Oklahoma Drills and #43

I promise this is not going to be a story of me reliving my “glory days” so stick with me because I am going somewhere with this. I am of a certain age (code for OLD) when football was taught and played very differently than it is today. Like many things in the world, the sport as evolved as the players have become, bigger, faster, stronger, smarter. The equipment is better, the fields are usually much better and watching “film” has changed to watching video or streaming it in real time.

I was recently at a high school football practice here in the Atlanta suburbs and I was shocked to see the team doing what we referred to as “Oklahoma Drills.” Back in my leather helmet wearing days (I’m really not that old), we did those almost every practice. The drill was originally developed long ago by Bud Wilkinson, head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, when they were national champion contenders for years. In my mind, it also could be called the “Let’s see what you got” drill. The way it works is that the coach will lay three blocking dummies on the ground about a yard or so apart to represent the respective guard/center and guard/tackle “holes” on the line of scrimmage. One guy will get the ball on one side of the dummies and the other is to tackle him once he turns up into one of the holes. It’s a lot of fun and a sure way to get a headache and likely a concussion. But when it is your turn, you have to show the team what you are bringing to the table, or you may find yourself on the bench or selling popcorn. Due to a lot of studies regarding concussions and CTE, that kind of hitting (which we did routinely in the 60s and 70s) has been scaled back a lot. Teams don’t hit much during the week in general. From the comfort of my couch, it is easy to see that tackling is a lost art and if somebody does lay a lick on an opponent, they are getting flagged and sometimes ejected from that game for unnecessary roughness and/or targeting.

When we lost a game, or the coaches didn’t think we were doing what we should be doing we were often “punished” with a lot of running and/or Oklahoma drills. On the flip side it was a great way to get in the proper mind set to play ball. It is a contact sport, and it is true that if you are not going full speed during a game, you have a real good chance of getting hurt. So, like everything in sports, you practice like you play. I have never been in the service or in a war so I will never compare it to that, but it did test how big your heart was and if you had the “guts” to bang heads. I played linebacker a lot when I played for the few years they wanted me to. We practiced that way a lot because that was what we needed to do in a game. We stood up behind the defensive linemen and when you saw a hole open up it was your job to plug it up and do it in a way that they might not want to do that many more times.

When I went out for the junior high school team when I was about 13 or 14ish none of the coaches really knew who I was since it was first year being moved up from pee-wee ball. It was like starting all over again in the sense that I had to show the coaches that I could play and that I wanted to play. During the first few days of contact drills, we were doing a lot hitting and I found myself rather enjoying it. Since I was doing pretty good, they first decided to try me at middle guard which is a player that lines up on the nose of the center. You typically have to be very quick and able to maintain your ground and for the most part protect the linebackers who are then free to make the tackle. Long story short, I was getting my a** kicked in a down position. I couldn’t fight the double teams and was getting blocked. I saw the linebacker coaches talking to each other and then they asked me if I wanted to try linebacker. I said YES! I did much better standing up but I had never played there before so the coach gave me a quick lesson. He lined me up and then told me if I see any daylight in the line, it was my job to run in there at full speed and take out the blockers and running back. Simple enough. I did well enough to where they all came to an agreement that I was much better standing up than in a stance and they liked the way I hit. From that day forward until graduation from high school, I was a linebacker.

During this year of junior high ball, we played in a league with a weight limit. You could not weigh more than 140 pounds. I was 110 soaking wet with pads on. Back then the pads made you look a LOT bigger than you were but nonetheless I was not a big boy. The big boys had the option to try out for the high school team.

One day at practice, my linebacker coach came up to me and said, “Can I ask you a question?'“, “Yes sir!” So I am expecting him to ask me what defense we should be in against a certain alignment or what my responsibilities were, etc. Instead, he puts him arm around me and spins me around and points me toward the cheerleaders that we are practicing on the side of the field and asks, “What color bra does the third cheerleader from the right have on?” I looked at him stunned and made sure I heard him right and he nods his head. I say, “White with little hearts?” He cracks up and says “Congratulations, you are the captain of the defense!” This meant I would be calling the defensive signals in the huddle during games.

My blog today will be on how my practicing of the Oklahoma drills came into play during a game when I met a new friend that I will call #43 that played on another team. He also had a keen sense of contact drills and was very good at it!

