Franco Harris is a Keepr

Franco Harris was probably one of the great running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers ever.  He was in there with Terry Bradshaw and they played phenomenal. This past weekend was the anniversary of Harris’ immaculate reception and it has me fondly recalling the memory. I was at the game of the immaculate reception. The immaculate reception was a deflected ball that Harris caught and ran in for a touchdown. It was a phenomenal catch and a great run after the catch. The ball was almost on the ground and he caught it. It was so low and it was amazing. Some think that the ball touched the ground but I think it was just a great catch. They definitely went to and won the Super Bowl on that play itself. It is the play that made Franco Harris go down in NFL history and made him a Keepr.

Franco Harris was a very special athlete. He lasted a long time in the league and went to the pro-bowl 9 times during his career.  They had a great team. Chuck Noll was the coach who came from Baltimore over to Pittsburgh. He put the team together and got them really focused. They’ve done a pretty good job.

I knew a lot of Pittsburgh guys because I was born in Pittsburgh but grew up in Cleveland. So, when they played each other it was tough for me to decide who to cheer for.

In the 60’s, Pittsburgh wasn’t a great team and when we (Baltimore Colts) played them, they were an easier team to beat. Then, around the time of the immaculate reception that changed and they became a great team. Franco Harris deserves to be in the pro-football hall of fame, there’s no doubt about that. He really is an NFL Legend.

WCAO Radio Show

WCAO Radio Show

A facebook friend of mine posted this picture to my facebook page. WCAO was a radio station here in Baltimore, Maryland. We had a great time covering football games and talking sports. We had great participation by the fans. The fans would come up after the show and gather around the table like this and we'd take a picture.

Baltimore Ravens win 16-13 against the San Diego Chargers

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Diego Charges with a field goal in overtime 16-13. That game was probably one of the most exceptional games I have seen, especially the run by Baltimore Ravens #27 Ray Rice had. 29 yards on 4^th down and he got it by about a foot. It was good, smart thinking on Joe Flacco’s part. He set the field up to throw a Hail Mary and instead threw underneath to Rice. Flacco had his Receivers go deep with 8 of the Chargers defensive players. The Chargers were prepared for the Hail Mary pass… everyone was expecting a Hail Mary pass. So, when Joe threw a short pass to Ray Rice, the Chargers were taken off guard and had to hustle. It was lucky play, but it was also a talent showcase. Flacco made the right call, Rice had the right moves, and the offensive line was able to block. I think this play is going down in Ravens history as one of the greatest plays. It won them the game, no question about it.

It’s hard to say the Chargers made a bad play. They had every reason to believe Flacco would go for the Hail Mary. With 29 yards for a 1^st on the 4^th down, to think it could be done as a short running pass would have seemed incredibly unlikely. They did the right thing preparing for the Hail Mary. The credit really has to go to the Ravens on this one. That play had everything and it kept their drive alive. It was a game changer.

There were so many big plays at the end of that game. The beginning was so lack luster that going into the half, I think most of Baltimore was feeling glum. Both teams had been playing cat and mouse. I know I was in doubt. I thought “oh, here we go again…”. The Ravens are always so hot or so cold. In the first half, they were cold as a fish in the freezer. They made no big plays and they capitalized on nothing. They had no points on the board. Something happened during half time. My guess is Coach Harbaugh must have been pretty upset and had some choice words with the team. He would have told them that they all needed to adjust and act like a team… and that’s what we saw in the second half.

Winning any football game is a team effort. If we’d only seen that big play from Ray Rice, the Ravens wouldn’t have won. There was also the fantastic reception by Torrey Smith in over time getting the Ravens into field goal range and of course Tucker getting the ball between the uprights. The defense stepped up and stopped the Chargers from scoring in overtime. It was a great game. I think that in the end they came together as a team and that’s what you have to do in the NFL. These guys are thinking that way right now. With the possibility of Ray Lewis coming back within a week or two weeks along with the team we saw Sunday in the second half, their credibility for their drive to the championship in strong.

Football is Where I Belonged.

I grew up in Cleveland and my dad played professional hockey for the Cleveland Barons. He had broke into the league with the Detroit Red Wings, played for Chicago Black Hawks, Played for St. Louis flyers, then got traded over to the Pittsburgh hornets where he met my mother. He and my mother got married and I was born. They moved to Cleveland and I grew up watching him play as the Cleveland Barons. I started skating when I was 3 years old. He really worked with me in hockey. Growing up, I was playing in all the hockey leagues. I played hockey all the way up to age 17. I even played Hockey in high school. However, I moved from the inner city of Cleveland to the suburbs of Cleveland. All the guys I got to know were all playing football and I had never played football at all. I asked my dad if I could play and he said no. He told me I should just stick to hockey, I was better off. My mother secretly signed me up. On my first game, my mom brought him to watch me play. He was very agitated and asked what I was doing playing football. My mother told him that I really wanted to play so she signed me up. He said “it’s a stupid game.” First play I get clipped, it shattered my knee. The doctor told me I could never play sports again. I had to have two knee surgeries from that shatter. My father didn’t talk to me for three months after that.

