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DEL.ICIO.US“Tackling the game, just like “Rudy”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He dreamed of playing football at the University of Notre Dame.
Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger was a pipsqueak by football standards. He stood 5-feet-7 and weighed 165 pounds. Tiny. Like his dad, he worked in the steel mills. He didn’t have the money to pay tuition at the private Catholic school. He didn’t have the grades, either.
Talk about a long shot.
But Rudy didn’t bow down to the obstacles. He chased his dream. He quits his steel mill job and enrolls in a junior college near the famed university. He eventually transfered to Notre Dame and landed a spot on the practice football team. There, he exhibits more guts and glory than some prime-time players.
“Rudy,” is one of my favorite movies. It showcases drive, desire, determination, luck, hope and fate. It’s about believing in yourself, never giving up, playing till the whistle blows on the gridiron or in life.
In Gwinnett, we have our own version of Rudy. Two of them, actually.
Meet D.A. Kennerly and Samuel Kim.
They were seniors this year on the storied football team at Parkview High. By football standards, they were undersized. That’s head Coach Cecil Flowe’s assessment, not mine.
“Size plays a big issue,” he told me.
But the Rudyesque way in which they tackled the game overshadowed physical attributes. They hit the weights and practiced hard. They were on the scout team - Kim - 5 feet 9, 180 pounds - at fullback; Kennerly - 5 feet 9, 170 pounds - at linebacker.
Obviously, these young men weren’t the best by a long shot. But there are varying degrees of best. It doesn’t always appear in sports headlines or highlight reels. It might mean seeing some action in a lopsided game and capitalizing on the opportunity. It’s what Rudy did in the movie, in the last game of the season.
“When Sam scored a touchdown in the Meadowcreek game, it was his first touchdown ever,” Flowe said. “D.A. made several tackles in that game. At some games they stood on the sidelines and didn’t play a down.”
Yet there was no crying, moaning or groaning. Not from Kim. Not from Kennerly.
Team first. Me second.
“Their attitude was that it didn’t matter,” Flowe told me. “You can cry about being passed over or you can work and help the team wherever you can. They played on special teams, but they did not have solid active roles on offense or defense.”
Every year, the Panther football players vote on what teammate will receive the “Orange Helmet Award.” It’s given to the player who personifies team sport, Panther pride, overall dedication.
The players couldn’t decide who best fit that description for the 2007 football season. So, there was a tie.
“This was the first time a tie has ever happened,” Flowe said. “Usually, there is one vote or two that swings it one way or the other. But [Kim and Kennerly] are great kids. They gave 100 percent, you know?”
Just like Rudy.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@
Permalink | Comments (15) | Post your comment | Categories: Rick Badie
Comments
By James McCoy
February 5, 2008 8:03 AM | Link to this
Oh please stop the madness Rick,just admit those two kids were not footbal material and move on please!
By LT5000
February 5, 2008 8:44 AM | Link to this
Rick,
Great article. Really important subject matter.
Much more important than:
Gwinnett’s soaring Homicide rate. 3 murders already in Norcross this year.
Illegal immigration and it’s cost to public services and the community. And Sheriff Butchy’s refusal to do anything about it.
Growing hispanic gang problems in Gwinnett.
Just a few suggestions for you Ricky. I realize they aren’t as important as the tripe you just printed, but definitely a close second.
Hey. I have an idea. Why don’t you do a Friday/Saturday night ride along with the Norcross police and blog about it?
LT5000
By T
February 5, 2008 10:30 AM | Link to this
Rick, I guess some people just don’t get it. I can read about murder and mayhem anytime. I read your articles because of subjects like this.
I think it is important to point out the many good things going on in our communities and schools. You do a great job of bringing a real-human side to this paper. Keep it up.
What would happen to us, if all we did was worry about the bad things in life?
By LT5000
February 5, 2008 1:03 PM | Link to this
T,
As it says at the top of the page:
Rick Badie writes about people, places and issues in Gwinnett County.
Lately, it has been too little of that, save the story on the beaten Gwinnett teacher.
Personally, I don’t care about Human Trumpets, Old ladies giving out baby clothes to illegitimate children or some guy who may or may not have been a descendant of slaves. Maybe you think that stuff is important.
When he tries to write a topical story, he gets it wrong. Like saying the economy is in a recession, when it isn’t, it doesn’t even fit the textbook definition of recession by a long shot.
Mainly Rick uses these stories to pump out liberal pablum.
Let’s have a vote. Who would like Rick to do a ride along with the GCPD or Norcross police and blog about it(honestly)? Count my vote here.
LT5000
By LT5000
February 5, 2008 1:12 PM | Link to this
T,
As it says at the top of the page:
Rick Badie writes about people, places and issues in Gwinnett County.
Lately, it has been too little of that, save the story on the beaten Gwinnett teacher.
Personally, I don’t care about Human Trumpets, Old ladies giving out baby clothes to illegitimate children or some guy who may or may not have been a descendant of slaves. Maybe you think that stuff is important.
When he tries to write a topical story, he gets it wrong. Like saying the economy is in a recession, when it isn’t, it doesn’t even fit the textbook definition of recession by a long shot.
Mainly Rick uses these stories to pump out liberal pablum.
Let’s have a vote. Who would like Rick to do a ride along with the GCPD or Norcross police and blog about it(honestly)? Count my vote here.
