Souvenirs Tell Stories — Part 12: My Old Football Jacket

Photo by Jim LaBate

I was cleaning out the attic recently, and I discovered my old, high-school football jacket from over 50 years ago. Why do I still have this jacket? I haven’t actually worn it since 1969. Honestly, I still have it because I can’t bear to throw it away. Too many memories. Too many stories. When it comes to high-school memorabilia, I am a bit of a hoarder. Just ask my wife.

I loved high school. Unlike many of my friends, who would do whatever they could to miss a day of classes, I loved going to school. All my friends were there (most of the time). The place was full of activities such as sports and clubs. And half of the students were females, beautiful females. Even though I was much too shy and too much of a clown to actually carry on a mature conversation with a girl my age, I loved seeing all of them every day and imagining a future relationship with one of them.

However, I needed a way to make myself stand out among all the other guys in school. I couldn’t rely on my good looks and charm because I was a six-foot, four-inch beanpole who wore glasses and made stupid jokes and wisecracks. No one ever took me seriously. Thus, I needed something else.

Athletics were a possibility because as a freshman, I was good enough to play on the junior varsity basketball and baseball teams. Quite honestly…