Everything Happens For a Reason

Jason Lowbridge

Professor McKeever

English 1020

18 July 2013

Word Count: 1595

Everything Happens For a Reason

            He certainly wasn’t the worst kid growing up in the very small town of Crawford, Mississippi. It was almost impossible to be bad in a town with less than 500 people. Everybody knew each other’s business, and you could get away with very little. Typically he obeyed the rules, but he was known to cut a class, or two, at Moor High School. On one of those days he chose to skip a class, he went to that perfect hiding spot behind the high school building. Unfortunately for him, it was also the day the principal decided to case the school grounds. Instead of acknowledging that he had been caught, the 10^th grader took off running. Too bad for him, the principal knew who he was dealing with. That red blazer that he always wore surely gave it away. When he returned to school the next day, he was immediately summoned to the principal’s office. It was there that he was presented with two options, be whipped by the principal’s belt, or join the high school football team. Who knew that this one event in this young kid’s life would prove to be so life changing? The old saying that everything happens for a reason, would indeed be the case. Had he never been presented with the option to join the high school football team, the course of this child’s life might be dramatically different and the impact he would go on to make in football might have been missed. The child accepted his punishment, developed his skills and went on to becoming the greatest player ever to play in the NFL.

Despite the options presented to him, really the 10^th grader did not have much of a choice. Principal Wickes had already told the football coach just how fast the student was (Rice).  Although he loved watching his beloved Dallas Cowboys on television, he had never played anything more than pick up football games with his brothers and friends. He really had no interest in playing at school, and his mother definitely did not want him playing. He had great energy and was always running and working out, but she worried about him being injured. After all, he was very skinny. But, the young 10^th grader decided to accept his punishment and play for the Moor High School football team. “The football team, which played at a stadium that seated only 100 people and had light poles on just one side of the field, served as a forum to display his tremendous work habits. As much of his childhood was filled with play, he always had a keen sense of the value of hard work” (Rice 23). Not only did he accept his punishment, but he went on to excel in football. He played receiver, defensive back, and even quarterback.  Basically, he played wherever the coach needed him. By the end of his high school career, he was honored as an All-State end and defensive back (Rice).

            The young man and his brother often dreamed of becoming professional athletes so they could but their parents a brand new house. Getting there would prove difficult. His brother’s career fizzled out right after college when he was unable to make it in the NFL. Although the high school senior had interest from about 40 colleges, “nobody was really pounding on his door” (Rice 27). Archie Cooley, head coach at Mississippi Valley State was one of the few coaches that showed any real interest in him. “Coach Cooley had heard about him through an extensive network of black high school coaches, and when he showed up to scout the lanky teenager, the kid was so impressed that he immediately accepted a scholarship to the little known Division 1-AA school” (Rice 27). An added benefit was that the kid was very interested in the pass-heavy offense that Coach Cooley ran.

            Within the first week of his college football practice, the young man made an immediate impact on his coaches. Coach Cooley is quoted as saying “I knew he was a special athlete because his work ethic was so great” (Rice 27). The young player attributes his work ethic and pass catching skills to his father, His father was a brick layer who often took his young soon to work with him. His father was determined to teach him the value of hard work. The added benefit was catching the bricks his father would throw up to him strengthened his hands, which made him a much better receiver and taught him hand/eye coordination. Ironically, during his freshman year of college, his teammates nicknamed him “world” because “they reasoned that he could catch anything in the world” (Rice 29).

            “Coach Cooley ran a no-huddle, four receiver set offense and threw the ball almost 90% of the time” (Rice 27).  During his freshman season, the young receiver made an immediate connection with his quarterback, Willie Totter. “The two developed a connection that was downright scary” (Rice 29). By his sophomore season he caught 66 passes for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns (Rice). Hardly pro-prospect numbers though. With those numbers it was more likely that he would find a career within his chosen major of electronics, not the NFL. His junior season was really a breakout year for him. By the time he finished his senior year, and college career, he would set 18 Division 1-AA records with a total of 4,693 receiving yards (Rice). In addition, he was named the MVP after playing in the Blue-Gray game. Now his NFL prospects seemed a little more likely. During his senior season, a number of NFL scouts came to watch him play and practice. While they were impressed with his pass catching abilities, they timed his speed at a relatively slow and unimpressive 4.6. Lucky for him, the head coach of the world champion San Francisco 49ers saw things differently.

            Head coach Bill Walsh was obsessed with the kid, but knew there was no chance they would be able to draft him. After all, the 49ers were coming off of a Super Bowl win and were picking 28^th in the NFL draft. “But come draft time, Bill Walsh was known to engage in more high-stakes trading than Wall Street, and 1985 would be no exception” (Rice 36). Two days before the draft the San Francisco 49ers had a tentative deal in place to trade with the New England Patriots. This would give the 49ers the 16^th pick in the first round. When the Buffalo Bills selected a cornerback with the 14^th pick, the 49ers finalized the deal. Shocking almost everybody who is involved with, or follows the NFL, Bill Walsh got the kid he was fixated on.

