This week’s sizzle is dedicated to two Charlies.
The first Charlie is my new friend, Charlie Cammack, SJU class of ‘54. As I was enjoying myself in the usual fashion at the Stiftungsfestivities preceding the Tommie game, I was approached by a gentleman who introduced himself to me. In a pregame tailgate crowd that was perhaps even bigger than homecoming’s, Charlie found me in the crowd. Maybe someone told him who I was, or maybe Charlie recognized my mug from the photo to the left, but he came up to me to thank me and the and the rest of our johnniefootball.com crew for what we do. I learned that Charlie lives near Atlanta, GA and had a career with IBM. But like all Johnnie fans, near and far, young and old, our passion for our football team crosses all boundaries. Charlie told me how great it was that, through the magic of the internet, and the efforts of stumblebum writers like myself, he was able to follow Johnnie football even when living many miles away prevented him from being here in person. Our visit was too brief, but I could see on Charlie’s face how delighted he was to be back behind the pine curtain, and among friends at St. John’s. Charlie Cammack, you made my day and I look forward to seeing you again at another game.
The other Charlie is my son, Charlie Burns, SJU class of ‘09. Twenty-one years ago today, I celebrated John Gagliardi’s 60th birthday with the birth of Charlie, my first child. It’s hard to believe he’s now 21, but tonight I had the opportunity to celebrate his birthday with him. Accompanied by our friend, writer extraordinaire John Sullivan (see preceding article), we sat at Old Chicago, enjoyed a pizza and a beer, talking Johnnie football and everything else. (We had one more beer in a feeble effort to join our father-son mentors on the Hall of Foam, Mike and Charlie Carr.) Watching one’s children grow into adults is a thrill beyond words. I remember dropping him off at his dorm two years ago as he was starting his freshman year at SJU and challenging him to have as much fun at St. John’s as I did – I think he’s succeeding. Happy Birthday Charlie!
John on the left, Charlie on the right
And so, in a roundabout way, the preceding paragraphs lead me to commend to you a couple of articles about Johnnie football and what it’s all about. Two other visitors to last week’s game and festivities were d3football.com founder/guru Pat Coleman and Around the Nation columnist Keith McMillan. Both Pat and Keith wrote about the game and their experience with the magic of St. John’s football in Collegeville.
Well done Pat and Keith.
Good luck hunters!
Go Johnnies!
finsleft@johnniefootball.com