LT5000
By LT5000
February 5, 2008 1:30 PM | Link to this
T,
As it says at the top of the page:
Rick Badie writes about people, places and issues in Gwinnett County.
Lately, it has been too little of that, save the story on the beaten Gwinnett teacher.
Personally, I don’t care about Human Trumpets, Old ladies giving out baby clothes to illegitimate children or some guy who may or may not have been a descendant of slaves. Maybe you think that stuff is important.
When he tries to write a topical story, he gets it wrong. Like saying the economy is in a recession, when it isn’t, it doesn’t even fit the textbook definition of recession by a long shot.
Mainly Rick uses these stories to pump out liberal pablum.
Let’s have a vote. Who would like Rick to do a ride along with the GCPD or Norcross police and blog about it(honestly)? Count my vote here.
LT5000
By T
February 5, 2008 3:20 PM | Link to this
All I hear is crickets …
All I hear is crickets …
All I hear is crickets …
Thought you might need to see it three times to respond to your three post.
Oh, and if you hate this column so much why don’t you go and haunt somebody elses column?
By LT5000
February 5, 2008 4:27 PM | Link to this
Don’t blame me for the triple post, that’s the AJC website for you. Almost as crappy as the newspaper.
My point is for Rick to actually publish something of interest to someone else besides himself. And apparently you.
His articles show no creativity whatsoever. Borderline insipid. You seem to be the only person entertained by them.
You probably also think Carrot Top and Gallagher are funny.
I’m hoping Rick will actually do some real reporting one of these days. Maybe even throw in some objectivity.
LT5000
By Sandy_G
February 5, 2008 5:48 PM | Link to this
“Don’t blame me for the triple post, that’s the AJC website for you. Almost as crappy as the newspaper.
My point is for Rick to actually publish something of interest to someone else besides himself. And apparently you.
His articles show no creativity whatsoever. Borderline insipid. You seem to be the only person entertained by them. “
LT, Where can I find your blog? Although I really enjoy Rick’s blog for it’s focus on stories about people, places and issues in Gwinnett that cannot be found anywhere else in the local media, I’d love to read some objective, hard-hitting, investigative reporting too. As soon as you have your blog up and running (if it isn’t already), please let me know. I’d love to read it. You sound like you have your finger on the pulse of Gwinnett and are ready to go out and find the definitive stories and people that make this county tick. Can’t wait to read your stuff.
Oh and by the way, do you ever post anything related to Rick’s blog or just the personal attacks? I was just curious since although you can’t stand Rick’s blog or what he writes about, you seem to read his blogs religiously and post here often. Just wondering what the attraction is? Sandy_G
By bethie
February 6, 2008 6:41 AM | Link to this
Thanks for another heart-warming story. Forget the naysayers, many of us appreciate human interest articles that touch on positive aspects of our community. We need these to balance the bad news we are inundated with on a daily basis.
By LT5000
February 6, 2008 9:21 AM | Link to this
Sandy,
I’m just giving Rick feedback on what I would like to read about.
I have a blog, it’s about a whiny little cupcake, named Sandy, who like to read stories about Human Trumpets and Soup line workers.
This is due to the fact he had a lobotomy as a child and his brain cannot grasp anything above a 2nd grade level.
They have a section of the newspaper for you people who never want to see what is really happening in your community. It’s called the Funny Pages.
C’mon Rick, write something real for once.
LT5000
By Sandy_G
February 6, 2008 12:21 PM | Link to this
I’m just giving Rick feedback on what I would like to read about.
Um, LT, Rick has an email address. Why not send him an email? I mean, if that’s your intent, to communicate with Rick, why post it on the comments board?
They have a section of the newspaper for you people who never want to see what is really happening in your community. It’s called the Funny pages.
Oh please, and you call me a whiner? Wah, wah, wah! I know what’s going on in my community. I go to commission meetings, planning meetings, I vote, I participate in my neighborhood’s COPS program and homeowner’s association. I also read the Gwinnett Daily Post, Inside Gwinnett magazine and a great blog on Gwinnett politics called www.bobgriggs.com, The Gwinnette Gazette online at www.talkgwinnett.net, among others. If you want information, it’s out there, but you have to get off your spoiled little hiney to go find it.
Rick does what he does and he does it well. If you want something different, go for it, it’s out there, but don’t expect Rick to change his column because you’re too lazy to read something else.
By LT5000
February 6, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this
Sandy,
You read? Who helps you with the big words?
Rick and Woody Bass both suck. And if you think Rick is good, you must be reading Highlights as your main source of information.
People actually lose IQ points reading this tripe. And you don’t have many left. A few more and your life support functions will fail.
LT5000
By Mark
February 6, 2008 2:05 PM | Link to this
Badie is unable to come up with any decent subject matter because like most blacks, real issues confuse them. He should ride with the GCPD, and blog about it. That would be an eye opener for him, and give him a real subject to write about. He can see first hand all the violence that the blacks and hispanics wreak in this county.
By Sandy_G
February 6, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this
People actually lose IQ points reading this tripe.
So, LT, you are reading it because????????? If your IQ is dropping so precipitously, why not read the Wall Street Journal? Expecting Pulitzer prize winning material from the AJC is like expecting Tiramisu to come out of the vending machine when you pull the lever for Snicker’s bar. Now, some of us like a Snicker’s bar once in awhile and some of us also like Tiramisu once in awhile, but those of us with normal intelligence know where to go to get either one.