Chapter 3

The next weeks flew by between work, preparing for the wedding, house hunting and enjoying some free time with Penny. My lover's morning sickness wasn't too bad, once she figured out the foods that triggered her nausea. Max Solomon checked in with me periodically. Mark Davis and the Raiders spoke with Max every week or two trying to coax me into coming out to Oakland and seeing what the team was doing. I always passed on the opportunity. I told Mark's dad I would never play for the Raiders. It wasn't my fault they wasted their first-round draft pick on me. Trade me so they can get a little value back from the draft pick. Apparently the Raiders asking price was too high. Teams contacted Max and the Raiders about my availability and willingness to play. I was available and willing to play for most any team NOT named the Raiders.

My work at Temple was interesting, even if a little tedious. Al Golden and Matt Rhule were good bosses. I enjoyed working with Matt Dellavecchia. He was a good guy. Things got busier on campus once summer session got started. About 80% of the football team took summer courses to lighten their fall course load. I could watch from the veranda of our building as our starting QB, Chris Considine, and his backups Tyler McBride and Jim Parr worked passing drills with our receiving corps. NCAA carefully regulated the amount of time coaches could instruct their team, so I was reduced to watching without comment. God, I would have loved to have gone out there and done the drills with them. Dave Mitchell did well as they practiced together.

Tyler Jackson, the defensive grad assistant, Matt Dellavecchia, and I spent May 31st collecting equipment for the various drills, the day before our first high school football camp. We came in at 7:00 AM to haul everything out to the practice field and set it up for the day's events. Parents and kids arrived well before the 8:00 AM start of registration. The coaches processed the kids as they arrived and sent them off to our team meeting room. Coach Golden addressed the crowd of sixty to seventy middle and high school kids. I wasn't surprised that fewer kids came here than came to Penn State's football camps. We're a smaller university without the national recognition that Penn State enjoyed.

The staff broke the group up into groups of fifteen or twenty kids and led them through seventy-five minutes of offensive drills. That was followed by ninety minutes of defensive drills. Matt, Tyler and I helped where needed, mostly moving equipment into position and then moving it out of the way when the drill was done.

About twenty or so parents watched the day's practice from the sidelines. They came prepared with camp chairs, drinks and books to fill their time. The university's food vendor had hot lunches available at mid-day. A hamburger, a hot dog, chips and drink went for $7.00. I grabbed lunch from the vendor too.

The afternoon was spent on skills sessions. I got to do a little more hands-on instruction with the kids. The information was pretty simple, perfect for the younger campers going into sixth, seventh and eighth or ninth grade. I noticed a few of the senior high kids seemed distracted during the sessions. I got a chance to talk with a couple of them as I helped with the drills and again when the day ended.

Marques Smith and Tyson Brooks both played for Archbishop Wood High School. Marques, 6'-0", 175 lbs., played wide receiver and defensive back. Tyson, 5'-10", 170 lbs., was a tailback and safety. Both guys were going to be seniors this coming fall.

"Did you guys enjoy the day?" I asked as they gathered up their travel bags.

"It was cool, Coach Martin," Tyson replied.

"Yeah, not a lot different from the past two years," Marques added. "I liked the tips you gave me during the group work."

"I'm glad I could help," I answered. "What did you expect this camp?"

"I hoped to attract Coach Golden's notice," Tyson explained. "I hoped he might be interested in putting me on his team next season."

"It can't hurt for the head coach to know who you are," Marques agreed. "Do you think we have a shot, Coach Martin?"

"I'm the wrong guy to ask," I responded, shaking my head. "I'm three and a half weeks out of college and two and half weeks here. I have NO influence or knowledge about recruiting at all."

"You played top-level college ball," Tyson said. "Do you think we have a chance?"

"It's not my place to say," I responded. That was a true but incomplete answer. I doubted they were up to competition at the FBS level but it wasn't my place to dash their hopes. "Let's look at this another way. Did Coach Golden call you last month when head coaches are allowed to contact juniors?" They shook their heads no. "Did any college coaches call you last month?"

"Coach Abanishe from Lincoln University called me," Marques said.

"Coach Blount from Delaware State talked with me," Tyson added.

