The 12th Man label is not strong-enough to describe Pat. Labeling him The 12th, 13th, and 14th Man better fits his commitment. Back in our college days, we secured tickets to a pre-season game. A few hours prior to the game we realized Pat’s apartment door was jammed and would not open from the inside. We had 3 options. Call maintenance – Pat immediately eliminated that option because it could potentially cause us to be late. The last 2 choices were jump from Pat’s 2nd floor balcony, or break through the door. Pat said he did not want to risk the security deposit, so we looked for a soft-landing spot. The balcony seemed to get higher and higher as we looked down. The clock was ticking, and we had to make a quick decision. Sacrificing his deposit, Pat broke through the door and immediately walked to the car so we would not risk missing a minute of the PRE-SEASON game. Every time I see the old silver helmet I think of that afternoon. What a memory – what a guy.
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1Brad Young