by Vicki Mayk
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
WHENEVER I HAVE NOT included an endnote, the quotations, background, and descriptions of persons, places, or events were drawn from hours of interviews conducted for the book. The following are the interviews and the dates on which they occurred. Except where I have noted interviews done by phone, all interviews were conducted in person. All interviews lasted an hour or longer.
Michael Alosco, MD: April 11, 2019 (phone)
Abbie and Jess Benner: February 23, 2013, and July 27, 2014
Jamie Berkowitz: February 23, 2015, and October 11, 2017 (phone)
Rev. Kathy Brearley and Rev. Thomas N. Thomas: May 26, 2013, and September 5, 2016
Diane Cortazzo: April 13, 2013 (phone)
Luke DeLuca: January 30, 2018, and September 9, 2019 (phone)
Luke DeLuca and Emily Toth (DeLuca): June 9, 2013
Irina Levin and Kristen Dota: January 11, 2015
Kristen Dota: August 17, 2014, and November 25, 2017
Mike Fay: November 17, 2012; December 31, 2014; October 21, 2017; and April 20, 2019
Adam Grant: October 16, 2017 (phone)
Cory Smull Hausman: March 8, 2016 (phone)
Ryan Hulmes: June 24, 2016
Daniel Lipschutz: March 31, 2016 (phone); October 15, 2016 (phone); November 26, 2017; September 17, 2019
Dave Macknet: November 24, 2017 (phone)
Katharine Mayk: June 29, 2019
Ann McKee, MD: June 9, 2015, and April 4, 2019
Jim Morgans: May 9, 2015; June 2, 2019; and October 12, 2019
Jennifer Mueller: November 20, 2017 (phone)
Katie Novak: October 7, 2012 (phone)
Christopher Nowinski, PhD: April 4, 2019
Jamie Pagliaro: April 18, 2013; June 13, 2019; and August 18, 2019 (phone)
Jake Peterson: July 24, 2016, and August 27, 2019 (phone)
Morgan Potis, VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank: April 4, 2019
Marc Quilling: October 21, 2012; November 6, 2014; August 9, 2016; May 19, 2019; and August 7, 2019
Brian Reinert: January 4, 2013
Andy Roth: June 30, 2013
Lynette Smith: December 29, 2012
Rev. Kris Snyder-Samuelson: October 27, 2012
Bob Steckel: September 2, 2017, and August 6, 2019 (phone)
Kale Sweeney: July 12, 2014
Morgan Thomas: August 16, 2014, and January 28, 2018 (phone)
Rev. Thomas N. Thomas: May 8, 2015
Steve Yoder: April 17, 2013 (phone)
John Zaccaro: August 11, 2013
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ONE DAY IN 2010 I joined a memorial page on Facebook called “RIP Owen Thomas.” On that page I met Owen Thomas through the posthumous stories told by his friends and family. This book is possible only because of the people who shared their stories and memories. I am most deeply indebted to the Thomas family. Owen’s mother, Rev. Katherine Brearley; his brother Morgan; and his father, the late Rev. Thomas N. Thomas, trusted me with his story and gave freely of their time. Their courage, faith, and candor inspired me during the nearly ten years it took to me to write this book.
My heartfelt gratitude also extends to Owen’s friends and teammates. This is their story, too, reflected in the fact that for several years the working title of the manuscript was The Friends of Owen Thomas. I owe so much to so many—but especially to Mike Fay and Marc Quilling. You were among my most trusted sources—but even more importantly, you cheered me on and never stopped believing that I really would finish this book. It’s a tribute to your love for your friend Owen that you supported this project so faithfully for such a long time. Jamie Pagliaro, thank you for finding the time for more interviews when I circled back to you many years after we first talked. John Zaccaro, Andy Roth, and many other Parkland Trojans players from the 2002–2007 era—my thanks.
Although a book about football tends to be dominated by men, Owen’s girlfriends and female friends were integral to capturing details of his life. Abbie and Jess Benner and Jamie Berkowitz—you were vital to this story. Kristen Dota, your stories about Owen informed so much of what I wrote. Thank you for the hours you spent talking to me.
Penn Quakers Luke DeLuca, Jake Peterson, Dave Macknet, and Daniel Lipschutz: my profound thanks for bringing Owen’s Philadelphia years to life. Daniel—your generosity in accompanying me to a Quakers football game, when I’m sure you had other ways to spend a Saturday, and familiarizing me with the Penn campus was deeply appreciated.
