Where Were You When?

By Steven Shaff, Assistant AD/Media Relations

There are defining moments in history that stick in our minds. The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Shuttle disaster and 9/11 are just a few everyone knows where they were when the event happened.

Thirty years ago today, New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson died in plane crash on an off day of the regular season. He was one of my favorite players on the team and one of my early heroes in life. I have an autographed ball by the 1978 World Champion Yankee team that I cherish. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was on the Jersey shore on vacation with my family at the age of nine. I saw the news on the television. It is the first time I remember crying over a death of someone.

Next week, NAU Athletics is hosting a season kickoff event on the NAU campus that features former Marshall coach Jack Lengyel as the keynote speaker. If you don’t know who Jack is you might know who played him in the movie about his life: Matthew McConaughey.

We Are Marshall chronicles the events following the 1970 crash of a plane carrying the Marshall football team, coaches and fans back from a game. Lengyel is hired to restart the program. He will provide an inspirational message in his talk about his experiences and his life in football. He will be joined by former NFL Pro Bowler Ron Wolfley, the Voice of the Arizona Cardinals, and NAU Head Football Coach Jerome Souers.

Tickets to the event include a summer buffet from Jotini’s on the Green. Prices start at $30 for admission and the buffet. The VIP package for $45 includes admission, the buffet, VIP seating with and a meet and greet opportunity with the featured speakers. The VIP Plus package for $100 includes a NAU football season ticket in addition to the VIP package. Fans that have already purchased a 2009 football season ticket will be able to purchase the VIP package for $30. For ticket information, call 928-523-3326.

Sports play a unique role in our lives. Justified or not, we live and die with our teams. With the recent ascent of the Arizona Cardinals onto our campus, we remember back to the Super Bowl last February and the joy and heartbreak the game brought to fans of the team. When Diamondbacks won the World Series in 2001, I will never forget the moment because I was there in left field watching the defining moment. The NAU Lumberjacks start reporting back to campus on Tuesday with the arrival of the soccer team for preseason drills.

What will be in store for the upcoming seasons for the Lumberjack student-athletes? Will there be Big Sky Championships? How will the football team fare in a key home game against national runner-up Montana? Can the soccer team repeat its NCAA Championship appearance from 2008? Tickets are on sale now for the kickoff banquet and the upcoming fall sports. I hope you join us for these events. Then you can say, ‘I was there when.’