No, I’m not talking about that fraud of a human being. Rather, this is someone you should be proud to call OJ.
I don’t know the man personally, but he attended and graduated from Rice University at the same time as me. He was the star linebacker at Rice, but was deemed too small for the NFL. He played in the Canadian Football League for a few years, winning a championship with the Baltimore CFL Stallions. He then actually made it to the NFL and later won a championship with the Baltimore Ravens as a special teams leader. After his football career, he wound up working for the Ravens in their front office. About two years ago, he was diagnosed with ALS.
OJ Brigance obviously didn’t ask for this, but he has certainly caught the imagination of the supposedly “tough” football players he now mentors for the Baltimore Ravens. This past weekend, he was presented with the game ball from the Ravens win over the Tennessee Titans. He continues to work and inspire the team.
I bring this up in part because, even though I never met him, I remember following him as he tried to make it in football. I remember cheering him on in person when he played for the Baltimore Stallions, even seeing one of the games in Memorial Stadium. All of this comes to a head now with the article this week in the Washington Post that talks even more about his situation and what he’s learned. And it should make you pause, when OJ reflects on his situation like this:
“Who are you?” he [Brigance] asked. “When your physical prowess is taken away, who are you? We build our lives on things that are temporary and when these things are taken away who are you inside? That’s one of the great blessings I’ve had. I can see I’m more than an athlete.”
So give the article a read, and pause and consider your blessings for a little while. In the meantime, fight on, OJ.
Actually, by these standards, it’s Utah that should be the national champion. Nobody has a route to beating them, and I’m pretty sure every 1-A team has a route to losing to them. And really, based on the results I saw in the Sugar Bowl, who am I to argue? That was a thorough domination by the Utes.
So if they award the championship to someone other than Rice (or Utah), know that the game and process was fixed to benefit the haves (once again).
Do you remember my note back in September about the Rice football team and how special they might be? Well, they fell to 3-3, then ran off 7 straight wins (including a bowl game) to finish out the season.
That’s right — they won their first bowl game in almost 55 years. The Cotton Bowl in 1954 was the last bowl win for Rice. It also gave us this famous play. Hopefully, you’re already familiar with it, but if not, here is a quick recap.
Even better, my dad got to witness the game in person. We flew in and out of Richmond, being gone for only about 48 hours total. Our hotel was less than a mile from the stadium and not too far from campus. On Monday night, we met up with Jeff Jeffress (a roommate of mine) and his wife Isabelle (both Rice grads) for dinner. It was good to catch up about families and other topics.
Tuesday morning started off on the Rice campus with an alumni gathering in the new coffeehouse — an all-glass enclosure that’s supposed to be extremely eco-friendly. It definitely would have been nice to have that on campus when I was there. We also took time to wander to a couple of corners of campus. We visited Will Rice College, the residential dorm both Dad and I were associated with. We also wandered over to the new basketball arena (refurbished the previous court and structure and re-opened the prior month), then visited the nearly empty (except for a groundskeeper on the lawnmower) baseball stadium — an absolute crown jewel.
You can see many of the pictures I took in the album below. The album does cover all of the way to the end of our visit, so please continue reading below it.
After a quick bite to eat, it was off to the Texas Bowl. First was the Owl Walk, where the fans line the entrance to the stadium as the team heads in. After which, we got to see this rather bemusing scene — a chicken trying to lead the Chicken Dance, but having no idea how to do it.
Then there was an official Rice tailgate, with lots of good food and unlimited beer and beverages for a fixed price. (Definitely beat the prices we would have paid at the stadium.) We finally got into the stadium and to our seats about 15 minutes before kickoff. We sat in the corner of the end zone in the club level (300 level). Great views of the action without being too high up. And needless to say, jumping out to a 38-0 lead before allowing 2 late TDs was more than I could have expected. The NFL Network had a decent 4-minute summary of the game and post-game analysis/interviews here.
This was a class group of Rice football players. They tied a school record with 10 wins on the season, just 3 years removed from a 1-11 season. The official Rice pictures only begin to do it justice. This was a special group of seniors that have given us Rice fans at least a little taste of successful football. We certainly hope that the success can continue.
A special thanks is going to be shared about the three players I highlighted in the video — Chase Clement (QB), Jarrett Dillard (WR), and James Casey (TE). All three were largely ignored in recruiting — Chase and Jarrett were recruited for a wishbone offense, and James actually spent several years chasing a minor league baseball career before sending his own recruiting video to Rice and getting accepted. Chase and Jarrett have rewritten much of the history books, whether at Rice, in Conference-USA, or even nationally (most prolific passing duo, most career TD catches for a receiver). And James may have played only two years, but was a jack-of-all-trades (played 7 different positions in one game in 2007) with amazing skills. He’s leaving early for the NFL, but is already aiming to graduate this summer with over a 3.8 GPA in a triple major in just over 2 years of school. That certainly puts me to shame. Some highlights from the announcement (including game footage).
At least two of them will get drafted (Jarrett and James). Chase is a bit short, but likely will get a shot to at least make a roster. I’ll definitely have some guys to root for in the NFL.
The whole trip was a load of fun, and I’m glad Kellie gave me a kitchen pass to do it. (Thank you, dear.) This won’t happen every time, but this was a fun experience made all the better because of the win and a chance to spend time with some friends and (of course) Dad.
This is a week of Rice sports for me — Rice football bowl game on Tuesday night (details coming, as the pictures and video are more complex), and a Rice men’s basketball game this afternoon. Rice came to town to play University of Richmond, and I took Will to his first college sporting event. Unfortunately, Rice came away on the short end of the game, losing rather badly. (Luckily, the photo to the right was taken after the game score had been cleared.)
I think Will enjoyed himself. The arena was neither crowded nor loud, as students weren’t back from winter break yet. But for whatever reason, Rice was largely flat throughout the game and got blown out fairly early. Will enjoyed his food and had fun watching the game. He talked some to a Richmond fan (lady) next to him, and I wound up sitting next to a Rice grad (Chris D. — Baker ‘87) and talking to him for a while. While it wasn’t the result I wanted, Will actually went into the game saying he was going to be rooting for Richmond, and during the game he told me that he liked cheering for the team “with more points.” I think he’ll be interested in going to another one again.
