A (too small) Tribute to My Dad

By Mike Gibson
There are very few people who understood my love of Temple football more than my Dad.
He was a guy who grew up a big Penn fan, went to Roman Catholic High and graduated from Villanova.
As a kid, around 10, he’d always send me off every Saturday with a couple of tokens so I could catch a couple of buses, a train, whatever, to Penn, Temple and Villanova football games.
I was a fan of all three teams but settled on Temple because I thought this was a school trying to do something the other two schools weren’t: Bring a big-time college football atmosophere and winning team to Philadelphia.
The Owls had a name coach, Wayne Hardin, a guy who took Navy to No. 2 in the country in the early 1960s.
Soon, Hardin would make Temple a big-time and respected name and I was hooked.
I became a Temple fan for life.
I made a point of turning town a scholarship to a smaller school so I could attend Temple, get a journalism degree, and experience the atmosphere as a student, too.
I would always tell my dad I was a Temple fan because I wanted Philadelphia, Temple alumni and Temple students to experience the things other towns and other fans get to experience all the time _ a big-time football team playing in a big-time atmosphere.
It seems like everybody else gets to experience that except Temple fans and this led to a lot of weekends, mostly after graduating, coming home after particularly bitter losses.
After every loss, he’d seen my sour demeanor and feel my pain. Just like nobody can cover Bruce Francis, nobody takes a Temple loss harder than me. I become almost comatose.
“Mike, why do you put yourself through this?” my dad would say.
Then I’d tell him Temple fans deserve what Alabama fans and Texas fans and Penn State fans have.
Just once.

“Mike, why do you put yourself through this?” my dad would say.
Then I’d tell him Temple fans deserve what Alabama fans and Texas fans and Penn State fans have.
Just once.

“Some day,” I told my dad. “Some day our stadium will be full and our fans will be smiling. Some day.”
I was convinced. I am convinced it will happen.
Some day.
He’d always nod and understand my pain and why I put myself through this.
Today, I experienced his.
This morning, at 9:07 a.m., my dad died.
If you don’t see any posts on this site for awhile, and you probably won’t, it’s because I’m helping handle things until he gets buried.
Hopefully, I’ll feel a little better by next Wednesday, but I don’t think so.

6 thoughts on “A (too small) Tribute to My Dad

  1. I wish you my heart felt condolences on the loss of your father. It cannot be easy, no matter how sudden, or long awaited it is. During these next tough days, remember how great of a father he was to you, and the magic you two shared through Philadelphia (and Temple) college football. My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family, and your father. God Bless.

  2. Thanks, Josh. He’s a big Navy fan (having been in the Navy) and he got a laugh out of the story I told him about the Temple game Saturday. I told him I didn’t think it was as funny as he did. He always wanted Temple to win all the other games, though, because he knew how much it made me happy.

  3. Mike,My condolences on the loss of your father. The loss of someone very special really puts things like college football in perspective. Looking forward to futute posts, but in the meantime, thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.

  4. Mike: Hoots here. I’m very sorry to learn of the passing of your father. My thoughts are with you. It’s wonderful that he instilled you with an interest in college football that will last a lifetime.

  5. Mike,I’m sorry I’m so late in extending my condolences; I missed your blog. There is nothing quite like a parent who understands the pain we go through as Temple football fans, and who knows just what to say or not say in showing his/her love. For what it’s worth, I go through the same kind of pain when our owls lose. It ordinarily takes a few days before I recover (it used to take longer when I was a little younger- age does have its benefits I suppose) In any event, I love you insights and terrific prose. Stay strong. The best.

  6. Thanks Dana,It’s never too late.I have a rough time watching Eagles games because that’s something me and my Dad always did together. He was not necessarily a Temple fan, but he always wanted Temple to win because he knew how much it meant to me.But we were both Eagles’ fans.Me, not so much anymore (because they try to put it to Temple whenever the Owls want to play a Thursday night game)So the memories come flowing back every time I watch an Eagles game.He would not have been happy with that first half.You missed my blog?Where were you?Thanks again,Mike

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