            The person I am referring to was born October 13, 1962 and is a retired wide receiver that played twenty seasons in the National Football League.  Many consider him to be the greatest wide receiver ever in the National Football League and some even consider him to be the greatest player, of all time, at any position. In fact, he was chosen by the NFL Network as the greatest player in NFL history. He was a member of the all decade teams of the 80’s and 90’s. He is the all-time NFL leader in receptions, touchdown receptions, and yards. He retired with 38 NFL records to his name. He was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times and named an All-Pro 12 times. He won three Super Bowls playing for the San Francisco 49ers and was once voted Super Bowl MVP. In addition to the San Francisco 49ers, he also played for the Oakland Raiders and the Seattle Seahawks. At the  of the 2004 season, his 20th in the NFL, he joined the Denver Broncos, signing a one year contract, but ultimately decided to retire. On August 19, 2006, the San Francisco 49ers announced that he had signed a one day contract with them, allowing him to retire as a member of the team where his career began. On August 24, he officially retired as a San Francisco 49er, signing a one day contract for $1,985,806.49.  The number was merely symbolic and was never actually paid. It represented the year he was drafted (1985), his number (80), the year he retired (2006), and the 49ers (49). (Rice) Over the course of his career, he played in 303 games overall. Honoring his storied career, he was selected for induction in the Pro Football class of 2010 in his first year of eligibility. He was inducted in Canton, Ohio on August 7, 2010 along with Emmitt Smith, Floyd Little, Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Dick LeBeau, and John Randle. Two months later, on September 20, 2010, during halftime at the 49ers-Saints game, his #80 jersey number was retired.

He really had nothing short of a pretty amazing career. And in this case, everything really did happen for a reason. Had he never been caught skipping classes by his high school principal and forced to join the high school football team, had he never worked hard and made a name for himself on a virtually unknown, small college football team and had he not caught the eye of the head coach of the world champion San Francisco 49ers, football fans everywhere might have never enjoyed the pure talent and grace that was Jerry Lee Rice on the football field.

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Rice, Jerry and Silver, Michael. Rice. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1996.

 

 

Eddie DeBartolo and the Making of the San Francisco 49er Dynasty

Jason Lowbridge                                                                                            

Professor McKeever

English 1020

3 July 2013

Word Count: 1808

Eddie DeBartolo and the Making of the San Francisco 49er Dynasty

            It was Super Bowl XXIII and Bill Walsh was hoisting the Lombardi trophy in the air. It was the third Super Bowl trophy for the San Francisco 49ers in the last eight years. Outside of the New York Yankees, such dynasties in professional sports are almost unheard of. It was a proud moment for Eddie DeBartolo too. As owner of the San Francisco 49ers, he was the critical component in their success. Eddie DeBartolo was the most important factor in making the San Francisco 49ers one of the rare dynasties in professional sports because he knew how to treat those that worked for him, took a chance on a man named Bill Walsh, and was willing to spend top dollar to have hall of fame talent on his team.

            The San Francisco 49ers are a professional football team based in San Francisco, California. The team was formed in 1946 and played in the All-American Football league and later joined the National Football League (NFL) in 1949. For the first thirty years of their existence, they celebrated only mild success. “As members of the All-American Football Conference from 1946-1949, they were in fact considered the second best team, right behind the Cleveland Browns” (Barber 17). At the time the San Francisco 49ers were owned by the Morabito family, Anthony and his brother, junior partner Vic. Tony Morabito died of a heart attack at age 47, during halftime of a 49ers game against the Chicago Bears in 1957. In 1964, eight years after Tony Morabito's death, Victor Morabito also died of a heart attack, at 47. Josephine Morabito, Anthony’s widow, joined her 30 percent share of the team's franchise with a 25 percent share held by Jane Morabito, the widow of Victor. The sisters held the distinction of being the first female owners of a professional sports team at the time. The women were considered to be more knowledgeable about football than many men, but they considered the game to belong to a man's world. Because of this, the sisters-in-law chose to remain in the background of the team's operations and left the day- to-day management to Lou Spadia, who was then president of the club. While the relationship between Spadia and the Morabito widows was not always great, they deferred to him. Unfortunately, for thirty-one straight seasons, the San Francisco 49ers never won a championship. In spite of this, fans loved the Morabito family. But things were about to change when then family sold the team.

