In the morning I was called into the football office by the team’s offensive line coach. Apparently, I made the right choice the night before in not going out. The coach asked me about my teammate’s offer to go to the bar and he wanted to know exactly what happened. I told him simply that the guy asked me to go to the bar with him and I told him no. The coach reinforced that drinking while on the team was forbidden by the school. Drinking underage, however, was forbidden by the law and would have to be dealt with. The team took a serious zero-tolerance approach to minors drinking and, after being caught, they planned on kicking the player off the team. With him off the team, a spot was open on the offensive line. The coach told me that I wouldn’t be rewarded for making the right decision because my decision to not drink was an expectation. However, I would be rewarded for my hard work during the season.
The coach told me that I was the best offensive lineman on the scout team. The guy who ended up getting kicked off the team was the team’s backup center. They wanted me to fill the role, but knew I didn’t have any experience as a center. The coach would understand if I didn’t want to accept the offer because I didn’t feel comfortable at that position. However, I knew I would be foolish for turning down any offer, even if it was a position that I was unfamiliar with. Once I accepted the position, he explained his plan for me. It began with me taking the scholarship from the player that I replaced; I would be able to spend the rest of my time at college tuition-free.
After telling Mike about the great news, I called my parents to tell them what was going on. First I made the news official that I had a girlfriend. They knew I was dating someone, but I never gave them much information until that conversation. I then told them about my opportunity on the team. I told them to be sure and watch the game on TV and look for me; but instead of watching from home, they wanted to come and see the game in person. Lastly, I told them that they wouldn’t have to worry about my college expenses anymore. My parents were by no means wealthy, so paying for two years of my schooling would be a struggle for them. As much as they would have made good on their promise of paying for the last two years, they were stunned that I was now one of the 85 students receiving free education compliments of the USM football team.
The rest of the week I spent practicing as a center. The job of a center was pretty easy; I simply snapped the ball when instructed, and then blocked the defender in front of me. The actual snapping part was the challenge. In practice, rather than working out in our small groups during the first two days of practice, I spent the long days working strictly on my snaps. During the two scrimmage days, the coach gave me a little extra time on the field to try my new position against real defenders. At the end of the week, rather than going back to the dorm for a three day weekend, I was able to meet with the team on Saturday. I had finally made it to game day!
Chapter 67
My first game playing for the team was a nationally televised game. The game would be a night game and would be broadcasted across the country. That meant that someone in Oregon would be able to turn on their TV and watch our game. Even though our game was scheduled to kick off at 8PM, our team met in the dorm lobby at 3PM. From there, we walked as a team to the University Center. There, we ate a big meal as a team. Afterwards, we discussed the game plan and how to successfully defeat our opponent. The atmosphere was exciting yet serious. Just like with any pre-game day, the team was on a mission and it was time to work.
From the University Center, we walked in unison to the stadium two hours prior to kickoff. The hard part was maintaining my ‘game face’. As we walked to the stadium, we were led by a police escort and surrounded by fans and television cameras. On the way to the stadium, we walked past a bronze statue of a dragon placed in the middle of campus. Our school’s marching band was there and played the fight song as we came into sight. As we walked past the dragon, each team member had to slap the dragon for luck; a tradition that had lasted over 50 years.
When we finally made it to our locker room, our game day uniforms were waiting for us. I was stunned when I saw my last name on the back of a black and red jersey hanging from a locker that had my name across it. Once the shock wore off, I put my uniform on. Mike’s locker was next to mine and, as we realized the next chapter of our dream was about to be fulfilled, we couldn’t stop grinning.
Once dressed, the team walked onto the indoor field for a few practice drills and then went back into the locker room for a pre-game speech. With only 10 minutes to go before kickoff, we made our way back to the field. That time, we stopped at the entrance of the tunnel. The stadium went dark. I could make out something large being dragged in front of the tunnel. I knew this was the giant head of a black dragon with bright red eyes. I remembered watching the dragon emit a ball of fire in Wyoming the previous year, and it gave me chills. Now, the chills had returned, only this time I was the one running onto the field through the dragon’s smoky mouth.
I spent the rest of the game on the sidelines as the backup center. Just like in junior college, backup offensive linemen were not often used. The starters stayed in the entire game and only sat if they were injured. If they were too tired to play an entire game, they wouldn’t be able to play an entire season. Even as I watched the game from the sidelines, I knew it was much better than watching another game from home.
We finished the day with six wins for the season; Mike finished with 4 touchdowns and nearly 300 yards. Even though he still had the target on his back, other teams still hadn’t found a way to slow him down. Without me on the scout team, the defender who practiced against me was still able to remain ahead of the other defensive linemen in the conference with the most tackles. I was suddenly a big part of a team that was halfway through their season, and hopefully a true candidate to play in the Major College Football Championship Game.
