Your Big Ten Memories! But First Mine.

I'm very pleased to be among those included in the thoughts of those in charge of the Penn State Track and Field hierarchy.  As an active Alumni group, we have plenty to offer, and with our continued efforts, Penn State's standing in the Track and Field World will only grow.  So when Will Rottler tipped me off to the next blog post from his office and asked me to help, I let my mind wander to "What is my best Big Ten memory?"

You see, I'm way too old, and have no athletic connections to the Big Ten.  I did run in the Coaches Conference Championships in 1980, Joe Paterno's failed effort to form an Eastern Conference of football.  It eventually became the Big East, at least partially.  I don't think there was ever another track and field iteration of the Coaches Conference.

But I do have a fairly significant Big Ten memory (at least to me!).  Back in those early years I actually had football tickets and standing reservations at Toftrees for the football games.  But when the paid-in-full-a-year-in-advance criteria came into being, I noticed that an efficiency apartment for the full year was substantially less than the 6 or 7 football game accomadations.  So I had an efficiency apartment on College Avenue for 4 years and could go to State College at any time for any event, including sporting events, Arts Festivals, concerts and just about anything else, (including just fleeing my mundane existence).  Needless to say, a cozy apartment that slept 6 just steps away from campus, restaurants and McClanahans made me more popular than I have ever been, before or after.

So when the 1996 Big Ten Outdoor Championships were held at Penn State, I was there with bells on.  My wife came with me, even though she was pregnant with our first kid after years of "waiting".  When she told me she wasn't feeling well during the meet, she asked to walk back to the apartment and would see me after the meet.

She still wasn't feeling well when I returned, nor for days afterward.  Despite this she continued to go to work, feeling worse and worse every day.  As it turned out, she was suffering from complications of pregnancy of a significant nature, with a high chance of mortality for her and our child.  A simple blood pressure wrist device I had saved her life, as it registered the highest reading I had ever seen.  I took her to the hospital and in an emergency c-section, my daughter was born the next day, 9 1/2 weeks before she was due. 

As I held the birdlike thing in the palm of my rather small hand, I asked the hulking neonatal specialist in front of me "Will she make it?"  I'll never forget the very certain response he gave me.  "She's a keeper."  Despite her 2nd day weight of below 2 pounds, she is now a healthy Penn State Freshman this year with better grades than I ever got, and a First Team All-Conference medal in cross country for the PSU campuses, which she got running in the Penn State National.

 Despite my usual grumpiness and general Curmudgeon-like demeanor, I am fully aware of what a miracle is.  And it all started at a Big Ten Championship Meet in State College.  Sorta...

Now, please give me some of your Big Ten memories which I'll pass along to Will and the team.