The "Are You Ready For Some Football?" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  That was until I turned the TV on to watch Super Bowl LV.  Always enjoyed the Super Bowl, but its most enjoyable if my Philadelphia Eagles are playing or if I happen to know someone who is on one of the teams.  The Eagles have been to the Super Bowl three times in the 55 years it has decided the Champion of professional football.  The first time was in Super Bowl XV against the Oakland Raiders.  The Eagles were led by quarterback Ron Jaworski and a defense that allowed the fewest points (222) in the NFL that year.  Stats were pretty good, but the final score wasn't.  They lost 27-10.  Their next appearance happened to be 24 years later when the faced off against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2004.  Carol and I happened to be on vacation in St. Martin at the time.  

Carol and I watching the Eagles lose while in St. Martin.

We found a restaurant within walking distance of our hotel room and made reservations for the game that evening.  When we arrived, we were ushered to the front of the restaurant where there was a big-screen TV on the wall.  Those who were for the Eagles were seated on the stage to the right of the restaurant and those who were for the Patriots were seated on the stage to the left of the restaurant.  Before long we were talking with the other couple while across the stage sat about two dozen Patriots fans.  We all had a good time, but the large group on the other side had the better time, since the Patriots won.  But, in 2018 the Eagles once again played the Patriots and this time beat them to become Champions of the World.  Too bad we couldn't have been on the stage in St. Martin for the win.  Over the years, there have also been two times when I had the chance to cheer for a hometown player who was in the Championship game.  

Doug Dennison

Fellow by the name of Doug Dennison played in Super Bowl X with the Dallas Cowboys when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He had another chance three years later when the Cowboys beat the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XIII.  Doug was a short-yardage specialist who was the first NFL player from what was then Kutztown State College in nearby Kutztown, Pennsylvania.  

Doug, #21, gaining yardage.

During his career with the Cowboys he ran for 1,112 yards on 306 carries and scored 19 touchdowns in 52 games from 1974-78.  He was a 1970 graduate of Lancaster J.P. McCaskey High School where he starred in not only football, but track.  As a senior he won the Pennsylvania District III triple jump and was 6th at States.  He is a member of the McCaskey Hall of Fame.  The second professional football player was a fellow named Dan Kreider who played for Manheim Central High School.  

Dan Kreider

He played tight end as a high school junior and caught 12 passes for 232 yards and 6 touchdowns.  He also had 101 tackles his junior year.  As a senior running back in 1994 he set season records scoring 32 touchdowns and scoring 194 points.  Twice he scored 5 touchdowns in a single game.  He was named Linebacker of the Year for Section Two of the Lancaster-Lebanon League and was named to the All-State second team.  He was asked to play in the Big 33 All-Star Game where players from Pennsylvania and Maryland go against each other.  

Dan, #35 scoring a touchdown for the Steelers.

He played his college ball at the University of New Hampshire where he was a four year starter for the Wildcats.  He rushed for 1,602 yards and 6 touchdowns in his college career.  In 2000 he entered the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent.   He was eventually signed to the active roster on October 17, 2000.  He ended up being their Rookie of the Year, playing better than others who were drafted higher up than he was.  He eventually started at fullback in Super Bowl XL when they played Seattle.  He eventually signed with the Miami Dolphins and then the St. Louis Rams where he was the starting fullback and played in all 11 games in 2008.  He then signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 where he was reunited with Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt who was the offensive coordinator for the Steelers during his time with the Steelers.  I have made my choice for today's game, but will not release it yet.  Hope it is a good game and goes down to the end of the game before we know the winner.  After all, the two teams are supposed to be the two best in the league.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.