More Football

Dear Class of 1974,

This is Jim Mahoney here, Saints class of 1976, with appreciation and thanks to your class. As a sophomore when you were seniors, I'm a grateful side-beneficiary of the newly discovered football videos posted on your website.

It has been a treat to watch those old game films, 50 years hence. But in a way, I have been watching portions of them for these last five decades. I'll likely be "seeing" parts of them again this coming football weekend.

A little bit of explanation and background is required. For me, it begins with and revolves around a part of Mike Kuball's style of running. While Mike is gone now, he is not forgotten.

For some running backs, when they are carrying the football and about to be tackled to the ground or run out-of-bounds, a "style" is displayed or decision made in which they refuse to deliberately run out-of-bounds or be easily tackled. Instead, this player always delivers some punishment to his tacklers before being forced off or down.

This is known as "Never Die Easy." The most famous example is the late, great NFL running back Walter "Sweetness" Payton. An even earlier example is the late, great Jim Brown.

That was Mike’s style, too, to put up that last bit of fight and turn the tables at the last moment of his running play. Many of his teammates can attest to being on the other, often painful side of that during practices, tackling drills and intrasquad scrimmages, too. It also can be seen in the game films.

I took it all in, learning from my betters and elders, and took it to heart as a keen observer/sponge/wanna-be.

So circling back to how I have been watching some of these plays for five decades and likely will do so this football weekend, when I saw players like Walter Payton, Earl Campbell,  Derrick Henry, clips of Jim Brown and many others, using the "Never Die Easy,” I thought of Mike ... “There goes Kuball, finishing it off right again.” And there is a likely certainty that when I next see Christian McCaffrey finish a run with some bruising retribution to the tackler, I will again think of Mike.

Some memories never die easy, and thank goodness for that. And thank Mike Kuball for putting his mark on some of those.

Best to all,

Jim Mahoney

P.S. Can it ever be confirmed who truly personified that "finish" best/toughest? Perhaps not. But maybe "we" all know, and that is all that matters.