

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665566803

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

PREQUEL

A CHEESEBURGER AND FATE

Tommy Hawk had a very good senior year at St. John’s Jesuit High School. Hawk and his teammates made it to the championship game in the University of Toledo Glass Bowl. Hawk and his teammates lost that game but felt a great deal of accomplishment because they got there; for a new start up school that was unheard of. Hawk knew he wanted to continue football in college and maybe also play basketball.

Hawk received a walk-on opportunity at Indiana University. Indiana had just come off of a Rose Bowl appearance in 1968 but Hawk did not think he would be able to play there. He had about 30 letters from Division II and Division III schools to play quarterback but what really interested him was Marshall University. Hawk had visited Marshall three or four times, met coaches, teammates and spent a weekend. Tommy decided that was where he was going.

After his last visit he and his dad were headed home from Marshall when they stopped in Hillside and went to a little diner called L&K and had a cheeseburger. At the restaurant a coach walked up to Hawk and his dad, noticing his varsity jacket, and asked what school he played for. The coach was Jacob Parker better known as TNP (take no prisoners Parker.) Right there Coach Parker sold Tommy and his dad on Hillside, strong academics, outstanding football program and Hawk would also be able to play basketball if he liked. It all sounded great to Hawk because he really enjoyed basketball but knew he could not play football and basketball, both, at Marshall. The MAC was so competitive. So, Hawk decided to go to Hillside, play quarterback, some basketball and get a degree in History and teach and coach.

One year later the tragic Marshall Football team plane crash occurred. If Hawk had gone to Marshall, he would have been on the plane. So, it was a cheeseburger and fate that sent Tommy Hawk to Hillside College to try to play quarterback and a little basketball.

The Tragic Marshall event haunted Hawk most of his life. He always wondered why he was spared and others were not.

EXTRA POINT

Tommy Hawk received about 40 letters from colleges about playing qb for those schools Hawk felt very lucky and extremely fortunate.

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1

FRESHMAN YEAR...THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Easy to be hard Three Dog Night 1969

"For What It’s Worth...Buffalo Springfield

It was August 15 late in the summer of 1969. Hillside College was welcoming 65 freshmen football players alongside 75 upper class footballers. Hillside is a four year liberal arts college that has produced one vice President of the United States, a couple of Federal Court Judges and a bevy of excellent high school and college teachers plus a current governor of Arizona.

Hillside sits on 30 acres of some of the flattest land in the State of Ohio. Legend has it an early group of settlers in the 1890’s built many of their early homes out of mud and stone in the shape of small hills, hence the name of Hillside, Ohio. The College bookstore at Hillside sells a very popular t-shirt that says on the front with the Hillside College logo Where are the Hills on the back of the t-shirt it just says Welker Hall. Welker Hall is an all-girl dorm at Hillside. Hawk owned a couple of those t-shirts.

Hillside College is known as the Fighting Copper Heads. Copper Heads because those aggressive territorial snakes are indigenous to the Hillside area. The Hillside cheers at Saturday football games are always very exciting and a good deal of fun. The cheerleaders all line up in a snake like line and they get the entire student body to