(This is dedicated to my new hero masked man. If it makes him smile once then I will be happy. Hope you all enjoy.)
Ok Red Raiders the time is now. We are in the midst of a global pandemic that may or may not be killing people depending on your world view, the country is torn by civil unrest and cries for social justice which has you believing that antifa is coming to burn your neighborhood down or the radical racist right is planning to put left leaning tree huggers in detention camps based on how you see things, we are either going to elect a withering old washed up pedophile to be president or a fading narcissistic dictator wannabe who has openly mused about the hotness of his daughter on daytime television determined by whether you view the world through a red or blue lens, and we are mired in a prolonged stretch of football mediocrity that has us bickering among ourselves about whether we are spending too much on women's soccer and if our athletic officials will ever be able to pull their heads out of their asses long enough to figure this thing out. This has us taking sides against each other and though the debate is spirited and discussion warranted, our passions often lead us down a contentious path.
But none of that matters Saturday. You know why? Because the goddamn Texas Longhorns are coming to town. That's why. Let me tell you something about the game of football. It's us against them. Saturday 16000 lucky Red Raiders will have the honor of representing us in person as we battle the evil empire. Common sense and Las Vegas suggests we are prohibitive underdogs. I say to hell with that. In this mixed up, up is down world we are currently living in anything is possible. Sure we played like crap vs. HBU. Was it lack of practice? Ill conceived schemes, lack of talent? Or a careful ruse calculated as subterfuge to throw off a looming combatant. Do you really think wr's were running unchecked and our DB's chasing them like hound dogs off the leash after jackrabbits on the back 40 on accident? Think about it for a second. I see it as all part of the grand plan. You Q people put those hats on. It's clear as mud to me. We will be ready.
Now this is what I want you to do. Forget about the world's problems. Put aside your differences. Put that Red Raider flag out in the yard. Invite some old friends over for the game and fire up that grill. Give the wife a c note if she does not bleed red and black and demands to watch and send her lingerie shopping for the inevitable celebration after the game (have her send an underwear selfie from the dressing room at half time as an appetizer. She gets a spanking if we lose and a lot of attention if we win. She needs to be vested in the outcome.) It's ok to believe in the Red Raiders. It's ok to expect to win. You are a sports fan because you are addicted to the ecstacy of victory and agony of defeat. But guess what, if you don't expect to go 12-0 every season you are doing it wrong. And if we lose the expectation should be 11-1. And so it goes. That's how Iron Guts rolls. And as I often say there is a little Iron Guts in all of us.
Lastly I'll leave you with a little story about a rag tag group of Catholic kids that was lined up to be homecoming fodder in 1979 for class A power (at the time) and Permian Basin outpost Klondike. They had the stadium decorated and all the festivities set. All 22 of us rolled in to that stadium in our used white and red bus and the locals were chomping at the bit. We were coached by an affable but sometimes sadistic former Vietnam vet. I was a 160 lb guard and linebacker known for going at the knees of march larger opponents. We took it to them that day. The CTK Trojans ruined Klondike's homecoming 22-21 (you historians may want to check me on the score.) As the rocks hit our bus on the way out we high fived realizing we had devastated their hoe down themed homecoming leaving them with the bitter taste of defeat. As I said anything is possible. As a side note our very close offensive line spent the night following the game in the back of the Pizza Inn near 34th and slide downing pitchers of Schlitz Dark reveling in our triumph. The drinking age was 18. I was a 17 yo junior. Was one of best days of my life. That my friends is Football (Nooner always encourages responsible drinking.)
May you all be drunk with the nectar of victory Saturday night and take a minute to remember why you are Red Raiders. If we lose? We still bleed Red & Black.
And finally ..... FU&K UT!
Coach Iron Guts Nooner
Ok Red Raiders the time is now. We are in the midst of a global pandemic that may or may not be killing people depending on your world view, the country is torn by civil unrest and cries for social justice which has you believing that antifa is coming to burn your neighborhood down or the radical racist right is planning to put left leaning tree huggers in detention camps based on how you see things, we are either going to elect a withering old washed up pedophile to be president or a fading narcissistic dictator wannabe who has openly mused about the hotness of his daughter on daytime television determined by whether you view the world through a red or blue lens, and we are mired in a prolonged stretch of football mediocrity that has us bickering among ourselves about whether we are spending too much on women's soccer and if our athletic officials will ever be able to pull their heads out of their asses long enough to figure this thing out. This has us taking sides against each other and though the debate is spirited and discussion warranted, our passions often lead us down a contentious path.
But none of that matters Saturday. You know why? Because the goddamn Texas Longhorns are coming to town. That's why. Let me tell you something about the game of football. It's us against them. Saturday 16000 lucky Red Raiders will have the honor of representing us in person as we battle the evil empire. Common sense and Las Vegas suggests we are prohibitive underdogs. I say to hell with that. In this mixed up, up is down world we are currently living in anything is possible. Sure we played like crap vs. HBU. Was it lack of practice? Ill conceived schemes, lack of talent? Or a careful ruse calculated as subterfuge to throw off a looming combatant. Do you really think wr's were running unchecked and our DB's chasing them like hound dogs off the leash after jackrabbits on the back 40 on accident? Think about it for a second. I see it as all part of the grand plan. You Q people put those hats on. It's clear as mud to me. We will be ready.
Now this is what I want you to do. Forget about the world's problems. Put aside your differences. Put that Red Raider flag out in the yard. Invite some old friends over for the game and fire up that grill. Give the wife a c note if she does not bleed red and black and demands to watch and send her lingerie shopping for the inevitable celebration after the game (have her send an underwear selfie from the dressing room at half time as an appetizer. She gets a spanking if we lose and a lot of attention if we win. She needs to be vested in the outcome.) It's ok to believe in the Red Raiders. It's ok to expect to win. You are a sports fan because you are addicted to the ecstacy of victory and agony of defeat. But guess what, if you don't expect to go 12-0 every season you are doing it wrong. And if we lose the expectation should be 11-1. And so it goes. That's how Iron Guts rolls. And as I often say there is a little Iron Guts in all of us.
Lastly I'll leave you with a little story about a rag tag group of Catholic kids that was lined up to be homecoming fodder in 1979 for class A power (at the time) and Permian Basin outpost Klondike. They had the stadium decorated and all the festivities set. All 22 of us rolled in to that stadium in our used white and red bus and the locals were chomping at the bit. We were coached by an affable but sometimes sadistic former Vietnam vet. I was a 160 lb guard and linebacker known for going at the knees of march larger opponents. We took it to them that day. The CTK Trojans ruined Klondike's homecoming 22-21 (you historians may want to check me on the score.) As the rocks hit our bus on the way out we high fived realizing we had devastated their hoe down themed homecoming leaving them with the bitter taste of defeat. As I said anything is possible. As a side note our very close offensive line spent the night following the game in the back of the Pizza Inn near 34th and slide downing pitchers of Schlitz Dark reveling in our triumph. The drinking age was 18. I was a 17 yo junior. Was one of best days of my life. That my friends is Football (Nooner always encourages responsible drinking.)
May you all be drunk with the nectar of victory Saturday night and take a minute to remember why you are Red Raiders. If we lose? We still bleed Red & Black.
And finally ..... FU&K UT!
Coach Iron Guts Nooner