Chapter 68
The second half of the season was similar to the first half. While winning the rest of our six remaining games, Mike continued to be a statistical phenomenon, while our defense continued to dominate. I kept practicing my snaps as a center and watched the games from the sidelines waiting patiently for my chance to play. During my down time, Christine and I continued to study and remained top students. As a couple, we pushed ourselves to maintain good grades and even turned it into a competition. As our romantic relationship blossomed into something wonderful, my friendship with Mike also remained strong. Just like with school and football, I was able to find a balance between my best friend and my girlfriend.
At the end of the season, we were ranked as the second best team in the country. We remained undefeated, and were projected to make it into the national championship game. A few days later, it was officially announced that the Major College Football Committee would match us up against Alaska State University in the Major College Football Championship Game. No one saw it coming, but the Killer Whales went the entire season undefeated as well, and were actually ranked higher than us. It was believed that they had a higher rank because they faced stronger opponents in the Pacific Northwest Conference than we did in the Midwestern Conference.
Our team had five weeks to get ready for the game. We already knew who our opponent was, so we were able to spend the entire five weeks preparing for one team. We were working on the plays we were going to run, while training for the plays that we expected them to run. We spent some time on strength and conditioning but most of our time was spent on the strategic part of the game rather than the physical part. A few weeks into practice, we took a break. We all had to stop and watch a trophy presentation.
A few days before the presentation, Mike was told that, as a candidate, he could bring one guest with him to the Nathan Gilreath Honor Award ceremony. Without hesitation, Mike told them he was bringing me. The day before the ceremony, they flew us to Dallas, Texas. We’ve seen big cities while traveling to games throughout the conference, but none of those cities were as big as the one we were at; it was the size of nearly 50 Whitakers. We were put up in a
luxury room in a fancy hotel, given full access to room service, and treated to gourmet meals.
The following day, while I was exploring Dallas, Mike was being interviewed by all the major sports programs. Later that evening, we were all escorted to the Heartford Theatre. The theatre held nearly 2,000 people. Of those 2,000, only five of them were candidates. Other than the candidates and their guests, the rest of the audience paid big money to be at the ceremony. Two of those attendees were his parents. The tickets were costly, and the drive out was time consuming, but it was all worth it to personally witness as Michael Upton was chosen by the Major College Football Committee as the best college football player of the season.
Chapter 69
The target on his back went from big to huge. He was no longer a Gilreath candidate; he was a Gilreath winner. Rather than being one of the best major college football players, he was voted as the best major college football player. But even with the bigger target, the game plan didn’t change.
A few days after the New Year’s Day games were played, the Major College Football Championship Game was the only game left to play in the college football season. Only two teams remained: the University of Southern Michigan, and Alaska State University. Once the game was over, one team would be declared the best team in college football. With five weeks of practice behind us, we were ready to be that team.
The USM team was flown out to Little Rock, Arkansas a few days before game day. During those days, we were given time to explore the city and take part in media interviews. The media asked many different questions to many different players, but the common theme of their questions was what we were doing both individually, and as a team, to win the game. Prior to the interviews, we were instructed not to give away any strategy. With that in mind, the vague and generic answers provided by our players and coaches became, at some times, comical.
Soon, it was game day and fun time was replaced by game time. We had some serious games during that season, but this game meant the most. Luckily, the coach had been aware of this type of atmosphere, so he had been preparing us all season by treating every game like a title game. That way, when the real title game finally arrived, we were ready for it. We knew our experience in the national spotlight would be a psychological advantage for us as Alaska had never been to a game like that one before.
The pre-game ritual remained intact as we made our way onto the field through the dragon’s mouth. The one thing we weren’t expecting was all the cameras. There were cameras everywhere. There was even a camera hovering over the field operated by a remote control. This game would be watched by nearly every person in all 50 states, and even those living in the American Territories. It was commonly known that pairing the two best teams in college football would lead to the best game of the season. They were right.
Chapter 70
Alaska was the strongest team we had faced all season. As much as they prepared to defend against Mike, he was still too fast for them and helped us out for most of the game. It wasn’t a blowout, though, as their offense continued to match our touchdowns with touchdowns of their own. Towards the end of the game, we were trailing for the first time in the season.
With time running down, we were able to move the ball five yards shy of the end zone. We only had three attempts at scoring. We were down by five, so we had to score a touchdown to win the game. After two failed attempts with Mike trying to run the ball up the middle, we had to try something new. They were used to him now and figured out how to stop him from crossing the scrimmage line. Our coach used his last time out.