"The coaches are probably telling you something," I said. "No FBS coaches contacted you when they were first allowed to call. You can't be too high on their list of recruits if you're on their lists at all. An FCS and a Division II coach did contact you. That should tell you where the coaches think you guys have your best shot at being successful playing college football. June is a quiet period when coaches are not allowed to contact you, but you are welcome to call them at any time. You could contact Coach McDonald, our recruiting coordinator, and ask if the school has any interest in you playing here."

"Thanks for the advice, Coach," Marques replied. "Maybe my mom and I will do that."

"Yeah, thanks, Coach," Tyson agreed. "I wish we could have spent more time with you today. The tips you gave us on receiving are going to help a lot next season."

"Good luck with that," I agreed as the boys headed off the field to meet their parents. I empathized with the two. It has to be tough to realize you won't get to play top-level football anymore when you dream about doing it. Marques and Tyson didn't have enough speed to make up for their small size. They hadn't received enough coaching to make up for their physical deficiencies.

Matt Dellavecchia, Tyler Jackson and I got to work putting all the equipment away. "I wish I had more time with the kids," I commented. "I could have given them some useful advice to improve their game."

"The ones you were just talking too?" Matt asked. I nodded yes. "I know what you mean. The juniors and seniors at the camps tend to get a little bored. They're mostly here hoping to get noticed by the coaching staff."

"Why don't we give the older kids more advanced instruction?" I asked. "Sixth graders need very basic instruction on how to play football. The varsity kids need very different instruction than the kids just entering middle school."

"I know what you mean, Kyle," Matt agreed. "I'd love to have a chance to instruct these kids in some of the things I learned as a starter when I was in high school. I don't know why Coach Golden does it this way, but this is how it's always been done."

"Maybe I'll ask Coach Golden that question," I said.

--oooOooo--

I had a chance to talk with Coach Golden the following Monday afternoon. "Do you mind a few questions, Coach?" I asked politely.

"Bob Burton warned me about you," Coach replied with a grin. "Why? Why? Why? He said you asked that constantly for the past four years."

"I'm not trying to be a pain in the neck," I responded. "I just want to learn as much as I can from good coaches."

"Fire away, Kyle."

"I was wondering why you set up the football camp the way you did," I began. Coach waved me off before I could finish my first question.

"I know you attended and probably worked Penn State's camps," Coach Golden explained. "We're in a totally different market than them. Penn State gets well-off suburban kids who love to spend a weekend in State College on campus. We need to keep our camp as economical as possible to meet our target audience. Would a parent from Bryn Mawr send their son to spend a weekend in north Philly, even if it is on our campus?"

"Probably not," I agreed.

"Our target audience is local kids here in the city," Coach Golden continued. "We need to keep the costs within their means."

"One day makes sense, given our constraints," I agreed. "What I was wondering about was why we give the sixth graders the exact same instruction as the twelfth graders? Couldn't we break down into smaller groups and offer more advanced instruction to the older players?"

"It's a function of staffing and cost," Coach explained. "I can't afford more staff to do what you're proposing without charging more for the camp and possibly driving away business."

"Matt and I weren't terribly busy today," I offered. "Could we try an experiment next Saturday? Maybe we could offer more individualized instruction to the varsity players."

"Possibly in the afternoon," Coach Golden allowed. "I wouldn't want to cut them out of the fundamentals drills in the morning."

"Absolutely, I agree," I responded. "Sixth grade, JV, varsity, college..." laughingly I added, " ... even me. Fundamental skills practice is always valuable."

"Put together a proposed schedule of activities you would like to do for me to look over," Coach Golden said. "I'll consider it. I suppose you and Matt would work on this together?"

"Matt seems interested," I said. "I wouldn't mind asking a team member or two to help too."

"Do you have any one in mind?" Coach Golden asked. His broad smile told me he knew who I planned to ask – Dave Mitchell.

"Dave Mitchell," I confirmed. "He is familiar with what I have in mind to sharpen up the skills for the varsity players. Hell, he even led the drills I want to do for most of the previous two springs."

"Go ahead and ask him," Coach Golden responded. "I can probably free up a few bucks to pay him for his time."