But First…A Joke:

Johnny was in the garden filling in a hole with dirt when his neighbor peered over the fence. “What are you up to Johnny?’ the neighbor asked. “My goldfish died,” replied Johnny. “I just buried him.” The neighbor looked at the large mound of dirt and remarked, “That’s an awfully big hole for a goldfish’” Johnny looked up after patting down the last heap of dirt and said, “That’s because he’s inside your cat.”

Bonus Dad Joke:

“'Dad, did you get a haircut?'. 'No, I got them all cut!'"

A Verse to Contemplate:

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (David) - Psalm 51:12.

Have I Told You This One?

The league was called Bantams (as in small chickens). Like I said before, it was 13- to 15-year-old players that weighed no more than 140 pounds. I was number 62 and played middle linebacker for the Ellet Bantams (I honestly can’t remember if we had a mascot name). We played at Hyre Junior High before they tore down the old building. We played where the baseball fields were before they built a permanent little stadium for the Ellet Raiders pee-wees.

The story today is about a game against the West Bantams which was the junior high team from Buchtel High School district. These dudes always wore black uniforms which I wish we wore because they made a team look pretty badass. We wore orange and you guessed it, it didn’t strike fear into many opponents.

The game starts and you could smell the freshly cut grass and it was a perfect Fall Day to play some ball. We were pretty good that year and had a good team as did West, so this was a “big” game. It was a tight game, and we are tied going deep into the second half, but West is on a drive. So, I am giving the signals in the defensive huddle and encouraging the guys to end this drive and get the ball back. We break the huddle and line up for a third and short. Everyone on the planet knows it’s going to be a handoff up the middle to the halfback with a fullback leading through the hole….MY HOLE.

I psych myself up as the QB calls the signals and sure enough the hole opens up and my friend #43 is leading the back through the hole. I charge in there like I’m supposed to, and Mister #43 knocks me into next Tuesday!! WTH was that?! The back breaks a long one but we get him down before he scores. To our pleasure there was flag on the play which brought it back. I wobble back to the front of our huddle and the guys are looking at me and laughing like crazy. I look at a buddy and ask, “What is so funny?” He proceeds to tell me that my facemask (a cage) is covered in snot and freshly cut grass clippings. I look down and wipe it off which now sends the guys into a gross out mode. The coach is yelling for me to make a call, and I can’t see him thanks to #43. I make something up and stumble back into position. My ears are ringing, and the clouds are nice and puffy. What a lovely day to be outside.

I know since it worked so well the last time that they are going to run the same exact play again. A real-life Oklahoma drill! I was right. The hole opens up and #43 is looking for his buddy #62. I go charging in there but this time I don’t stay up and let him club be again, I go low and block up the hole, no gain. I wobble back to the huddle with the snot still dripping off my facemask and a timeout is called. Someone on their team was hurt bad enough to need an ambulance so play is stopped. The whole time I’m trying to get my wits back (stop laughing!) and it works, the fuzz clears, and the manager came out and gave me something to clean the snot off my facemask. Honest to goodness I can’t remember what happened next. I can’t remember if we won or lost. I think we won because we ended up playing them again in the playoffs and they laid one on us (that one I remember).

Things have happened in my life and I’m sure yours where we have been facing down an Oklahoma Drill or two (or 10) in our lives. What are you going to do once you’ve had the snot knocked out of you by your own #43? Are you going to line up and pull your chinstrap tight and find something to hit or are you going to call time out and get off the field and sit it out?

In Scripture, Psalm 13 says the following:

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.

As we wait on the Lord for our answers expect that He will answer our prayers. Be steadfast and courageous. Be humble, be faithful. Please don’t let life’s trials, challenges and disappointments put you out of the game. Unlike my memory of my game in this story, I do know who wins…WE DO!

A Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I long for Your truth, yet I often feed myself on the world’s empty offerings. I realize that You alone can satisfy me. Guide me into Truth and lead me to your Word that gives me a full and purposeful life.

Book Recommendation:

Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop (2019)

Music Recommendation:

Two by Chick Corea and Bela Fleck (2015)

Quote For the Day:

“The only lies for which we are truly punished are those we tell ourselves.” — V.S. Naipaul