In the huddle, he called over the entire team. He looked right at me and asked me if I remembered playing in high stress football games in high school. I did. The coach then asked Mike the same thing. The coach told us that as he was watching tapes of our high school games while trying to recruit Mike, he noticed that East Whitaker performed their best during high stress situations by trying something that most teams wouldn’t even think about doing. In those situations, our high school coach needed trustworthy players that he could depend on to fill key roles. Because Mike and I were able to prove ourselves in those situations, our coach felt that he could trust the two of us in this intense situation.
The coach’s plan put Mike at wide receiver and placed me as a running back. He brought up our state championship victory and how we won that game by using Mike as a wide receiver. The coach also brought up the game where I scored the game winning touchdown against West Whitaker to give our team an undefeated season. Once we went back onto the field, the coach would be able to call a play based on how their defense would react to our new offensive lineup.
As we ran out to our new formation, their defense panicked. Just like in the state finals, Alaska sent numerous guys over to cover Mike. Apparently, they also watched our high school championship game and knew what he could do as a receiver. With him triple-teamed, I would be the coach’s best option. Once the ball was snapped, I secured it tightly in my belly. The last time I tried running the ball, I wasn’t sure if I had scored or not. That night, there was no denying it. Once I crossed the line of scrimmage, I continued running until I jumped the six foot barrier at the opposite end of the end zone and landed in the Dragon’s student section.
Once the team was done celebrating on the field, it was time for the country to celebrate with us. A large stage was brought out to the middle of the arena where our coach was presented with the Major College Football National Championship Trophy. Next, one of our players was called up to the stage. That player would receive the Player of the Game Award. The award went to the player that made the biggest difference to the team, not during the regular season, but only during this title game. The award went to Mike. Not only was he now the best major college football player, having won the Gilreath Honor Award, but he was also now on the best major college football team and recognized as the MVP of the game.
The next day, I was presented with an award of my own. It was an award that didn’t get publicized much and, thus, was one that I had never heard of. At the conclusion of each major college football season, an award was given to the best major college football player who began the season as a walk-on. Prior to scoring the national championship game-winning touchdown, I began my career as a walk-on, and became a scholarship-athlete midway through the season. My success may not have been recognized by the media, but at least one committee realized the impressive turn-around I had, as I was presented with the Paul Pedersen Award.
Chapter 71
In the week that followed the National Championship Game, Mike and I began collecting newspaper and magazine articles that talked about the game. We cut out any articles or pictures of us and hung them on the walls of our dorm room. Most of the articles discussed the entire game, but sometimes they talked about his performance or my game-winning touchdown. There were numerous pictures of me in the stands with the student section. I looked like I was having a great time because, of course, I was. That was the day I got my 15 minutes of fame.
With the new season starting soon, we had little time off to ourselves. My plan was to simply enjoy the time off until spring practice started in March. Mike had different plans, however. When I returned from class one day with Christine, he needed to talk. He knew I would end up sharing with her anyway, so he didn’t mind if she stayed to listen. He told me that his grades were getting worse. We had just started the second semester of our junior year and he was already in academic trouble. If he stayed in school, he was sure he would be kicked out and would not be able to play his senior year. And that would, of course, jeopardize our chances of playing in the pros together. His solution was to declare himself eligible early for the pros.
Although it didn’t happen often, only juniors in college could leave early to go to the pros. Just because they declared themselves, though, they weren’t guaranteed a spot on a professional football team. And once he declared, he would no longer be eligible to play for USM. For him to declare, he would have to
be confident that his talent was good enough for the professional level, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to play football again. Unfortunately, his grades didn’t leave him much of a choice.
While I enjoyed my time off in February, Mike was using that time to impress the professional scouts. During the month, the scouts invited potential candidates to attend an event that assessed the athletes based on numerous activities. The format was very similar to the try-out format at Southern Michigan. At the end of the week, athletes were compared to other athletes at their position, and were given a numerical grade based on those comparisons. That information would be used later by professional football teams, as they analyzed players they may consider for their team.
In March, as I was getting ready for spring practices, the scouts came to our campus. It was a chance for our athletes trying out for the pros to show off. During that time, the athletes would use the assistance of their coaches, and possibly other players, to show the scouts whatever they thought would impress them. That was their last chance to improve their odds of being considered by professional football teams.
In April, as I was participating in our annual spring scrimmage, he was with the other top athletes at the Selection Showcase, waiting to see if he made it. During Selection Showcase Week, all of the general managers representing professional football teams would gather together during a televised event and would take turns picking which college football players they wanted on their teams. Each team received one pick per round, in a seven-round format. Selection order was based on the team’s performance during the previous season. The worst team got the first pick, while the best team got the last. As it turned out, our Michigan Knights had the worst record the previous season, winning only one game, so they were rewarded with the first pick. After a few minutes of the country wondering which college football player would be picked first, Michigan chose a running back. Suddenly Mike was not only the best running back in major college football that season, but also the first college football player picked that year to play at the professional level.
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