Kevin's Special Day

For each of us there are dates on the calendar that are meaningful for reasons that
are very personal. They could be joyful events like birthdays or anniversaries or ones that are marked by sadness and reflection. In some cases the dates are really quite trivial but yet each year when it comes to that day it takes you back in time.
Such is the case for yours truly when it comes to January 12th.

The year was 1969 and I was just three weeks away from my 13th birthday and an 8th grader at Central Regional. I was a very passionate sports fan and my favorite team was the Baltimore Colts, who that season were a powerhouse and without question the best team in the NFL. On January 12th they were to play the New York Jets in Super Bowl III and most experts thought the game was a pure mismatch with the Colts installed as huge 18 point favorites. As probably the only Colts fan in my school I was cocky and confident they would crush the Jets, who had a lot of young fans because of their brash quarterback, Joe Namath. For a couple of weeks leading up to the game I started making bets with kids in school.

They were all for a buck or two but they started adding up and as the big game approached I had wagered well over $100 with fellow students and even a couple of teachers. At that time that was the kind of money that could buy a lot of cokes and hamburgers at the Sweet Shoppe in Seaside Heights and I had visions of such
when the game kicked off from the Orange Bowl in Miami.

Of course you know this story did not end well. The Jets shocked the world by upsetting my beloved Colts 16-7 and I never really had a chance because I was giving 18 points. As the outcome and my fate became apparent I sank into a deep depression and could not figure out how to face everyone on Monday morning.

Bad enough the Colts had lost the game….I had to pay off all these bets with of course no resources. I first tried to tell my mother I was sick and could not go to school but she wasn’t buying it. So I climbed on the bus that morning and immediately started eating crow. Of course I had to put everyone off and over time would pay those dollar or two losses…some let me off the hook and I don’t believe any of the teachers wanted the money. What they did want was the opportunity to shut me up and they got it. Every year when January 12th rolls around I think back to that football game and at least now I can laugh about it.