| PREFACE First, thank you for purchasing this book. Your financial support helps two paralyzed former high school football athletes obtain the housing and equipment needed to enhance the quality of their lives. The football family has rallied to encourage and support them. Not looking the other way and sweeping the realties and needs of these two quadriplegic young men under the carpet takes guts. In solidarity we send a message to them that people care. Their struggle is often lonely and painful. They do their best each day to rebuild their lives after a devastating and catastrophic spinal cord injury suddenly changed everything. This book takes an intensive look inside the college and professional football locker room at halftime. It is a rare "fly-on-the-wall" peek into the "other" halftime show. It portrays the often dramatic and intense unleashing of motivation, inspiration, passion and strategizing, played out in the crucible and heat of the inner sanctum of the locker room. It is said in football, sports, and life:
Halftime in football presents an opportunity for the "tough" to get into high gear and find strength of character. Halftime is set aside for the preparation of tough-minded players and coaches to regroup and set into motion a second half strategic game plan that can lead to victory. Little is known about what really goes on between coaches and players inside the college and professional football locker room at halftime. A code of secrecy often prevails, often for good reason. Many coaches describe football with all its mental toughness along with physical demands as a "microcosm" of life itself. Legendary coach Lou Holtz speaks about what he sees as a close inter-connection between football, coaching and life:
The Halftime Book Project was initiated as a means to financially benefit two Chicago-area high school football players who have fallen on tough times. They were paralyzed playing the game they love. Rob Komosa and Rocky Clark became quadriplegic, requiring mechanical breathing assistance. Rob was injured in 1999 and, and Rocky in 2000. The boys and their families continue to face tough challenges of many kinds. Coach Randy Walker and Coach Dick Jauron observed the plight of Rocky and Rob and decided to mobilize the nationwide football coaching family to come to their assistance. On New Year's Day 2003 over 300 invitation letters and packets were assembled by my family and later mailed to NFL and Division 1 college coaches. The packets described the launch of the "Halftime Book Project." Jauron and Walker reached out to their colleagues requesting that they share great moments and perspectives about football halftime. The idea was to compile an intense look into the locker room at halftime. The response from the coaches was excellent. Copies of the project invitation letter sent to the coaches and "idea generator" are included as the book appendices. As project coordinator my role was to weave the contributions from the coaches, and gather research and other sources to help the reader achieve a glimpse into halftime dynamics. I was fortunate to conduct the interviews graciously given by the participating coaches. I had the pleasure of relaying to Rocky and Rob news and messages from each participating coach that stepped forward to help with the project. The final product here is a work in progress, and a labor of love. I will be the first to admit that I am not a professional sportswriter. The best I can say about my credentials as the project editor is that one of my younger brothers was an outstanding all-state high school football player and later played at the college level. Rob and Rocky are my great friends and they have inspired me by their courage and tenacity. The most important message we can all send to Rob and Rocky is that they are not forgotten. In a sense, they are in a halftime period of their lives. In the first half they could run and move on their own. Today, they are rebuilding and adjusting to their paralysis. Our hope for the boys is, "that when the going gets tough," they do not give up hope. It is our prayer that they continue pursuing the second half of their lives with spirit, optimism, character and passion. D.R.G. |