 In 10th grade, I kept working. I ran track, I did a lot of swimming, and I spent a lot of time ice skating. I was sort of a jack of all trades athlete. I was really good at all of them but I wasn’t great at anything. I continued to work out, built my leg and knee back up, did a lot of leg weight lifting and running. Ice skating was really great for my legs. I went out for the football team in 10th grade and I wasn’t even a starter. Same with 11th grade. I finally made top grade in my senior year.  I was 6 foot 185lbs and I could run pretty fast. We got a new coach that year, a guy named Leo Strang. He took our team and made them a powerhouse. He really helped me. I averaged 10.9 yards per carry that whole year. I lead the state in scoring. I had scholarships basically any place I wanted to go.

I really enjoyed everything about football. Hockey was fun too, but my real passion was in football and that’s the way I went. Despite the injuries and the health problems resulting from my days as a pro-footballer, I wouldn’t change it for anything. I guess that’s a big part of the reason I’m putting so much effort into the Keepr. It’s my chance to give back to my fellow NFL players through the player care foundation and my chance to relive the good times.

Week 11 Ravens vs. Steelers Recap

This past Sunday was week 11 in the 2012 NFL season. We saw a lot of good games this Sunday but the number 1 rivalry in the NFL is still on everyone’s minds. The Ravens-Steelers game was a serious knock down and sock ‘em type of football game. The Ravens knew they were going up against the best defense in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they knew it was going to be an intense battle. I was really happy to see our offensive line step up.  They did a really good job. Plus, our defense really came around and shut down the Pittsburgh players. Roethlisberger being gone really helped us out. However, going up against the toughest defense in the league and being able to come out on top was something I found to be very impressive. I think John Harbaugh did a good job coaching that game. It was no doubt a tough fought game, but those are the games you HAVE to win. Some have said that the Ravens victory was a result of the Steelers being without Roethlisberger and I say it could be a true statement.  However, in football, you play one game at a time and the objective is always to win that game. Don’t worry about the previous games or your future games. Focus on the game at hand The Ravens did that and they won the game. Now, next time we play the Steelers, I don’t know if that’s going to happen again. It’s going to be a flip of the coin, because I still think Pittsburgh is one of the best teams in the national football league. We definitely have the capabilities, but we’ve also had some very serious injuries. We have overcome these setbacks so far and we’ve picked up some players who’ve really helped us out. On top of that, our special teams have played superb and our defense really stepped up their game. The game was close and I give credit to the coaches of both teams because they really did a phenomenal job.

Remembering Johnny Unitas

Johnny Unitas and I were very close. He was my favorite golf buddy in the off season. We even played Racket Ball together. One of the strangest days we had took place in 1968. The two of us traveled to the Towson YMCA, like any other outing, to play Racket ball. The two of us teamed up again two young ladies who were racket ball members of the YMCA. We were having a great time. John and I made a great pair on and off the field. Our fun was stopped short when at the front of the court John fell to the ground. “You tripped me!” he yelled back at me. I was standing in at the back of the court when I responded “John, I couldn’t have tripped you from all the way back here.” I quickly rushed him to Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. I wasn’t happy to call Coach McCafferty to tell him the news. “Mack, John just tore his Achilles’ Tendon” I said into the cold telephone connecting me to the coach. I had a reputation for being the team prankster and wasn’t surprised when Mack responded “Tom, that’s not funny.” I wish it had been a joke but I told him “Mack, I’m not trying to be funny. John really did tear his Achilles’ Tendon.” I don’t know what sort of stress the coach must have been in at this point but I had to be in Havre De Grace that evening. Driving to the restaurant in Havre de Grace, my stomach didn’t feel right. I assumed it was stress from a day at the hospital. I was wrong. I became very sick. I was taken to Union Memorial Hospital. Unfortunately, I had to call the coach for the second time that day with bad news. I too was in the hospital but at the time I had no idea why. Turns out, it was acute appendicitis. In less than 24 hours John and I went from Racket Ball partners to hospital roommates.

The whole hospital was humming. Johnny Unitas and Tom Matte were both in the hospital and our friends were visiting. All of our friends brought a case of beer with them. They wanted us to be able to have a couple of drinks when they visited. By the end of the day we had eight cases of beer against the wall! We actually had a good time in that hospital… but we were both happy to get out of there.

John and I had a lot of good times but I will always admire him. He was the epitome of professionalism. He always had a game plan. He had a great arm and he was always thinking. He practiced intensely. He’s the reason I was in the league for 12 years. He helped me understand what the defenses were and how to read them like he read them. He told me that if I could read the defense the same way he could, then he could always anticipate where I’d be on each and every play. He was right. We had a great rapport with each other.He said he knew where I would be every play and he wanted me in his back field, and his back field is where I was. John was a true leader on the field. When we got into a huddle, there wasn’t a peep. We waited silently because when John spoke, we all listened. We were incredibly successful all the years we played.

It’s because of my admiration as well as what Johnny Unitas means to football that we decided to release his Keepr collectible first. He really is a Keepr Legend. His Keepr card will have his hall of fame speech, his statistics, different head shots, different posing shots, his two minute offense, and his interviews. We dug into the NFL vaults to get footage of Johnny Unitas that people haven’t seen in 40 years.

Johnny Unitas’ legacy will live on and what he’s done will never be forgotten. I’m excited to give a Johnny Unitas Keepr to my grandson so I can show him why Johnny Unitas is a legend.