Owen’s Parkland football coaches Jim Morgans, Robert Steckel, and Ryan Hulmes helped me understand the relationship between high school coaches and their players. Coach Morgans, thanks for patiently walking me through coaching terminology and for bearing with my many requests. Equally important were Owen’s Parkland School District teachers, whose stories illuminated Owen in the classroom as well as on the playing field. Thank you Lynette Smith, Cory Smull Hausman, Diane Cortazzo, and Steve Yoder.
Adam Grant, when you wrote about Owen in Plan B, I sped to a Barnes & Noble to buy the book and see what you had written. When I emailed you for an interview, your rapid response and the stories you shared breathed new life into my book.
I am grateful to Dr. Ann McKee and Christopher Nowinski, PhD, for their groundbreaking work related to CTE and head injuries. They generously granted me interviews before I had a contract for this book. It helped me to shape my early drafts. They generously gave me more of their valuable time as I finished the project. Gina DiGravio and the communications team at Boston University and the VA Medical Center were a writer’s dream, responding to my queries quickly and professionally. Tyler Maland at the Concussion Legacy Foundation handled my requests related to Dr. Nowinski with professionalism and patience.
I am indebted to Dr. J. Michael Lennon, professor and co-founder of the Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Wilkes University, for the interest he took in this project. His support, encouragement, and belief in this book helped me stay the course. His thoughtful edits and guidance shaped my early drafts. Mike, you championed this project in a way that truly makes you my literary godfather. I also must thank my friend Dawn D’Aries Zera for her encouragement and for the role she played as a literary matchmaker when she told Mike about my book. Dawn, you are the definition of a literary citizen who supports her fellow writers.
This book is being published because of my intrepid agent Carolyn Savarese at Kneerim & Williams, who at times believed in it even more than I did. Thank you for your skillful editing and knowledgeable advice. Your savvy insights about the publishing industry always ensured that things were handled in my book’s and my best interest. I appreciate your patience with me as a first-time book author.
I’m fortunate to have a great team at my publisher, Beacon Press. It’s a great place for a book to find a home. Joanna Green, my editor, shared my vision for the book, walking with me through revision and helping to shape the manuscript with her insights and guidance. Thanks to others on the Beacon team—Susan Lumenello, Beth Collins, Margaret Field, Marcy Barnes, Emily Powers, and Alison Rodriguez—who shepherded it through the copyediting, production, and marketing process.
The faculty of the Maslow Family Graduate Creative Writing Program offered astute advice and encouragement. Particular thanks to Bonnie Culver, Kevin Oderman, Sara Pritchard, Kaylie Jones, Beverly Donofrio, Nancy McKinley, and Jeff Talarigo. What I learned from you can be seen on the pages of this book.
Rev. Kris Snyder-Samuelson at Union United Church of Christ, thank you for your prayers and support. I will always be grateful that you encouraged me to go to read some of the book to Tom Thomas before he died.
My writing group was my mainstay as I worked on the manuscript. Kelly Clisham, Jennifer Jenkins, Aurora Bonner, and Francisco Tutella, your insights and feedback were invaluable. Francisco, your patience with my many text messages and your responses with the encouraging emojis always came at exactly the right time. Thank you for the chapter title: I owe you one.
Writing can be a lonely business, but my wonderful, supportive friends—many of them fellow writers—ensured that I never felt alone. My best friend, Katherine Hamann, was always by my side, even when she was five hundred miles away. Above all, thanks for the laughter, Katrisha. Other friends encouraged me and offered advice during the long years I worked on this book. Tina Jarrett, Dawn Leas, Joy Smith Carey, Danielle Sewell, Heather Taylor, Mike Shoupe, Patti Naumann, Ginny Grove—I love you. Barbara J. Taylor, sincere thanks for sharing your experiences in bringing a book to print, and for dropping everything to have dinner and talk about titles.
My coworkers in the marketing communications department at Wilkes University made the “day job” fun. Gabrielle D’Amico, I was appreciative of your understanding when I needed to take vacation time to make a deadline. Few of us have the luxury of writing full-time and your flexibility made it possible for me to juggle deadlines on the job and on the book.
The first draft of this book was born at the Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Thanks to the colony for providing me with a great working space, two weeks of uninterrupted writing time, and incredibly delicious food. I might never have written it without that start.