"That's always welcome for a college student," I said. I didn't tell Coach Golden that I thought Dave would have helped with the football camp for free. He's a lot like me when it comes to football. He can't keep away from it.

Matt Dellavecchia was enthusiastic about my idea. We had to coax Tyler Jackson into helping but he decided to give it a try. Dave Mitchell was excited from the start and totally loved it after Coach Golden offered him $50 for the day. I put together a list of drills based on what Dave's and my Wolverines high school team had been doing for years. Coach Golden accepted the idea, with one proviso. We had to recruit the varsity players to try out our drills. Coach wouldn't assign them to us automatically based on their age.

We were spectacularly successful recruiting the following Saturday when our second football camp opened up. All seventeen varsity or soon-to-be varsity players opted to try out our new skill program in the afternoon. It went well. Coach Golden, Coach [Mark] D'Onofrio, our defensive coordinator, and Coach Rhule all took time to visit with the varsity players. The players and their parents thanked us for the special instruction when the day was done. Coach Golden complimented the four of us too. Varsity instruction would be a permanent part of our football camps.

--oooOooo--

Penny spent weekday nights in Philly with me during June. She headed back to Paradise after work on Fridays so she and our mothers could prepare for the wedding. She came back to Philly after work on Mondays. It wasn't an ideal arrangement but it was bearable for a few weeks. Penny didn't demand too much of my time, allowing me to concentrate on learning the Temple offensive system, do my grad assistant assignments, my History 8101 and 8109 homework and the football camps. Penny limited my involvement in the wedding prep to honeymoon arrangements, getting my tuxedo and writing my vows.

Max Solomon kept in touch. The Raiders called him every week or two trying to find a formula that would entice me into signing my contract and coming out to Oakland to play for them. Other teams contacted Max regularly about my willingness to play for them if they could trade Oakland for my rights. We told every one of them I would be happy to play in the NFL somewhere other than Oakland. Nothing came of the inquiries. Oakland's asking price was too high.

My and Penny's financial concerns lessened. I was worried Nike might not want a player that refused to play in the NFL representing them. I was wrong. Nike's ad agency came up with a brilliant and funny series of commercials they wanted me to do. We scheduled the shoot for two days in July, after my honeymoon and before football camp started up. Coach Golden was kind enough to give me time off to do the commercials. The other $100,000 from the first year of my contract would be paid out on August 1st. Penny and I wouldn't have money worries.

Will and Abby spent the early part of June searching for houses in Delaware County, just outside the city. They found what they considered the perfect house for two families to share in Upper Darby. It was an old rectory that had belonged to a Catholic church that had closed after it burned down. The place had six bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. Rent was $1800 a month. Penny and I looked it over one evening. It was about fifteen minutes from the Penn campus. We decided it was suitable even though it needed some work. This house would provide an economical way for our two families to live together. Rose could have her own bedroom. Our little guy (or girl) could have a nursery. Penny, Will, Abby and I could take turns with babysitting in the evenings if others were busy. Penny and I decided we would move in after our wedding and honeymoon. Will, Abby and Rose would join us mid-August after the Boy Scout camp closed for the summer.

I worked furiously through the last week of June into the beginning of July to get my assignments done before my wedding and honeymoon. Coach Golden gave me off from July 4th to July 14th. He also allowed me to take off July 18th and 19th for the Nike commercial shoot. I was beat when I left Temple, hopped on the Schuylkill Expressway and headed west for home after I finished work on July 3rd.

I didn't get a lot of time with Penny between getting home from work and our wedding day. April Chaney was back from her year in Scotland and staying with Penny. Kathy Trimble and Tammy Brooke helped Penny with her wedding preparations.

It was fun to catch up with Ed Fritz on the Fourth of July. He took a few days off from summer semester to come north to be my best man. We worked out together and hung out, just like we had done when we were kids. Jeremy North and Hal Long came over in the afternoon. My friends told interesting stories about their experiences at Chicago's and Carolina's OTAs and mini-camps this spring. It was good to hear how my friends were doing in the NFL but it made me a little bitter at the Raiders. Why did they need to be such dicks? They're making me miss a year in the NFL to prove they can dictate my life. To hell with them!