On March 31, 1977 Edward DeBartolo Sr., who had made his fortune in construction, specifically malls and strip malls, purchased the franchise for his son Edward DeBartolo Jr, and the making of a dynasty was born. Edward (Eddie) DeBartolo Jr., born in Youngstown, Ohio, was 31 years old when he took over ownership of the San Francisco 49ers. He was as old as the 49ers franchise and now was the youngest owner in the NFL. At the time he acquired the team, the team was terrible. Tight end Brent Jones tells a story about how his younger brother cried when he gave him a 49ers jacket for Christmas. Funny thing was, his brother was no small child. He was only three years younger than Brent. The 49ers were so bad that literally, it made a grown man cry. Eddie was in a hurry to produce a winning team, but “perhaps it was his youth that made him impatient” (Barber 17).

Despite his eagerness and desires, early impressions of Eddie DeBartolo were not necessarily positive with the team and their fan base. In one of his first press conferences, he announced that the team would be run like a business and they were going to do their best to make money (Barber). Not what the players or fans, who were tired of the recent losing ways, really wanted to hear. In addition, early staffing decisions were not successful. One of Eddie’s first hires was a man named Joe Thomas. He was named General Manager. Randy Cross described Joe Thomas as, “he was to an NFL franchise what scorched earth is to landscape” (Barber 18). Immediately, Joe Thomas wanted to eliminate the rich tradition of the 49ers and start fresh. At one point he removed all 49ers memorabilia and was going to take it to the city dump. Joe Thomas was quoted as saying, “history begins today” (Barber 18).  The new owner went through multiple coaches and general managers. They actually went through five coaches in a two year span. Despite his family’s success in business, Eddie was the first DeBartolo to test the waters owning a sports franchise. There was no point of reference for him and he was learning solely by trial and error. However, what he did learn from the family business was the right way to treat his employees. Eddie credits his father for teaching him this. All 600 employees in Youngstown, each and every one of them, were considered a member of their family. It was something he wanted to carry over to the San Francisco 49er organization. Any member of the franchise, no matter what position they held, whether they were sick or had a problem, could go to Mr. D, as he was affectionately known. He worked hard to be close to his employees and build a family atmosphere. He spared no expense either. Everything he did was first-rate. Players had their own hotel rooms. They travelled on private jets, rather than commercial. Births and graduations were always remembered and recognized. Elaborate parties where thrown. He knew the name of every person that was a member of the franchise and knew their family members names as well. From the starting quarterback to the equipment manager, Eddie made them feel special, wanted and important to the cause. “When it came to running the 49ers DeBartolo violated one of the cardinal rules of the sports business. Ownership and talent cannot be pals. But somehow it worked in San Francisco.” (Barber 27). The 49er franchise was starting to establish an identity. Truly, the way he ran his business and treated people was instrumental in establishing a solid franchise.  Clearly, this laid the foundation for the dynasty. People wanted to play and work for Mr. D. But, it really wasn’t until the hiring of head coach Bill Walsh in 1979 that the 49ers would emerge as a perennial contender in the NFL and write the 49ers legacy.  

            Bill Walsh was a local guy, head football coach at Stanford University. A local radio talk show host suggested that Eddie DeBartolo meet with him about the 49ers head coaching job. No members of the 49ers front office were sold on him, but Eddie DeBartolo knew he was the man for the job the instant that they met. Their initial meeting, when he was hired, lasted less than an hour. Eddie was impressed with his talk of family, how to run an organization, and most importantly, his vision for the San Francisco 49ers. Bill Walsh would remain head coach of the 49ers from 1979-1988. He was the winner of six NFC West titles and Super Bowls XVI, XIX and XXIII. His career record was 102-63-1 when he retired. In 1999 he returned to the team as General Manager and later served as a consultant. He had an amazing and hugely successful career. Rightfully so, Bill Walsh will be remembered as one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time. He is affectionately known as “the genius.” Other football coaches study his body of work, hoping to replicate the blueprints that have made the 49ers so successful. Walsh’s philosophical changes to the game caused smash-mouth football, with deep and inaccurate passes to change to short and accurate passes. It was a well-choreographed dance, or a beautiful sonnet. Receivers glided in unison with their quarterbacks. Offensive lineman set their splits accordingly. The NFL would not be the same. “Rough Magic” was born and it would be several decades before defensive coordinators could even hope to contain it. 

            All the great coaches were a lot like old war heroes. Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi and George Halas to name a few. Much like Patton, they would out muscle their enemy and overpower their opponent into submission. Torrential warfare was executed over and over again on the gridiron. However, Bill Walsh was different. He did not subscribe to Woody Hayes theory of three yards and a cloud of dust. He looked and acted very much like a conductor. He was Ludwig Van Beethoven and his team was a finely tuned orchestra. Each department complimented the other, blending together to maximize impact and production. When done right, it was just like a fine symphony. Eddie DeBartolo took a huge leap of faith in hiring Bill Walsh. Rumor had it that coach Bill Walsh was blacklisted by head coach and NFL icon, Paul Brown. It was a hiring that Eddie DeBartolo had the courage and gut instinct to make. It was one that he and the San Francisco 49er organization would not live to regret.

