The culture of football

Growing up in the football capital of the world, you would think I grew up watching the Cowboys and learning about football all my life. Well, I remember when we won the super bowl in 92 and 93 (I think) but after that I could care less about the sport until I got to TCU my freshman year in college. 

You see, I was a music major in a school that had just graduated Ladanian Tomlinson and I had no clue who the guy even was. My high school didn't have sports, so I didn't understand the whole football thing or the significance it would later have in my life. 

Somehow, my two best friends convinced me to become a "Purple Heart" for a football player on the TCU team. We would basically be a personal cheerleader to the players and make them personalized posters  to make them feel special yada yada yada... 

I didn't mind the spirit of it, until I got to know the football players and decided they were scum-bag, ghetto, thugs in gear. I had a very negative view of them after my friends and I were consistently being harassed by them throughout campus and we had enough! 

After that, I didn't care much for football until I met Zac two years later when I got to SMU. We went to the first game of the season together (which happened to be against TCU, and we beat them!!!) and I had a blast! I met Zac the summer after he graduated, so I never got to watch him play. I always tease him that I will never know if he was any good :)

The best part was that after a whole year of being at SMU, I finally got to experience "The Boulevard". At SMU, we don't tailgate, we boulevard which really just a nickname for our tailgates on the beautiful tree lined center street of our campus. I learned that the games are not just about kicking, throwing, touchdown, but also about sharing pride in ones school and coming together as a community to support the same goal, SMU wins!

The funny thing is that Zac's last year they were 1-11!!!

When I started supporting the next season, they went 6-6, even beating TCU!

This is Zac's jersey from his senior year

After several years with no football, the mister decided he could not let it go and became a coach

We even had our wedding pictures after our ceremony taken at the SMU football stadium

It makes sense that football is in Zac's blood considering his grandpa was a coach, and his uncle and cousins are all coaches

This article was written about his Tulsa University head coach uncle who has 3 sons that also coach in the Tulsa paper the other day. His mom sent us a copy in the mail :) 

I know now that football is not just a sport. It's a lifestyle that I am happy to live and one that I see makes so many people happy, including my husband. I can't wait to go to the first game at Baylor on the 2nd and watch SMU win. So many football times to look forward to this fall.

Watch out you U of H Cougars cause we are playing y'all too!

~Mrs. S