9/10/2005

My favorite memory of my Grandpa is, naturally, associated with football and his Fighting Irish. Some combination of Wikipedia and precise sports memory tells me it was 2005. The first season under Charlie Weiss. Brady Quinn was QB. Of course, it was also about a year after I, for some reason, decided to start playing the trumpet in third grade.

There’s a VHS out there somewhere where I’m dancing in my parent’s living room to “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and I yell “TRUMPET” and I start miming a trumpet solo. That might be the tidiest answer to the question “why trumpet?” But of course the spectacle of the Marching Band was a major factor in why I kept going. College football is an incredible invention, you get a touchdown, you get song—what a deal. I can’t remember if it was more my Mom’s idea or mine, but to impress my Grandpa, in one of my trumpet lessons my instructor wrote out a simplified version of the Fighting Irish theme. The best theme in college football history.

The day in question was September 10th, the day of Notre Dame's traditional rivalry game against Michigan. My parents, sister, and I had gathered at my Grandparent's place at Beverage Hill Avenue in Pawtucket. This rivalry was especially contentious in my family. My beloved uncle Gary, perhaps as a way of getting back at his father, had a funny habit of finding his way to a more favorable side of a rivalry. My Grandpa's continuous complaints about the Red Sox Bullpen were met with a die hard Yankees fan for a son. Gary was set-up a couple miles away at his own Pawtucket home, looking to enjoy his number three ranked Michigan Wolverine's trouncing of a generously ranked 20 Notre Dame in peace.

My grandpa was a stoic presence in my life. He was Irish. Thanks to The Departed, we all know what Freud said about them. To that point, I hadn't honestly seen him get all that excited, but upon arrival at Beverage Hill, my Mom proudly proclaimed that I had brought my trumpet with me and I was going to play him something. About two notes in to the Fighting Irish theme he started clapping along and yelled “Heyyy!!” He was so proud. Then the game started.

Football is incredibly stupid in a lot of ways but it has a funny way of making its viewers believe in magic. John Elway’s storied career and fruitless quest for a super bowl ending with not one but two. Ray Lewis summoning a four-down goal line stand to end of his. The kick-six video that ought to give anyone chills to this day. We had magic on our side that day. A mere three minutes into the game, Quinn tossed one into the endzone to give the Irish an early lead.

My Grandpa sprung to his feet and grabbed a phone to call up Gary. He was motioning me to get my trumpet out and once Gary begrudgingly picked up the phone he said “Hey Gary! you gotta hear this.” That was my cue. Trying desperately not to laugh so I could get the notes out, the fighting Irish theme came bursting out of my horn through the phone. The next Fighting Irish drive, Quinn proved this wasn’t a fluke with another touchdown pass, and my Grandpa geared up for round two.

Memory is a funny thing but with deeper meaning comes clarity. I didn’t remember that the Fighting Irish finished the 2005 season by losing the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. Didn't even remember that the Irish held on to beat Michigan that day 17-10, but of course I remember that we scored first because that was the moment that really mattered.

The thing I often complain about in college football is there isn't a feeling of finality. Especially then, when there was no proper playoff, I always felt that the season would just devolve into a bunch of meaningless bowl games, but what my Grandpa and other college football fans understand is that it doesn't matter that your team didn’t win x amount of championships or break such and such record, college football fans just live for the little moments where they get to listen to their theme songs with all the pride in the world. The upsets where an anonymous running back gets to have one day in the sun, stunning a mighty top ten ranked defense with three touchdowns and chewing up all the clock while he's at it.

I'm in my own flag football league and I'm starting to get it. First of all its a gay league so a lot of people don't really know how to draft or manage the clock so actually winning games can be a little random. My first season at QB was frustrating, 11 losses in a row won't do anyone's mental state any good, but we had our magic moments. Rookie fingers learned how to latch onto the ball, inexperienced defenders learned the true meaning of a “zone.” I learned how to anticipate routes and bonded with my receivers to learn when and how to get them the ball. It's hard to finish games and hard to even craft at working drive, but you need to find moments to let yourself hear the fighting Irish theme and fill with pride. For a little while, these will be the moments where I think of that day with my Grandpa when the Irish scored first.

https://www.manningheffern.com/obituary/John-Donovan

-Donovan Burtan