Fridays with Mac: "The dynamic duo of Empathy and Exhortation."

“You learn many things in recruiting,” offered the Colorado Buffaloes Football Hall of Fame football coach as we drove toward his home after a quick trip to Boulder. Two buddies had driven past Folsom Field the day before the Buffs battle against the USC Trojans . “When you have a local kid with big-time talent and offers from schools across the land? You gotta keep them at home.”

Bill McCartney is pretty humble about his coaching prowess but will admit, “I could recruit.” This Friday with Mac, the only coach to ever lead the Buffs to a national title, started with the above mentioned road trip. Its purpose was to cruise by the beautiful setting and offer good mojo to the current team. Whew. The Buffs need it right now. They’re laboring beneath four straight losses, the past three non-competitive. Grumbling has commenced among the Buffs faithful.

Anyway, back to the story. We’re driving back to Westminster. McCartney is “Face Timing” with A Stronger Cord stalwart Abe Trujillo and former CU standout tight end Eddie Reinhardt, Jr. and his father, Ed. This lively banter is what eventually sparked the previously mentioned “recruiting” dialogue. It also sent the coach into reflective mode thinking back to that fateful day at Autzen stadium on the University of Oregon campus when the Reinhardt’s world forever changed.

Ed Reinhardt was emerging as a rising collegiate star. An ’80’s version of future NFL Hall of Fame tight end of New England and Tampa Bay fame, Rob Gronkowski. It was September 15, 1984. Back then, football wasn’t such a big deal at Oregon. Only 25, 000 had showed up for the Ducks and the Buffs. It was late in the game, Colorado was driving for a potential game-trying score. The 6’7” Denver native made a key third-down catch. It was his 14th in two weeks as he had quickly gone from an anonymous name on the CU roster to one of the nation’s top receiving threats. Big. Fast. Strong. A future in professional football likely.

Initially, the Littleton, Colorado native didn’t get up from the stadium’s artificial turf. Something was wrong. What exactly wouldn’t surface until a few minutes later when the rising star, who ultimately walked off the field with some assistance, collapsed on the CU sideline with a brain injury that forever changed his life. Emergency surgery, comatose for weeks, partial paralysis on the left side and termination of a promising football future. Tragic on many levels. Eddie, Jr. is to McCartney's right in this picture.

Today, “Eddie Jr.” and his dad speak to audiences all over the country about how life can change quite unexpectedly and undeservedly. “We’ve had more than 400 speaking engagements over the years,” said the senior Reinhardt. Now 88, the father of six also talks to men about their importance in children’s lives. “We have too many fatherless kids in the world today.” Amen to that buddy.

The fun “Face Time” chat ended. The man fighting the good fight against Alzheimer’s was clearly moved by the interaction with three favorite folks. “Everywhere” Abe, my right-hand man at ASC, and the two Reinhardt fellas. A terrific trio.

As the “Buff Guy” for CBS Denver for two decades, I’ve become friends with the Reinhardt’s, On a personal level, this ol’ jock can relate. Back in February 1976, a severe head injury in a high school basketball game had me being rushed to a hospital in an emergency situation to deal with a severe concussion, skull fracture and other complications. It was just days after signing a football/baseball scholarship with Mizzou and a few months before a projected early-round selection in the baseball amateur draft. My future looked bright as an outfielder who could run, throw, field, hit and hit with occasional power. Instead, like the Reinhardt’s, the McIntosh family, and their sports-crazy sons, had to deal with realistic athletic dreams being dashed.

As we neared McCartney’s home, the conversation turned to how the coach stayed in Eugene with the family after the game. “I wanted to be there to provide any help.” Many years later, that characteristic is still alive and well in the 81-year-old. Yes, the golf enthusiast might not remember as well these days. True. However, nothing has diminished concerning a capacity to express empathy while simultaneously exhorting others to overcome life’s unexpected and unwanted twists and turns. In that space? Mac, his words, still has “Fresh fire!”

I know that personally as well. It was the mid 1990’s and this young sports reporter was going through a painful divorce. Each week I’d received a hand-written note on impressive “University of Colorado Football” stationary from its head coach encouraging me to “Hang in there!” I was a single father raising a five-year-old son and dealing with, McCartney’s words, being “Kicked to the curb” from marriage. Painful. It sucked. Coach Mac gave me hope and confidence to weather the storm. I’ll forever be grateful.

McCartney still has great intuitive skills to sense when someone is suffering. I know it inspires the Reinhardt’s to keep marching. It inspires your scribe to do the same. Ya know? I would suspect we all have a sense to recognize when someone in our orbit is suffering. Ever had a moment when the “iron string within” is clanging rather loudly? Alerting you to reach out to another and support their efforts to turn tragedy into triumph? If you’re drawing a breath? You know somebody. Sure, the obstacles come from all different angles and walks of life. Impossible to predict, difficult to overcome and life defining. They all hurt and derail dreams.

Be like “Billy Mac from Hackensack.” Have a tender heart. Send a note. Make a call. Visit. Pray. Do something. Empathy and exhortation are natural resources always free and available to give and receive. Use them whenever possible! #goodbetterbest