Ed helped me with a myriad of wedding errands on Friday. He went along with Dad, Andy, Noah, Connor and me after lunch when we went to pick up our tuxedos. Ed headed home after we got back to work on details for the guys' night out after the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. I reviewed my wedding vows for the umpteenth time. I spent too much time worrying whether I was ready for marriage. I decided in the end that Penny was the right lady and now was the right time. I WAS ready!

Penny came over to my house about twenty minutes ahead of the time to leave for the wedding rehearsal. I greeted her with a hug and a kiss. "How did your doctor's visit go?" Penny had gone to the OB/GYN in the morning.

"Everything is fine," Penny replied with a smile. "I have a present for you." Penny handed me a large, medical-style envelope. I pulled out the ultrasound and stared. You could see our baby's head, body, arms, legs, fingers and toes!

"Wow, she's bigger than I expected," I gushed as I stared at our child.

"It's too soon to know it's a girl," Penny responded. "The sex won't be differentiated for another couple months." Penny patted her tummy and gave me a quizzical look. "Why did you decide this is a girl?"

I explained, "I won't call our child an 'it.' As far as I'm concerned and until I hear otherwise, you are carrying our first daughter. She deserves to be treated like a person not a thing."

"I agree," Penny said.

"How big is she?"

"Dr. Hendershott says she is about the size of a lime right now," Penny answered.

"Wow, it is amazing that our child is so tiny and yet you can clearly see she's going to be a person."

"Do we break the news to our friends yet?" Penny asked.

"I thought we were going to wait until the chances of miscarriage are slim," I responded.

"Chances were about 10% at the end of May," Penny explained. "Dr. Hendershott says the chances are down to about 0.5% now. It looks as if we're going to have this baby. Maybe we tell our friends tonight."

"Let's wait until after the honeymoon, sweetie," I suggested. "The night before our wedding is a strange time to make the announcement."

"April's pretty curious about my morning nausea and today's doctor's appointment," Penny responded. "I don't think I can keep the secret much longer. Would it be terrible if I told some of our friends tonight?"

"Let me know who, so I can inform their other halves," I answered.

"Kathy, Tammy, April, Katie, Steph ... uh..." Penny began.

"I'll tell Ed, Jeremy, Hal, Dave Hanson, Dakota, Trevor, Christian and Damian," I suggested.

"Oh, God! Dave and Dakota ... we can't leave them out of the news," Penny gasped, " ... and Bev. What about Bev Umble? I don't know if she is going out with the rest of us tonight."

"I'm sure Christian will pass the word on to Bev," I reassured my lover. I gave her a kiss. "Are you ready for rehearsal, dinner and a night out?"

"Let's do it," Penny agreed. We took my car over to the church. Mom, Dad, Andy, Liz and the twins arrived a couple of minutes behind us. Jim and Marilyn Edwards, Penny's sister Nikki and her husband Adrian, Trevor, Steph, Christian, Bev and Damian were there ahead of us. Will and Abby arrived a couple of minutes late. Traffic was a bear getting through Lancaster from scout camp. They needed to drop Will's half-brothers Ethan and Cody, off at Will's grandfather's house on the way to the church.

Reverend Hollinger briefed the ushers on their duties first. He spent quite a bit of time with Noah and Connor teaching them what to do tomorrow. Liz was our backup in case Noah or Connor got scared in front of the big crowd. She would escort the boys to the front where they would give our rings to Nikki and Ed. Liz would take them back to Mom and Dad, if necessary.

Rev reviewed the wedding service and had us repeat the pledges we would give when we exchanged rings. We skipped rehearsing our vows. Penny and I decided to keep our vows secret from each other until the wedding service. Rev kept things light as we prepared for our big day. He reviewed the recessional and then it was time for some good eats.

Everyone loaded up in the cars and headed for the rehearsal dinner in Lancaster. Dad reserved a private room for our party at the Gibraltar Restaurant, located on Harrisburg Pike across the street from the Franklin and Marshall College campus.

We had a homemade mozzarella and heirloom tomato appetizer and an arugula and endive salad to start our meal. Dad's guests had a choice of jumbo crab cakes, whole Adriatic Sea Branzino, roast chicken breast or a New York strip steak for dinner.

