Graduated HS in 68, Stockton CA. Wanted to go to a Pac 8 school.
$C & UCLA seemed to be in LA (no thanks); Cal too close, Stanford didn’t return my calls; sister at uw (state not big enough for the two of us); that left OSU and the Ducks.
Accepted at both, but as the Knight Templar told Indiana Jones, “I choose wisely”.
Fall soph year while registering for classes my tuition was taken care of. Turned out there was a frosh Stephen A. Smith on Bball scholarship that I got. He was from Sacto and had a girl friend who dumped him shortly thereafter. I think Barbie Benton went on to better things.
Later that year the Ducks were recruiting a HS friend. Jim and I were jay walking across campus when a car honked at us. I turned at gave a one finger wave. Turned out it was his student athlete sponsor, Dan Fouts and coach was George Siefert who were taking us to dinner at the Branding Iron.
I told them about “being on scholarship”. George thought it was funny as long as it wasn’t football.
When the Ducks made it to the RB after ‘94 season, I told what turned out to be the best unknowing lie of my life, “Honey, this is a once in a lifetime thing”. Never happier to be wrong.
Go Ducks.