close
We won the state championship in 1969 and the following year in 1970 we went 6-3. Every team we played wanted badly to beat us, and our team was inexperienced but played with great courage. Every week was like a war. So before the 1971 season, Miller Coach Mack Wood bought new red jerseys and on the back above the number he put our name...T.R. Miller. It was like an army who carried their battle flag in front announcing who you were about to do battle with. Just in case you didn't know. It has been on the back of our jerseys ever since.
At T.R. Miller our players are no different than players at other schools. We require a lot of them and we work very hard at what we do. But our opponents also work and practice. They have good coaches. And they all want to beat T.R. Miller. We get everyone's best game and we must be ready to play every week. There are no off weeks at T.R. Miller.
There are times that we have difficulty blocking a defense because the defenders are good. Sometimes we have trouble stopping an offense because of they are fast and skilled, or they have a great passer or receiver or running back. We have seen some kick returners that were so quick you better get a lot of people there in a hurry to stop them. There have been times when the other team was just a little better than us. We don't like to admit that but sometimes it's true.
But that doesn't mean that we can't win the game. We have won games 7-0 and we have won games 36-35. When we won 7-0 it didn't mean we had a terrible offense. And when we won 36-35 it doesn't mean we didn't try on defense. We are a team. And some years we are going to be better on offense and some years better on defense. When Pat Byrne kicked for us it was easier to be great in the kicking game. But Pat Byrne hasn't played for us for nearly ten years.
So today I celebrate a team that refuses to quit when things don't go well. I celebrate a group of kids that can overcome a disappointment and keep playing. I celebrate a football squad that loses players to injury like all teams, that plays even when their body hurts and offers no excuses. I celebrate the spirit of a team that is less talk than action, that plays for their school with class and dignity. A team that celebrates a win with a hug for a teammate or coach or a parent or maybe just a fan. And suffers over a loss. That even if he played his heart out against a bigger, faster, more skilled opponent ......still feels like he let everyone down.
A lot of people talk about playing 48 minutes of football but it is something else to actually do it. And after you have done it you are still behind and you have one play left. At that point it is less about skill than it is about character and courage and belief. Because if you don't believe it I promise it will never happen.
I celebrate this team.
On the back of our jersey it says T.R. Miller. I don't remember seeing another team with their name on the back of their jersey. You earn the right to wear that name. Because when you play for T.R. Miller their is no hiding from anyone. Everyone knows where we are on their schedule. And our players live with that every week.
As much as any team we have ever had, this team should were the T.R. Miller on their jersey.
By the way, no one on the sideline asked if we were going for one or two. They just huddled to find out which play we were going to run.
On the back of our jersey it says T.R. Miller.
Comments