Dwyer: Admitting my black (and gold) past

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Border Showdown — showdown is too weak of a word, but political correctness won’t allow me to call it what everyone wants to — represents a number of different things to a number of different people. For athletes and coaches from all sports, depending on who you talk to, it ranges from just another game to the biggest of the year. For most fans it represents a chance to don the crimson and blue and rage against the ruffians from across the border.

For me, it’s different. My story is kind of a complicated one.

You see, when I graduated from Andover Central High School a few years back and decided I wanted to go into journalism, I was swayed by a certain school’s reputation as the best journalism school in the country. I’ll give you a hint: It’s a school involved in the Border Showdown. I’ll give you another hint: It’s not Kansas.

Give me a break. I was young. We’ve all made bad decisions. Some are just greater than others.

But I’m here now, for reasons that, no offense dear readers, will stay my own. Suffice it to say it was a good choice.

Here’s the thing about going from Mizzou to Kansas, though. There’s not a whole lot of forgiveness from the black and gold. You may have heard something about this, but the Tigers aren’t huge fans of us Jayhawks.

To put it lightly, I’ve gotten my fair share of trash talked in my direction. First, as a Kansas boy that crossed the border, I became the kind of guy that John Brown and Don Fambrough despise. Now as a former Missouri student that’s happy to be a Jayhawk, I’ve got the ghosts of William Quantrill and his raiders on my six.

I’ll admit that I’m not what you would call an innocent bystander in my own right. There have been plenty of texts and calls going both ways.

When my editors asked me to write this column, I was, to say the least, apprehensive. Only a select few know the true story of my black (and gold) past. But I thought hey, if Michael Vick can get a second chance, then I can, too.

So there you have it. The big confession is done with. My darkest secrets are out.

But on the bright side, I have one bragging point that may be mine and mine alone. I’m undefeated in Border Showdown football since 2006. 3-0. Can’t be beaten. In the immortal words of Ricky Bobby, “I wake up every morning and I piss excellence.”

And I’m feeling good about keeping that perfect record intact this year.

— Edited by Tim Burgess

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