The Big Hit
Posted Sunday, November 1, 2009 11:13 AM

 Above: Dave Curry, Front third from left
 
In my senior year at South Pasadena High School I turned out for the football team. Although I was arguably the fastest student in school, having done well in the sprint events on the track team, at 6’ I weighed only 149 pounds. I had “bulked up” to 155 over the summer drinking milkshakes and doing chin ups and pull ups, but the first week of running trimmed me down pretty fast. I actually put a weight in my shorts when we weighed in for the program stats. Our team had a good nucleus returning from a Southern Section CIF Championship team. This was a major accomplishment in 1959 since there were only three divisions then, while there are sixteen now.
           The last week of summer we did conditioning drills starting September 3 but full contact began on September 6. After warm-ups, the backs divided into two lines for a tackling drill. I quickly surveyed the other line and spotted Donnie Johnson, the returning CIF Player of the Year at running back. He was as fast as I was, in fact, in football gear; he usually beat me [but not always] and was probably 30 or 40 pounds heavier. It had been almost a year since Donnie had hit anyone and he was clearly looking forward to contact. I looked over and he was almost pawing the ground like a mad bull. The sounds of the first collisions of fall echoed off the huge auditorium opposite our practice field. It crossed my mind that there was a real possibility that I might be injured.
           I quickly counted bodies, making the mistake of pointing, and sure enough, it would be my privilege to attempt to tackle Donnie Johnson on my first day of varsity football. Now there is a certain logic that says, “Well, you’ll have to do it eventually,” but of course this is the first hit of the fall, the first impression the coach has of you. While Donnie had trampled many good, even great players, still, this was going to be my first hit. I took a deep breath and snapped my helmet on tight.
           I wish I could finish this tale by saying that I brought him down, became a star and dated the head cheerleader. What actually happened was that Dave Curry saw my body language and stepped in front of me just before it was my turn. Dave was probably as good a player as Donnie. He had backed him up the year before and whenever he played he ran as well as Donnie. He wasn’t as big or fast as Donnie, but he got to the hole quick, cut well and ran fearlessly. He went on to play college football and became a very successful college coach. It was so like him to stick up for the weaker guy, and he may have even saved my life.
           Before I could move, the whistle blew and the two outstanding backs collided, their first hit of the fall. The impact actually shook the ground. The sound reverberated off the auditorium. I could feel it from the bottom of my cleats. They hit head on and both lay motionless on the ground. Time stood still. Nobody moved. Then Coach Solari came running over from the line drills. After a short time, Dave got up and returned to the line, but Donnie still lay on the ground. He finally got up, but that was it for him at the morning practice, although he did return in the afternoon. We resumed the drill, and I managed to tackle Jeff Howe, another really good running back. As I returned to the line, Coach quietly said to Dave, “Next time just let him run over Tomlin.”
           Over the course of the season, I had to square off against both Dave and Donnie in drills several times. Although I never knocked either of them even an inch backwards, I at least didn’t miss the tackles. I don’t believe they ever went head to head again, probably just as well.