Finally, I close with my most personal note of thanks to my daughters, Katharine Mayk and Monica Mayk Berryhill. Monica, I won the stepmother lottery when you came into my life. Katti, you’ve been my “why” since the day you were born. My love for you both is at the center of all I do. Your support in the last three years, leading up to this book’s publication, is what kept me going.
NOTES
PROLOGUE
1. “What Is CTE?,” Frequently Asked Questions, Boston University CTE Center, https://www.bu.edu/cte/about/frequently-asked-questions.
2. Concussion Legacy Foundation, “CTE Resources: The Science of CTE,” https://concussionfoundation.org/CTE-resources/science-of-CTE.
3. Frontline, “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis, The Frontline Interviews,” May 20, 2013, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/oral-history/league-of-denial.
4. Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru, League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions, and the Battle for Truth (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2013), 255.
CHAPTER ONE: GAME CHANGER
1. Parkland School District, “2018–2019 District Profile,” https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1540994139/parklandsdorg/f55qy0godom88q28sm4u/District-Profile-2018-19.pdf.
2. Andre D. Williams, “Easton-Parkland Highlights Football Card: Their PIAA Subregional One of Several Highlighting Local Teams,” Morning Call, November 17, 2006, https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-2006–11–17–3699706-story.html.
3. Parkland Sports History, 1996 season and 2002 season, http://www.parklandsportshistory.com/viewresults.asp?sportid=1.
4. NCAA, “2019 Estimated Probability of Competing in College Athletics,” NCAA Research, https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/research/pro_beyond/2019RES_ProbabilityBeyondHSFiguresMethod.pdf.
5. Michael Shapiro, “Fallen Giant,” Smithsonian, February 2007, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/fallen-giant-144796136.
6. “Lawrence Taylor Remembers Joe Theismann’s Brutal Injury,” ESPN.com, November 18, 2016, https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18074038/lawrence-taylor-remembers-joe-theismann-injury-seen-lot-worse-hits-nfl.
CHAPTER TWO: BIRTH OF A VIKING
1. Jimmy Stamp, “Leatherhead to Radio-head: The Evolution of the Football Helmet,” Smithsonian, October 1, 2012, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/leatherhead-to-radio-head-the-evolution-of-the-football-helmet-56585562.
2. Bill Pennington, “The NFL’s Incredible Shrinking Pads,” New York Times, September 26, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/sports/football/nfl-pads-michael-bennett.html.
3. Dan Peterson, “How the NFL Football Got Its Shape,” Live Science, September 8, 2010, www.livescience.com, https://www.livescience.com/32808-nfl-football-spheroid-origins.html.
4. Timothy Gay, The Physics of Football: Discover the Science of Bone-Crunching Hits, Soaring Field Goals, and Awe-Inspiring Passes (New York: It Books/Harper Collins, 2005), 59–62.
5. Fellowship of Christian Athletes, “Vision and Mission,” https://www.fca.org/aboutus/who-we-are/vision-mission.
6. Mark Hyman, The Most Expensive Game in Town: The Rising Cost of Youth Sports and the Toll on Today’s Families (Boston: Beacon Press, 2012), 56.
7. Hyman, The Most Expensive Game in Town, 8–9.
8. John J. Fox, “Trojans Thomas Is Tops: Parkland Running Back Is Lehigh Valley’s No. 1 Scholar-Athlete,” Morning Call, January 27, 1998, https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1998–01–27–3188971-story.html.
9. National Federation of State High School Associations, “High School Athletics Participation History (1969–2008)” https://www.nfhs.org/media/1020206/hs_participation_survey_history_1969-2009.pdf.
CHAPTER THREE: SUITING UP
1. Pro Football Hall of Fame, “History of Football,” https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/history-of-football.
2. James Surowiecki, “Beautiful. Violent. American. The NFL at 100,” New York Times, December 19, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/sports/football/nfl-100-violence-american-culture.html.
3. Kristen Shilton, “Overcoming Natural Fear of Contact Is an Important Early Step in Tackle Football,” USA Football (blog), April 3, 2018, https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/2623/overcoming-natural-fear-of-contact-is-an-important-early-step-in-tackle-football.
4. USA Football, “USA Football Tackling Systems,” https://usafootball.com/development-training/tackling-systems.
5. Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru, League of Denial, 63–65.
6. Pro Football Hall of Fame, “Mike Webster’s Enshrinement Speech,” 1997 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, December 19, 2013, https://www.profootballhof.com/videos/mike-webster-enshrinement-speech.
