I remember my 8th grade algebra teacher back in Baytown ranting about Howfield and how probably "cried all the way to the bank," with what couldn't have been more than a $15,000 - 20,000 game check at the time. He had a similar half-rant when Quentin Coryatt got drafted later that school year. He also jokingly, and repeatedly, told me and the whole class if I didn't place at least third in the District math competition that he would "kick my black bottom" home, which was just flattering enough to be inoffensive and funny as hell 17 years later.
Nice article, so far. Never really considered the Pardee-Redskins tie-in. Kind of taken aback by the "Jack was a bitter man" line, just remembering his gentle, almost passive nature as the Oilers coach, and that weird nervous tick he had of rubbing one over the other, like an OCD-er washing his hands.
I was eating at a restaurant with my parents and snuck away to watch the end of the game at the bar..... I came back pissed, and they could tell. I got into trouble for skipping out on the family dinner, and the Oilers lost. I was grounded for a week with nothing to show for it.
I'm gonna double-back and say this is the only Jack Pardee and best post-Luv-Ya-Blue Oilers article I've ever read, aside from the Fowler book. Interesting that Pardee preceded the best coaching hires in both the Redskins and Oilers' history. My favorite quote, in the "Aftermath" section, from Kevin Gilbride about Buddy Ryan: In his "Bonus Material" section, he calls those Oilers a "brilliant team with tragic flaws," which is really just about all you can say.
a lot of people are pissed at school that the chron only ran an article on page 10 about the game. I don't care, I understand that UT-OU will take priority and we were playing TULANE...
