woy1509
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- Jul 24, 2008
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Section II: The Prequel
The Next Chapter
It was a brisk August afternoon in Ohio with just a few clouds scattered in the sky. The sun beamed down on the filled-to-capacity stadium, where a security guard and a teenager sat behind a stage curtain, waiting for the speech to end.
"Not sure how often you get this," the guard spoke up as he nudged the teenager. "But you're basically a spitting image of your father."
The teenager faked a smile and nodded. "Yeah, that comes up every now and then."
He loved his father and knew his reputation was a big reason why he was coveted by every school in the nation, but he hated to be reminded of him all the time. He was his own person and strived to carve out his own legacy; not live in the shadow of his dad's.
Of course, today wasn't the best day to think about that since this ceremony was all about his accomplishments and accolades. He took a deep sigh and started to shut his eyes, but was interrupted again by the security guard standing beside him.
"So should we expect to see you in a Syracuse uniform around this time next year?"
The teenager looked up at the guard and shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure yet. I'm no where close to be making a decision."
That was a lie however; he made that decision just last month. He just chose not to reveal it at the moment because of the uncertainty surrounding that program's future.
"I think it'd be pretty awesome if you did," the guard said. "Following in your father's footsteps, ya know?"
The teenager opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he heard the applause coming from the other side of the curtain. He gave one last nod to the security guard then waited as the man outside walked past him with a tear in his eye.
"Could've made your speech shorter Vince," he muttered under his breath before walking out to nearly 25,000 flashbulbs.
...
"Now to introduce our final member of the NFL Hall of Fame class of 2027, please welcome Sean Joseph Woy."
Most teenagers would be nervous in this situation, but Sean Joseph thought public speaking was just as easy as directing his father's no-huddle attack. Sure, this would be the biggest crowd he's ever addressed by a large margin, but it was no different than playing for 30,000 on Friday nights.
He calmly stepped to the podium, gave a slight wave and waited for the applause to die down before starting his speech.
"My father has accomplished so much over his playing career. Eight Pro Bowls, three Offensive Player of the Year awards, an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP - those all speak for themselves. They need no explanation. For me, the biggest accomplishment in my father's life was raising me at just 19 years old. Between football, basketball, the workload of classes at Syracuse, and his marriage with Melyss--my mother; I don't know where he found time to breathe. I'm two years away from that age and couldn't imagine juggling all of that - heck, I have trouble balancing my classes in high school right now."
Laughter from the crowd briefly halted the speech for a few seconds, but Sean Joseph went right back into it once it ceased.
"Just kidding, Dad. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that although there was the necessary four-year wait to enter Canton, he was already a Hall of Famer in my mind for everything he did as a father, and not as a wide receiver. He's the strongest guy I know and deserves this moment more than anyone else. Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest father a guy can ask for and the greatest receiver in football history, Ethan Woy!"
Every word rang true of Sean Joseph's introduction speech, despite him wanting to get out of his father's shadow. Ethan was the only guy he'd ever look up to, and knew he had been through so much in his 36 years of living that he wouldn't ever be able to compare.
...
Unlike his son, Ethan was nervous when he stepped to the podium. The countless last-second heroics and the numerous award speeches didn't prepare him for this moment. And to top it off, the 10-minute standing ovation he was given wasn't calming his nerves.
"Wow. This is truly incredible. I don't really don't know where to begin."
He stepped back and composed himself as the ovation started once again. Chants of "Spiderman" rang through the crowd, which got the receiver to crack a smile. The chants became louder and louder and the nerves started to fade away as Ethan once again stepped to the podium to restart his speech.
"Thank you. It's truly an honor to be standing in front of all of you today as a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. As cliche as I can in starting this speech, let me say that it's tough to put into words what this means to me. 18 years ago, I arrived on the campus of Syracuse University as a wide-eyed teenager who barely had been outside the state of Pennsylvania. I committed to the Orange because of the challenge ahead of me; from helping them regain their once-elite status in football and to contribute to their historically great basketball program. A national championship and two Heismans later, I accomplished my goals and was then given another challenge; to give the Tennessee Titans the championship they deserved."
"Trips left with Woy on the right alone, here's the snap. Young drops back, looks right...lofts one up in that direction...it's caught! Touchdown Titans! Woy just picked that out of the air and the Titans are now an extra-point away from cutting Atlanta's lead to six!"
Ethan stopped himself and looked back to watch his 45-yard touchdown in Super Bowl LII playing on the big screen. The crowd let out a loud cheer when Vince Young ran in from eight yards to clinch the Titans' first Super Bowl win, even though they just saw the same highlight a few minutes ago during his speech.