Penny said the Mediterranean-style fish was delicious. I had a strip steak. My football "family" got a chance to know my real family and Penny's family over a relaxing dinner. Rev greatly enjoyed meeting some of the football stars he watched on TV on Saturdays.

"You're not allowed to gush tomorrow at the reception," I teased. "The guys you are meeting tonight are nobodies compared to who will be at the wedding tomorrow – the college coach of the year and Pro Bowl players. I might have topped Zack Hayes' guest list from two years ago."

"I am looking forward to meeting all of them," Rev agreed. "I will be on my best behavior."

Everyone enjoyed the meal and time we shared together. Damian, Trevor and Jeremy all pulled cell phones out just before dessert and made calls. I knew they were bringing in reinforcements for the guys' night out they planned for me. Kathy, Tammy, Steph, Abby and Nikki were planning something similar for the girls. Mom and Dad consented to allow Liz to join the rest of the girls. After all, she was eighteen and would be on her own at Princeton in September.

I was stunned after dinner when we got outside. The parking lot was full of friends. Zack Hayes, Aaron Morano and Chip Brinton were talking with Dave McCall.

"You ready for tomorrow?" Zack queried when I came over to greet my mentor.

"As ready as I can be," I allowed. I greeted Aaron, Chip and Dave before circulating to greet more of my friends.

Josh Bruno, Charlie Taylor and Shawn Byrd were hanging out together. I headed over to that cluster, followed by my entourage. I introduced Jeremy, Hal, Ed, Trevor, Christian and Damian to the other guys they didn't already know. A car pulled up beside us while I was doing introductions. Trevor boomed out, "Matty D! It's damn good you could make it!"

Matt Dellavecchia stepped out of the car and gave Trevor a big grin. "Trevor, it's damn good to see you too. Hey, Chip," he added as he gave Chip Brinton a wave. Tyler Jackson hopped out of the passenger side of the car. I introduced my coaching compatriots to the rest of my crew.

"What's the plan for the evening?" I asked Ed. As best man, it was his job to organize the bachelor's party.

"I'd like to say we're having a stag party," Ed grumped.

"Saner heads prevailed," Jeremy interjected.

Trevor added, "The NFL spent half of last week preaching about making smart choices when you go out in public. I'd like to play in the NFL a little before I get kicked out for bad behavior."

"Jeremy helped set up an evening down at the Green Iguana," Ed responded. "Plain Opposition is playing two sets tonight."

"Cool," I responded. The local rock band "Plain Opposition" played at the Green Iguana a couple of times before when we were there. They were quite good, for a local band.

"OK guys, let's load up," Ed announced. "Take a left on Harrisburg Pike and head for the center of the city. Park in the garage on Prince Street. We'll meet up outside the garage and go in the club together. They have an area reserved for our group."

Our group assembled outside the parking garage and walked down the street together to the club. Ed and Jeremy led us up to the door. A couple of words with the doorman got us entry. They checked our IDs and stamped the hands of everyone over twenty-one. My brother Andy and Charlie Taylor were the only ones underage in our group. Andy was short about six months. Charlie Taylor would be twenty-one in three weeks.

We turned quite a few heads as we entered the club. Zack, Aaron, Jeremy, Chip and I all got recognized by the other patrons. The club roped off a special section for our party. Some fans did venture over to say hi or ask for autographs. We obliged them.

The band played a mix of classic rock covers and some of their own music. They played as well as we remembered from last year. I circulated around our section and tried to spend time with all my guests. I enjoyed a couple of beers during the evening. I limited myself because I had no desire to nurse a hangover on my wedding day.

I found Matt Dellavecchia, Trevor and Chip reminiscing at one point in the evening as I circulated. They were talking about their trek to the Philmont Scout Ranch. It sounded like a trip I would have enjoyed, if I had done it when I was a scout. Talk moved on to Indian (Unionville-Chadds Ford) football. I realized as they talked they had all been on the team together for at least a year or two.

"I never connected that the three of you were on the same team," I commented. "You're from Kennett Square. Trev and Chip live in Unionville. I assumed you played for the Kennett football team."

"I don't live in the borough," Matt explained. "Kennett addresses extend half-way to Unionville."

