Chapter 14 Little Bug

Chapter 14 Little Bug

I haven't written a story about Andrew, my third son, as a young boy. I've decided to write one about his early love for football.

This story takes place at Fort Meade, Maryland, in the fall of 1991. Of course, Brian was off doing Army things. When Andrew was four, he played soccer. He walked around and said to anyone who would listen, "My big brothers play football. All I get to play is peewee soccer."

The following year Andrew turned five and somebody told him, I promise it wasn't me, that he was now old enough to play football. I have a feeling it was one of his brothers, but neither of them has admitted it to this day. Jeff would be my usual suspect.

It came time for Andrew's first practice, all decked out in full uniform to include cleats, pads, and helmet. He held my hand, his choice, as I walked him onto the field to meet his coach. His coach looked at him and pointed. "Ma'am, peewee soccer is on the next field over."

Andrew held his ground. "I'm here to play football."

The coach grinned. "Okay, little bug, let's do it."

From that day on, until the Army moved us, Andrew was 'Little Bug'. He had the same coach for the following two seasons.

Army Youth Services had a policy that each level of football not only had age restrictions but also weight restrictions. Before each game they had a weigh-in and if a child weighed a little too much, they were only allowed to play certain positions. If they weighed way too much, they had to sit that game out or move up to the next level. I don't remember all the specifics. They did this for the boys' and girls' safety. Yes, girls were allowed to play football if they wanted too. The guidelines were well posted and explained, so everybody knew it before going into the football season.

Andrew went over with the rest of the players for his first weigh-in. When Andrew returned to the sideline, I noticed tears.

I had already, since the older boys played football, been warned, 'moms aren't allowed on a football field, no matter what.' I sent Greg over to check on him.

Greg returned grinning.

I asked, "What's wrong with Andrew?"

"Nobody told him he passed the weight requirement. He was afraid he'd failed. I told him he was fine, and football players don't cry."

"Greg, it's okay to cry."

"Mom! On the football field it isn't."

I never understood but accepted it. BOYS!!!

After the game, the coach came to me and asked, "What was wrong with Little Bug? I saw his brother with him."

"Andrew was worried he didn't pass the weigh-in because nobody told him he did."

The coach grinned. "He'd have passed it if he held two bricks in each hand." He walked away chuckling.

I spent many years with my rear-end gracing the bleachers during football games. I just did the math, from the time Greg started to play until Steven's last game totaled twenty- seven years. To be honest, I do miss watching the boys. Those were good times filled with many memories. I see high school football short stories in my future.

I want to share a summary of Andrew's football career. He continued playing with Youth Services through all our moves until we reached Fort Campbell, KY.

Andrew attended Fort Campbell high school as a freshman. They had a small high school and Andrew started on the varsity team as the center.

For his sophomore year we moved to Fort Jackson, SC. They had a larger high school, and Andrew was classified as an eight-quarter player. I had never heard that term before. He started Jr. Varsity on Thursday's nights and dressed out for the Varsity games on Friday nights. He did play some in every varsity game.

By the time Andrew was a junior he had secured a starting varsity position. He played left guard. I still remember his jersey number, fifty-four.

Andrew's senior year looked great for him. Academically he was at the top of his high school class, and had numerous times been selected district player of the week.

West Point was his college of choice. He had been accepted, but during a football game with our school rivals he tore his ACL and meniscus. Surgery was required.

The surgery was a success, but West Point was no longer a choice. He was unable to do the 'duck walk'. Not kidding, it is a requirement for all Army physicals. He passed everything, except the stupid duck walk.

A mother's side note. The Global War of Terrorism was in full swing. During Andrew's senior year and the following years, I had my husband, my oldest son, Greg, and my brother-in-law, Jared deployed to Afghanistan at the same time. If Andrew had gone to West Point, he probably would've ended up in Afghanistan. I was secretly glad he didn't. In my book, God knew what he was doing.

A note on Jared. He was much younger than my husband and just about three years older than Greg. I guess my in-laws got tired of parenting because Jared spent most of his time with us. I was like a second mother to him. He fit right in with his nephews.

University of Missouri Science and Technical School at Rolla, Missouri became Andrew's next choice. He wanted to be a mechanical engineer. This school only specializes in engineering, and one needs to be a math geek to get in. If you don't want to become an engineer of some sort, don't go to that university.

We took a trip so he could look at the campus. He liked it and had an appointment with the head football coach.

After showing the coach videos, Andrew asked, "How many offensive linemen do you recruit each year?"

The coach chuckled. "How many offensive linemen do you know who can do advanced calculous?"

"I get your point." Andrew grinned.

He told Andrew he'd need to be ready to play by the end of July to make the team. Andrew worked hard to rehab that knee but had lost some speed and chose not to go out for the team.

Andrew remains very active and works out daily. He and his wife, Katie, run marathons together and climb mountains. When he does these activities, he still wears a knee brace. My nickname for Andrew is 'Geehunk' a cross between a geek and a hunk. He doesn't seem to understand the humor.

~~~~~
Here are the current weight regulations. They were a little different back in 1991, but you get the idea.

AGES & WEIGHTS: TACKLE FOOTBALL
Leagues have options with how to structure their program. While leagues can continue the current structure where a player is placed in a division based on his or her age and weight they may also instead choose to register players based on age only. Currently, an estimated 75-80% of youth football nationally follows an age-only structure.
There are Six Divisions of play, all determined by an age/weight scale.
Age/Weight Division Age(s) Certification Weight End of Season Weight
TINY-MITE 5-6-7 35-80 lbs. 89 lbs.

MITEY-MITE 7-8-9 45-105 lbs. 114 lbs.

JR. PEE WEE (older/lighter)9-10 60-120 lbs. 129 lbs.
11* 60-95 lbs. 109 lbs.

PEE WEE (older/lighter) 9-10-11 75-135 lbs. 144 lbs.
12* 75-110 lbs. 124 lbs.

JR. VARSITY (older/lighter) 10-11-12 90-160 lbs. 169 lbs.
13* 90-135 lbs. 149 lbs.

VARSITY (older/lighter) 12-13-14 105-185 lbs. 194 lbs.
15* 105-160 lbs. 174 lbs.

*The asterisked provisions in each division allow the so-called "older but lighter" player to also qualify. The last year of eligibility falls under more stringent weight restrictions, per above.
A child's age on July 31 is his/her age for the season.