"Young from under center, he takes the snap...pumps left, has a little crease open on the right and he'll take it! Touchdown Titans, Superman Vince does it again! Shades of USC/Texas in 2006!"
"By the way, I'm a little disappointed it took this long for the committee to induct Vince, but it's awesome that we could go in together. Love ya man."
Ethan gave his friend - who was now sitting in the front row - a nod of respect, which brought forth more applause from the crowd.
"Two rings later, I again accomplished what I wanted to do. But like my son said, my greatest accomplishment was raising him at a young age and seeing him mold into the man that he is now. As proud as I am of my successes, I want Sean Joseph to surpass all of them. I want him to find the success I found on the field and I want him to avoid the hells I've witnessed over my life. Melyssa would be proud of the man he's become and I wish she could see him now."
Ethan stopped again as a tear started to fall from his eye, but he kept his emotions in check and continued on.
"My favorite part of my life in football wasn't my time at Syracuse or with the Titans - it's happening right now as the head coach for my son's high school team. I only hope that I can help him set out what he wants to accomplish this year before he enrolls in college."
The big screen then showed Sean Joseph sitting in the first row with his father's girlfriend and his little brother Brandon. They all waved as the crowd clapped once again, then the screen went back to Ethan for the end of his speech.
"After he and my youngest Brandon graduate, who knows what's next for me? I've grown to love coaching and I'm still relatively young so maybe I could pursue it as another career. Wherever life does take me from here though, I've been blessed to have a great support system and good health. And that's all I need to feel successful. Thank you all and God bless."
After another long ovation, Ethan's bust was revealed and his family came up on stage to take a few pictures. The brief break from reality was welcomed by the Woys, but two-a-days started tomorrow and the drive from Canton wasn't going to get any shorter.
Author's Note: Your "this won't last" criticism is valid. I'm not going to waste your time stating my case on why this will be different, but I will say that I do feel more comfortable continuing the stories of Ethan and Sean Joseph rather than going outside the family name. I also feel more comfortable writing something set in the future because I have more free reign to shape the story the way I want.
Creative writing has always been a getaway of sorts for me, and I'm excited to get back into it (again).
For first-time followers, the two stories linked below will provide a good backdrop for this tale. I'll probably put together a set of cliff-notes sometime soon, however.
Catching Controversy
Pursuit of Happiness (Section I)
The Next Chapter
It was a brisk August afternoon in Ohio with just a few clouds scattered in the sky. The sun beamed down on the filled-to-capacity stadium, where a security guard and a teenager sat behind a stage curtain, waiting for the speech to end.
"Not sure how often you get this," the guard spoke up as he nudged the teenager. "But you're basically a spitting image of your father."
The teenager faked a smile and nodded. "Yeah, that comes up every now and then."
He loved his father and knew his reputation was a big reason why he was coveted by every school in the nation, but he hated to be reminded of him all the time. He was his own person and strived to carve out his own legacy; not live in the shadow of his dad's.
Of course, today wasn't the best day to think about that since this ceremony was all about his accomplishments and accolades. He took a deep sigh and started to shut his eyes, but was interrupted again by the security guard standing beside him.
"So should we expect to see you in a Syracuse uniform around this time next year?"
The teenager looked up at the guard and shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure yet. I'm no where close to be making a decision."
That was a lie however; he made that decision just last month. He just chose not to reveal it at the moment because of the uncertainty surrounding that program's future.
"I think it'd be pretty awesome if you did," the guard said. "Following in your father's footsteps, ya know?"
The teenager opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he heard the applause coming from the other side of the curtain. He gave one last nod to the security guard then waited as the man outside walked past him with a tear in his eye.
"Could've made your speech shorter Vince," he muttered under his breath before walking out to nearly 25,000 flashbulbs.
...
"Now to introduce our final member of the NFL Hall of Fame class of 2027, please welcome Sean Joseph Woy."
Most teenagers would be nervous in this situation, but Sean Joseph thought public speaking was just as easy as directing his father's no-huddle attack. Sure, this would be the biggest crowd he's ever addressed by a large margin, but it was no different than playing for 30,000 on Friday nights.
He calmly stepped to the podium, gave a slight wave and waited for the applause to die down before starting his speech.
"My father has accomplished so much over his playing career. Eight Pro Bowls, three Offensive Player of the Year awards, an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP - those all speak for themselves. They need no explanation. For me, the biggest accomplishment in my father's life was raising me at just 19 years old. Between football, basketball, the workload of classes at Syracuse, and his marriage with Melyss--my mother; I don't know where he found time to breathe. I'm two years away from that age and couldn't imagine juggling all of that - heck, I have trouble balancing my classes in high school right now."
Laughter from the crowd briefly halted the speech for a few seconds, but Sean Joseph went right back into it once it ceased.