            Finally, I would be remiss to not mention the players who helped Eddie DeBartolo make the 49ers into an NFL dynasty. Eddie DeBartolo spared no expense in acquiring and keeping top talent. A number of Hall of Fame players were members of the team during the dynasty years. Hall of Famers like Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Steve Young, Randy Cross, Fred Dean and Roger Craig all played for him. It was because of this lavish spending, the Salary Cap was put into place in the NFL. The Salary Cap essentially limits player’s salary and puts a global cap on the total team salary. Despite the salary setbacks, the successful blueprint that the 49ers had in place would allow the team to continue their winning ways.

            In 1997 Eddie DeBartolo was suspended by the NFL for his role in illegal casino licenses in Louisiana. In 2000 Eddie DeBartolo was convicted of failing to report extortion in Louisiana Federal Court. He was forced to sell the team to his sister Denise DeBartolo York. As a side note, the law firm I was employed at worked on the deal that transitioned the team to Denise. His nephew Jed York is now the team’s CEO. Jed York credits his uncle as an inspiration and acknowledges Eddie’s help and guidance in recent years. Jed York even hired head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was Bill Walsh’s last hire at Stanford, and subscribes to Bill Walsh’s philosophies. And, by the looks of things the last couple of years, the 49ers may soon have another dynasty on their hands. 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Barber, Phil. We Were Champions. Chicago: Triumph, 2002. Print.

An Annotated Bibliography

Jason Lowbridge

Professor McKeever

English 1020

21 June 2013

The San Francisco 49ers: The Eddie DeBartolo/Bill Walsh Making Of A Dynasty

An Annotated Bibliography

Barber, Phil. We Were Champions. Chicago: Triumph Books, 2002. Print.

                        This book starts out discussing owner Eddie DeBartolo’s purchase of the San        Francisco 49ers and team morale during the early losing season. It highlights Mr.        DeBartolo’s hiring of future legendary coach, Bill Walsh. It discusses the highs and lows            that came with building a dynasty. This will be used as one of my primary resources.

Cohn, Lowell. Rough Magic. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Print.

                        This book discusses Bill Walsh’s return to coaching college football. When he left the San Francisco 49ers, he returned to Stanford University. This is where he was   coaching when the 49ers came calling. What excited him about returning was he knew        his team was not athletically superior to other teams, but he knew that most of them were   smarter, and he loved the challenge of coaching that game.  He truly appreciated the high       academic standards at Stanford.  I will probably use this book more for the profile paper.

Dickey, Glenn. The San Francisco 49ers First Fifty Years. Atlanta: Turner Publishing, Inc.,           1995. Print.

                        The title of this book describes exactly what the book is about, the San Francisco   49ers franchise from 1944 – 1994. The book discusses the highlights from those years     and also highlights players. Profiles range from the Million Dollar Backfield to Joe         Montana and Jerry Rice. Glenn Dickey is considered a premier authority on the San     Francisco 49ers, having written a number articles and books. This will be used as one of my primary resources. 

Myers, Gary. The Catch. New York: Crown Publishers, 2009. Print.

                        This book discusses one of the most memorable plays in NFL history, which          occurred between two NFL dynasties: The San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys.     The book covers reactions from many of the players and coaches that participated that             game. While the book is highly entertaining, it is not necessarily a good resource for me.

Rice, Jerry and Silver, Michael. Rice. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1996. Print.

                        This book gives Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice’s perspective on the first     eleven years of his career. He discusses what motivates him, lessons he has learned and how he teaches young players. Jerry Rice is considered the greatest wide receiver of all       time, if not the greatest NFL player of all time. An interesting perspective from a player.

Walsh, Bill,  Billick, Brian and Peterson, James. Finding the Winning Edge. Champaign:    Sports Publishing, Inc., 1998. Print.

                        This book discusses the organizational, structural and philosophical preferences of San Francisco 49er head coach, Bill Walsh. It shares his insights into the game of football        and provides a blueprint for winning. The book is more about strategies and geared more   towards team personnel, rather than your average NFL fan.

Walsh, Bill and Dickey, Glenn. Building a Champion. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990. Print.

                        This book discusses how to build a winning team, and not just on the field. It        covers everything from player acquisition to contract negotiations to personality issues      within an organization. It is a book that is geared towards business professionals looking            for suggestions on how to build a successful organization.