WELCOME June 21, 1999 Issue

To Our Readers

William E. Moody

IN high school , almost more than anything else I wanted to play football, even though I knew I would be the smallest player on the team. It would have seemed unlikely that a center, the offensive lineman who snaps the ball, would be out on the field at 130 pounds.

Yet there I was, stepping forward one day to volunteer when the coach asked if anyone trying out for the team could snap the ball for punts. This required getting the ball back about twelve yards to the punter with consistent accuracy. No one else on the team seemed willing or able to do it, but my dad had taught me how when I was younger. We had practiced over and over again.

I hadn't figured those backyard sessions would ever amount to anything. I never intended to play center. I loved to catch passes and had always been an end or wide receiver on our playground teams. But now snapping for punts was the only way I could make the high school squad. The coach liked my determination and willingness to play across from some of the biggest defensive linemen in the league. All that practice had made a difference.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Letters
YOUR LETTERS
June 21, 1999
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit