Bear Down Wildcats

Spaceman Spiff wrote:This is incredibly sad. RIP.

It's unbelievable.

EVCat wrote:Terrible.

Please, folks...not that it appears needed, but save the "we are cursed" football related stuff on this one. Couldn't give a fuck about impact to our team performance. Just horrible

Merkin wrote:At least one person with class at ASU.

TuiTouchdown wrote:Can we stickie this thread for the season?

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -

Arizona lined up for the opening kickoff at Illinois ... and promptly called timeout. It was September 1995.

The Wildcats had practiced a special alignment for just this situation. Two groups of players moved on to the field, gathering at each 40-yard line.

The first group took a knee in unison, forming the letter "D" and raising their helmets with one arm toward the heavens. The second group did the same, except those players formed the letter "T."

Defensive back Shawn Parnell stood alone, holding up his best friend's No. 80 jersey.

Head coach Dick Tomey didn't see the tribute.

He was in Los Angeles, attending the funeral of senior tight end Damon Terrell.

"The first day [after Hemmila's death], I didn’t want to be around here at all," (Josh) Kern said.
"[The coaching staff] made stuff not mandatory — there was a workout and a team meeting — and I didn’t come back. I didn't want to be around."

Kern continued, "I’ve been with Zach every day for four years, with workouts and football and everyday I’ve been in Tucson, so it’s been weird...Getting out of Tucson might help a little bit."

Offensive lineman Jacob Alsadek, who was roommates with Hemmila at one point, felt the same way.

"We kept his spot in the meeting room, we haven’t moved it and we still give him every sheet that we get," Alsadek said. "His locker is still up and nothing has been touched."
Alsadek continued, "Seeing this stuff is hard still... and I think going away is going to help us with that."

For the players, being around each other has been the key to coping with this tragedy, and in Tempe it'll just be them, the team hotel, and the football field.

"You're going to a hotel with your team, and being with the team has helped everybody," Alsadek said. "It’s made a lot of things easier. Losing somebody in that room is obviously not something that we wanted — I wouldn’t wish that upon anybody — but we’re making the best and we’re doing what we think he wanted — watching film, going to practice and all that stuff."

"We had a team meeting… and the more I’ve been around, I’ve started to feel a little bit better about the situation," Kern said. "And hopefully I’ll be able to get some closure [after going to Tempe]."

Meanwhile, Rodriguez, as the head coach, isn't exactly sure what he can do to help (since he's never been in a situation like this before), but he knows his team will battle through it.

"I told the team... this is not in the coaching manual," Rodriguez said. "It’s not something I’ve experienced doing, so we’ll figure it out together. I think we have a really tight group. Our guys are close. We’re not shying away from talking about it."

"And we'll get through it as a team, that’s what we have to do."

azgreg wrote:

Well done Texas, well done.