I waited as all year we were doubted, all year sold short. The underestimaters were out in force...for every test, every big game. But The Orange persevered. Notre Dame in a sunami, Florida State in weather almost as bad..... through the Division Championship, "State Championship," Conference Championship, and the Orange Bowl, these Tigers pressed on like David slaying Goliath.... again and again.
It was time for a National Championship trip to Arizona. I knew I shouldn't go, but I couldn't stay away. I was there following the '81 season to see another young, overlooked, underestimated Tiger team take a national championship. I couldn't not be there when it happened again.
Those who know me know it's always all about the moments. And there were definitely crazy moments...Di and I arriving in Phoenix nearly forgetting we had checked bags. Had our brother-in-law not remarked about how well and surprisingly light we were traveling, two sisters would have walked right out of the airport without our luggage. Pre-game jitters, I guess. And the luggage...my goodness, we packed for cold, we packed for warm, we packed for cool...honestly we could have stayed in Phoenix for a month and had all the clothes we needed, no matter the weather.
Speaking of staying a month, a first intro to Desert Donuts had me wishing we could. I think in three days, we made about four runs to the local DD. One bite of a bacon donut, and it was over for me.... and for my hips and thighs.
Walking the even if temporarily orange dotted streets of Scottsdale's Arts and Shopping area, stopping to greet horses and ogle cacti, and eat the self proclaimed 'best sandwich in America', it continued to seem as if we had stepped into some surreal spaghetti western dream. But it was real. The Tigers were on a business trip, and so were we. Note to self: check with accountant about writing off.....
Game day arrived and with it all the nervousness.... the rolling tummies, the biting nails, the silly chatter.... two sisters and their niece, Tiger Girls lying in bed watching Gameday. We were anxious to start the day but anxious about the outcome as well. There were key wardrobe decisions (sadly as usual, Di and I had packed several of the same outfits, so that took a little coordination moderated deftly by Niece Hannah), face painting, margaritas (when in Arizona, right?), clapping along to Tiger Rag being piped in to a local bar and singing Sweet Caroline along with hundreds of other Tiger faithful following their team. Note: Not sure if the look on our niece's beautiful face was horror, shock or something else as Diane and I joined with great gusto in a boisterous group sing of The Captain and Tenille's "Love Will Keep Us Together." How could Hannah not know that one "....Think of me, Babe, whenever"....Oh well. It was craziness of the best kind.
The epic game has been well documented. Again, it's the moments within I'll most remember.....seeing at least two thirds of the "neutral" stadium decked out in orange, hearing the deafening cadence count...at an away, indeed far away game, watching a young Houdini in Orange slice through the vaunted Bama defense over and over and over again, runs of sheer determination from the Wayne Train, enduring a no pun intended 'kick in the gut' of an Alabama on sides kick, hearing forty thousand proud Clemson fans still cadence counting as they exited with the loss, having come oh so close to that natty championship, seeing two Heisman finalists share the field in competition and even more an after game hug filled with oh so obvious mutual respect, our exhausted team still lifting helmets to salute the amazing road crowd that had followed this team...to the edge of glory.
What a ride...what an amazing ride.
Hope it's nowhere close to 35 years before I am back....
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