Burdon Daugherty View A Story - Oak Harbor, Washington | Wallin-Stucky Funeral Home
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A great man.

1967 Sophomore year football practice.  We had a machine that was called "the blaster." The blaster was fashioned out of heavy steel pipe, formed into the size of a "doorway." It was anchored to the ground. It had spring loaded, padded fingers that ran up both sides of the contraption. Each side of the fingers met in the middle. The blaster had a nasty disposition. The object of the drill was to teach toughness. A line of football players formed and faced the blaster. You were handed off the ball and expected to hit the waiting arms of the  "defenders of the doorway" with full velocity and great force. No body liked this machine, it was brutal. If you did not hit the fingers with accuracy, velocity and force, you became entangled in the fingers, stuck. The next guy in line was handed the ball and expected to hit the stuck guy and blast him on through. Now a chain reaction would result, one stuck warrior after another.  Bang, pow, crash, smack, prayers are being said, "Lord, help me get through this." I can't say that Nobody liked the blaster. Duck loved the blaster. The tension and resistance of the fingers of the machine could be adjusted.  On this particular day the coaches had cranked up the resistance to maximum. The drill turns into a debacle. One massive pile-up at the gates, player after player ensnarled and entangled in the web of fingers. Duck was watching this and became "agitated." He stopped the drill and gave a short motivational speech which consisted of "give me the ball."  In familar tee-shirt and shorts, veins of his neck bulging with "enthusiasm, " he took the ball and it was as if he was shot out of a canon. He hit that evil machine and exploded through it as if it wasn't there. He turned to the team, threw the ball to the ground and said "there, that's how you do it." It was one of  the most inspirational and awesome display of leadership I have ever witnessed. Duck influenced me my entire life. I wish I had told him so. 

Posted by Brad Hawk
Friday December 18, 2015 at 4:06 pm
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