"Just kidding, Dad. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that although there was the necessary four-year wait to enter Canton, he was already a Hall of Famer in my mind for everything he did as a father, and not as a wide receiver. He's the strongest guy I know and deserves this moment more than anyone else. Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest father a guy can ask for and the greatest receiver in football history, Ethan Woy!"
Every word rang true of Sean Joseph's introduction speech, despite him wanting to get out of his father's shadow. Ethan was the only guy he'd ever look up to, and knew he had been through so much in his 36 years of living that he wouldn't ever be able to compare.
...
Unlike his son, Ethan was nervous when he stepped to the podium. The countless last-second heroics and the numerous award speeches didn't prepare him for this moment. And to top it off, the 10-minute standing ovation he was given wasn't calming his nerves.
"Wow. This is truly incredible. I don't really don't know where to begin."
He stepped back and composed himself as the ovation started once again. Chants of "Spiderman" rang through the crowd, which got the receiver to crack a smile. The chants became louder and louder and the nerves started to fade away as Ethan once again stepped to the podium to restart his speech.
"Thank you. It's truly an honor to be standing in front of all of you today as a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. As cliche as I can in starting this speech, let me say that it's tough to put into words what this means to me. 18 years ago, I arrived on the campus of Syracuse University as a wide-eyed teenager who barely had been outside the state of Pennsylvania. I committed to the Orange because of the challenge ahead of me; from helping them regain their once-elite status in football and to contribute to their historically great basketball program. A national championship and two Heismans later, I accomplished my goals and was then given another challenge; to give the Tennessee Titans the championship they deserved."
"Trips left with Woy on the right alone, here's the snap. Young drops back, looks right...lofts one up in that direction...it's caught! Touchdown Titans! Woy just picked that out of the air and the Titans are now an extra-point away from cutting Atlanta's lead to six!"
Ethan stopped himself and looked back to watch his 45-yard touchdown in Super Bowl LII playing on the big screen. The crowd let out a loud cheer when Vince Young ran in from eight yards to clinch the Titans' first Super Bowl win, even though they just saw the same highlight a few minutes ago during his speech.
"Young from under center, he takes the snap...pumps left, has a little crease open on the right and he'll take it! Touchdown Titans, Superman Vince does it again! Shades of USC/Texas in 2006!"
"By the way, I'm a little disappointed it took this long for the committee to induct Vince, but it's awesome that we could go in together. Love ya man."
Ethan gave his friend - who was now sitting in the front row - a nod of respect, which brought forth more applause from the crowd.
"Two rings later, I again accomplished what I wanted to do. But like my son said, my greatest accomplishment was raising him at a young age and seeing him mold into the man that he is now. As proud as I am of my successes, I want Sean Joseph to surpass all of them. I want him to find the success I found on the field and I want him to avoid the hells I've witnessed over my life. Melyssa would be proud of the man he's become and I wish she could see him now."
Ethan stopped again as a tear started to fall from his eye, but he kept his emotions in check and continued on.
"My favorite part of my life in football wasn't my time at Syracuse or with the Titans - it's happening right now as the head coach for my son's high school team. I only hope that I can help him set out what he wants to accomplish this year before he enrolls in college."
The big screen then showed Sean Joseph sitting in the first row with his father's girlfriend and his little brother Brandon. They all waved as the crowd clapped once again, then the screen went back to Ethan for the end of his speech.
"After he and my youngest Brandon graduate, who knows what's next for me? I've grown to love coaching and I'm still relatively young so maybe I could pursue it as another career. Wherever life does take me from here though, I've been blessed to have a great support system and good health. And that's all I need to feel successful. Thank you all and God bless."
After another long ovation, Ethan's bust was revealed and his family came up on stage to take a few pictures. The brief break from reality was welcomed by the Woys, but two-a-days started tomorrow and the drive from Canton wasn't going to get any shorter.
Author's Note: Your "this won't last" criticism is valid. I'm not going to waste your time stating my case on why this will be different, but I will say that I do feel more comfortable continuing the stories of Ethan and Sean Joseph rather than going outside the family name. I also feel more comfortable writing something set in the future because I have more free reign to shape the story the way I want.
Creative writing has always been a getaway of sorts for me, and I'm excited to get back into it (again).
For first-time followers, the two stories linked below will provide a good backdrop for this tale. I'll probably put together a set of cliff-notes sometime soon, however.
Catching Controversy
Pursuit of Happiness (Section I)
![[face_mischief]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ignboards.com/styles/ign/ign/smilies/classic/mischief.gif "Mischief [face_mischief]")
![[face_whistling]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ignboards.com/styles/ign/ign/smilies/classic/whistling.gif "Whistling [face_whistling]")