"Matty D and I were together on varsity for two seasons," Trevor added. "He was a good quarterback. He got us to the playoffs both years."

"Matty was a God-send to me," Chip added. "He's the one who taught me how to be a varsity quarterback while I was in JV."

Matt gave Chip a wink. "And then you paid me back by coming in for my senior season and stealing my starting job. You were only a tenth grader. I had hoped to hold you off for at least part of the season so I could get a scholarship from a Division I-A school."

"It's just football," Chip allowed. "Best man plays. I hope you don't have any hard feelings."

"None," Matt answered. "I knew when I saw you in eighth grade that someday you'd come in and take my job as QB. You had everything – size, arm, brains. Losing out to you was pretty inevitable."

"Same thing happened in my high school with Ed," I commented. "He beat out a senior when he was in tenth grade. I doubt Steve has forgiven Ed yet."

"God gave out talents," Matt agreed. "He made Chip a big-time quarterback. Hopefully he gave me the brains to be a decent football coach. I think that's my niche."

"It's a good niche," I agreed. "I like it."

Our party broke up around midnight. Ed and Jeremy had designated drivers for the evening. Of course Christian Hunsecker, Andy and Charlie were on the list, since they didn't or couldn't drink.

--oooOooo--

I surprised myself by sleeping until 9:30 on my wedding morning. I grabbed a bowl of cereal to tide me over until Mom's family brunch at 11:00. I tried to zone out listening to music and reading a book until it was time to shower and get ready.

Will, Abby and Rose joined the family for our brunch. Liz's date, Alex Weber, joined us along with Liz's best friend, Annie Stoltzfus. Annie was attending the wedding to chaperone and look after Hunter, Noah and Connor during the service and during the reception. Mom made a nice breakfast casserole with eggs, sausage, veggies, potatoes and cheese. Liz baked crescent rolls too.

Things got chaotic after brunch. Everyone was dashing around getting dressed, getting the kids dressed and getting everything together. Mom insisted on pictures of the whole family in tuxes, bridesmaids' dresses or their best Sunday dresses before we left for the church.

I let Andy drive my VW since he would be less nervous than I certainly was. He was in charge of my car for the rest of the day anyway. He'd take it from the church to the reception and then turn it back over to me when Penny and I left for our honeymoon that evening. The bridal party was gathering when we arrived. Everyone headed inside to get ready.

I waited nervously at the church with Will, Andy, Ed, Jeremy and Hal for almost a half hour as my guests and wedding party gathered. Zack and Aaron stopped out in the hallway to visit for a couple minutes. Will's half-brothers, Ethan and Cody, happened to pop in at the same time. They were star-struck by the array of college and NFL talent in the hallway, especially by Aaron Morano. They twins were from the Bay area and were fanatic 49ers fans. Aaron was their favorite player on the team and here he stood. They would be telling their friends back home about this day for months to come.

Reverend Hollinger signaled it was time to start. We marched to the front of the church and took our spots. We turned back to watch for the procession's entry. All the pews were filled with Penny's and my friends and family, and teammates and coaches from Penn State and Temple.

We stood in front as the organist finished the prelude. Eyes turned to the back as Vangelis' "Hymne" started to play. Penny's sister Nikki led the bridesmaids' procession into the sanctuary. Abby entered, followed by April, Kathy, Tammy and Stephanie.

My groomsmen and I watched as they paraded to the front and took their places to the left. Reverend Hollinger gave me a big smile as the bridesmaids arranged themselves facing the rear of the sanctuary. The organist struck up Cat Stevens' "Morning Has Broken" as Noah and Connor appeared at the back door with my sister Liz. She whispered to the twins and then they scampered down the aisle to the front.

The boys looked too cute in their tuxes with the red cummerbunds. They performed well, not getting distracted or scared as they walked to the front. The twins split when they reached us, Noah going over to Abby, carrying my ring. Abby held his hand. Connor came over and stood between Ed and Will, holding Will's hand. His pillow held Penny's ring.

All eyes turned to the back as the organist struck up the "Bridal Procession" (Here Comes the Bride). Jim Edwards escorted Penny down the aisle as everyone watched. My bride was resplendent in her flowing white gown. Penny and her dad stepped forward in time with the music.