It by no means would have occurred below Bill Belichick.
But it was a distinct period again in 1972 after I, a political reporter, was assigned to spend two weeks with the New England Patriots, who had simply come off one other shedding season.
The guidelines within the NFL had been unfastened again then. Some of the coaches had been too. The solely fixed was a shedding Patriot soccer crew.
I had solely not too long ago joined the Boston Globe as a State House reporter after the outdated Boston Herald was purchased by the Hearst Corporation.
Being a sports activities fan, I simply had written a Globe Magazine August cowl story about boxer Joe DeNucci making a comeback within the ring and successful six fights in a row.
I had gotten to know DeNucci on the State House the place he labored for the Legislature as a courtroom officer. He later would grow to be a state consultant and state auditor.
Since the piece was successful, some mind on the paper thought it will be a good suggestion to do the same comeback story concerning the sorry Patriots. I balked.
I didn’t need the project however being a newcomer, I accepted it, despite the fact that as a Patriots fan I knew the crew can be fortunate to win six video games interval, not to mention six video games in a row.
Their file in 1970 was two wins and 12 losses. With newly acquired Heisman trophy winner Jim Plunkett as the brand new quarterback, the crew file improved to 6 wins and eight losses in 1971.
The groups performed 14 video games again then plus two then referred to as exhibition video games.
So, I am going out to Schaefer Stadium to satisfy the late nice Globe sportswriter Will McDonough, who knew extra about soccer than did the coaches. We hit it off. Will is from Southie and I’m from Somerville. Will goes to point out me round.
In what can be unthinkable immediately with a coach like Belichick, coaches usually requested McDonough for information on gamers and performs and never the opposite means round.
Can anybody presumably conceive of Belichick, who in his often irritable method solely mumbles to the press, ask a reporter something?
“I’ll introduce you to John Mazur, the coach,” McDonough says. “He’s not going to be around much longer.”
Will additionally introduces me to Upton Bell, the 33-year common supervisor and soccer wizard who is decided to fireside Mazur earlier than he will get fired himself.
In the tip they each get fired. But soccer coaches and common managers are like politicians. They all the time land one other job.
Meanwhile I’m considering that Shaefer Stadium is attending to appear to be the State House.
We meet the half-dressed gamers within the locker room. Since it’s pre-season and the cuts haven’t been made, there are numerous them, all enormous and wholesome.
Plunkett and his go to vast receiver Randy Vataha, each Stanford graduates, are standouts and stars. But it’s Plunkett, the Heisman trophy winner, I need to write about. He is 23 years outdated, tall, sturdy and good-looking.
He was born to Mexican American dad and mom. His mom was blind, and his father was additionally with progressive blindness, however nonetheless needed to work to help their three kids.
He later would quarterback two groups to the Super Bowl, neither of which had been the Patriots, however had been the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV and the Los Angeles Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII.
But there isn’t any time. We are off to Denver for an exhibition recreation with the Broncos.
To get the texture of the sport, McDonough takes me right down to the sphere at Mile High Stadium. There is no person round however me and McDonough. We go to concerning the 20-yard line. It is darkish however the soccer lights are on.
He seems to be down the sphere and says “Think about it. You’re 20 years old. You’re waiting to catch the kickoff. There are fifty or sixty thousand fans screaming. The ball comes. You hold your breath. You catch it catch it. Then all hell breaks loose.”
The soccer gamers are in mattress by 10 p.m. to relaxation earlier than the following day’s recreation. Mazur, the coaches, the assistants, the touring crew and the reporters do their very own preparation by consuming and partying all evening within the Denver lodge lounge.
It by no means occurred on Belichick’s watch.
Peter Lucas is a veteran Massachusetts political reporter and columnist.
Source: www.bostonherald.com