CHAPTER FOUR: IN THE MIDDLE
1. John P. Martin, “Parkland High Target Date Extended to 1999,” Morning Call, August 23, 1995, https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1995–08–23–3048633-story.html.
2. National Federation of State High School Associations, “High School Athletics Participation History (1969–2008).”
3. Curry Quarterback Camp registration, http://curryqbcamp.org.
4. Sally Gigante, “Summer Sports Camps: Athletic Costs and Curveballs,” MassMutual Blog, May 15, 2018, https://blog.massmutual.com/post/summer-sports-camps-athletic-costs-and-curveballs.
5. Jonathan D. Silver, “A Life Off-Center: Mike Webster’s Battles,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 17, 2014 (first published July 24, 1997), https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2014/10/17/A-life-off-center-Mike-Webster-s-battles/stories/201410090319.
6. Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru, League of Denial, 20–27.
7. Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru, League of Denial, 25–27.
8. Silver, “A Life Off-Center.”
9. Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru, League of Denial, 148–57.
10. Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru, League of Denial, 158–65.
CHAPTER FIVE: FOOTBALL BOYS
1. Mark Maske, “New Rules on NFL Contact Haven’t Altered Training Camps Much,” Washington Post, August 13, 2011, https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/new-rules-on-nfl-contact-havent-altered-training-camps-much/2011/08/13/gIQA68BvDJ_story.html.
2. Michelle Brutlag Hosick, “DI Council Votes to Eliminate Football Two-A-Days,” April 14, 2017, http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/di-council-votes-eliminate-football-two-days.
3. Keith Groller, “Jim Morgans Has Resigned as Parkland’s Head Coach,” Morning Call, March 29, 2016, https://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-jim-morgans-has-resigned-as-parkland-s-head-football-coach-20160329-story.html.
4. Gay, The Physics of Football, 59–62.
CHAPTER SIX: THUNDERCATS
1. Mary Ellen Alu, “Sniscak Appointed Parkland Superintendent,” South Whitehall Patch, February 23, 2011, https://patch.com/pennsylvania/southwhitehall/sni
scak-appointed-parkland-superintendent-gets-standing-ovation.
2. Marion Callahan and Andrew McGill, “Parkland Might Abolish Class Rank,” Morning Call, June 17, 2009, https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-2009-06-17-4391585-story.html.
3. “Athletic Scouting and Recruiting Service Products,” CHAMPs Inc., https://www.champs2.com/athletic-scouting-recruiting-service-products.
4. “2006 Parkland Trojans Season Highlights,” video, Schaf Productions, Allentown, PA.
CHAPTER SEVEN: PENN PALS
1. University of Pennsylvania, “125 Years of Franklin Field,” Penn Today news release, April 23, 2019, https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/125-years-franklin-field.
2. Coach Bagnoli Central, PennAthletics.com, https://pennathletics.com/news/2016/6/27/5771ac12e4b0028e7235eda2_131492813304519656.aspx.
3. Jonathan Chait, “College Football Bans Wedge Blocking on Kickoffs,” New Republic, April 16, 2010, https://newrepublic.com/article/74483/colle-football-bans-wedge-blocking-kickoffs.
4. “2009 Football: 40, Owen Thomas,” PennAthletics.com, https://pennathletics.com/sports/football/roster/owen-thomas/6907.
CHAPTER EIGHT: FOOTBALL FAMILY
1. Jane Leavy, “The Woman Who Would Save Football,” Grantland.com, August 17, 2012, http://grantland.com/features/neuropathologist-dr-ann-mckee-accused-killing-football-be-sport-only-hope.
2. “Ann McKee, MD” Boston University Research: CTE Center, http://www.bu.edu/cte/about/leadership/ann-mckee-md.
3. Neil Swidey, “Bostonian of the Year 2017: Dr. Ann McKee,” Boston Globe Magazine, December 13, 2017, https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2017/12/13/mckee/TkYOjLJAmTcKrudoR6YMXJ/story.html.
4. Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru, League of Denial, 255–57.
5. Leavy, “The Woman Who Would Save Football.”
6. Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru, League of Denial, 263–65.
7. Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru, League of Denial, 266–70.
8. Leavy, “The Woman Who Would Save Football.”
9. Michele Monaco and Malissa Martin, “The Millennial Student: A New Generation of Learners,” Athletic Training Education Journal 2, no. 2 (2007): 42–46.