wtfif

aussiefitzy.com

DAY 39

Week 6

AKRON (Ohio, USA) to INDIANAPOLIS (Indiana, USA)
via The Pro Football Hall Of Fame (Ohio, USA)

Saturday July 29th, 2006

TODAYS MILEAGE – 323 miles or 520 kilometres

TRIP MILEAGE – 5628 miles or 9057 kilometres

I'm a rugby guy through and through, so why am I checking out the Pro Football Hall Of Fame? Because I can!!!

The great thing about not having a schedule or a time frame it that you don't have to look at the clock. I had a couple of White Russians and stayed up until after midnight playing the XBox. I woke up about lunchtime and didn't feel an ounce of guilt for doing it.

An easy 30 minutes down the road from where I parked up for the night was the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. From the outset I really enjoyed visiting this shrine to American Football. Housed in the old school building was one of the best history lessons I've walked through.

Before you get too excited, just remember that American Football's roots are deeply embedded in those of the game of rugby. True story!!! Having visited the home of rugby in Twickenham (London, England), I like looking at the derivatives of the game, namely rugby league and American Football - having played all versions of the sport.

The great thing about the Pro Football Hall Of Fame is that what you see is what you get. I'm not sure if this is by design but you just wondered around a took in what you wanted. They haven't relied in million dollar whiz bang techno stuff to get the exhibits to stand out. Bravo!!!

One of the displays that hit home to me on many different levels was the one on Pat Tillman. He played for the Arizona Cardinals and when the Iraqi war broke out, he turned his back on his multi-million dollar contract to stand up for his country and fight for what he believed in. It was a big media story, but Pat refused all media requests and simply went about his business with the Rangers in Afghanistan. Unfortunately Pat paid the ultimate sacrifice for his beliefs.

Around the same time Pat Tillman was turning his back on the NFL, a young man by the name of Mancow (Danny Nelson), who I had the privilege to play with and coach, signed up for the Marines. Mancow was medically bounced out of boot camp for a back injury. He received this injury by carrying an injured fellow boot camp Marine and his backpack and proceed up the hill (along with his own kit) to his eventual demise. For anyone who knows Mancow, this doesn't come as a surprise.

I saw a lot of me in Mancow, except for the physical ability, as he was a specimen. But the mental toughness, looking out for his mates and broad minded view of the world, is so much like me when I was his age. Seeing the Pat Tillman exhibit brang our acquaintance and mateship back.

Not making light of Mancow's worth, when I first started coaching I was happy when Mancow made his move to the Marines as the team would wait until Mancow produced a piece of his magic out on the field before the would fire. As we all know, a team of champions will never beat a champion team. I wished I could have coached Mancow earlier in his career. Never mind though, he's made a great name for himself in college football and knowing him like I do, he will be a pro before long and given enough latitude, you may see him in Canton, Ohio.

Tomorrow I'm going to try and take a lap on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Man Pad.