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My name is Fred Dryer, and I uh...
[applause]
I played for Don in 1967 and 68 here at San Diego State. Great, great years.
A dear friend said to me many years ago, "A real sadness comes in life when you realize
that you're losing the people who knew you when you were young."
I think that's true today, as we're all saddened by the loss of our dear friend, who had so
much influence on our youth.
Now, whether you knew Don intimately, or from a distance, makes no difference at all, for
it is in that separation, that space in there that makes the impact all the more profound.
When Mindy called me to tell me of the passing of her father, the first image I had was of
an 85-year-old man laying in an ICU bed, holding on to life, trying to decide whether to go
on, or let it go.
Then, the very next image that came into my head, specifically, the next image, was of
a memory of decades ago of the very first day I met Don Coryell. And it was the odd
and strange circumstance of that meeting that would change my life and begin a friendship
that would endure for the better part of 43 years.
You know, looking out here, you know, you can see all the great friends, and all the
familiar friendly faces. And it's just great that we can all be here together, you know,
and celebrate the life of our great friend. And I'm quite sure, as a matter of fact, I'm
positive each and every one of you here has a very special moment, a very personal story
about Don that you hold dear, that you cherish for the rest of your life.
And, like you, I too have a special moment that I would like to share with you right
now.
It's the January of 1967. I was attending El Camino Junior College and like all junior
college transfers, eager to start my life at the next level. John Madden had just paid
a visit to my home, and was very very kind to my mother. John, I never told you this,
how much my mother was so impressed with the size of your feet.
[laughter]
She said to me, "Mr. Madden has very wide feet, doesn't he?"
I said, "Yes, he does."
But, it was at that visit that John told me, we went to dinner that night, and he said,
"Look, I'm going to get right to it. We would love to have you come down to San Diego State,
I know there are other schools you are looking at, but I'm just going to tell you something.
Football is the means to an end." Remember that John? He said, "Means to an end, not
life itself. Along the way, you're going to grow up, you're going to get an education,
you're going to move on, you're going to meet people, you're going to have a life, you're
going to be successful, whether it's here or somewhere else. But, we'd really like to
have you come here."
Well, with that, I set up a meeting. The school arranged a...the school arranged the day for
me to come down to this school. So, you know in those days, you could buy a ticket on PSA
Airlines, round trip, from LA to San Diego for $13. So, I bought my ticket, and I'm sitting
on the airplane thinking about...just everything that a 20-year-old kid would think about.
Had no idea at all. My father was in the Navy in World War II, down here at the Naval base.
Shipped out of here for the South Pacific. That's all I knew about San Diego.
But everybody said, "You've got to go down there. It's the best kept secret in town.
Go on down."
So, I got on the airplane, I'm sitting there all by myself, you know, eating the peanuts
talking to the...great stewardesses by the way. Remember the PSA stewardesses? Remember
that? I know you do, John.
So, I'm on the airplane, and I'm really apprehensive, and I'm kind of nervous, you know. I don't
know what I'm doing. You know, I'm 20, my father passed away when I was 17, and so I'm
just kind of...it's my mom and my brother and me, so I'm just kind of fumbling around,
visiting these schools and not really taking anything seriously. But, I am thinking about
the responsibility of the decision of where you go in life. This is really a big decision,
it really is.
So, I'm sitting there thinking, weighing all of the magnitude of that decision. And, everybody
here, all the guys here, they know the drill. And so, we land. Those days, the plane would
ride right up on the tarmack, put the ladder up there, you walk down, right into the terminal.
As I walked in, the place was a beehive of...there were just so many people there. On the left,
people queuing up for departing flights, and on the right, you know, people...in those
days you could walk up to the gate and you could meet people. The place was packed with
people. But over there, in the middle of the floor was a clearing. So, I thought I'd work
my way toward the clearing and stand there figuring, you know, whoever the hell is looking
for me, could find me.
I didn't know who I was going to meet. I was told that I would be met by someone from the
school. Well, alright.
So, I work my way over there. I'm standing there, and I'm kind of like...like I am now,
like looking around. Nothing. I'm there for five, ten minutes and I look at my itinerary
again. Say, "yeah, alright, okay."
Now all the planes have left, place is cleared out, I'm the only person standing in the middle
of this place. And I'm starting to think, "I really screwed up here."
So, I'm looking at my itinerary, and then I hear, "Hey, hey hey hey!!!"
I don't see anything. I thought, what the hell was that? So, I go back to my itinerary,
and then I hear, "I tho pleathed, tho proud to see you!" I look around, nothing. I say,
"oh wait, wait a minute." And then, I heard, "Gosh, how ya doin'?" I turned around, and
there it was, this little head sticking out from behind this corner with an arched eyebrow.
And he comes walking out. Like he's holding a beach ball between his elbows, you know?
And he's got that funny little head down there like that. It's a little bit smaller than
the rest of his body. He's a slight guy, so if he's got on a pair of black pegs, tapered
golf pants about two inches above his ankle, white socks, a black and red check...remember
the coat, John? ...black and...two button, black and red check sport coat, white buttoned-down
shirt, black string tie. He comes out.
So, I'm standing there looking at him, and he...I'm here...he start...he leaves from
over there and makes this circle. And then, and then comes over to me, shakes my hand,
hasn't looked at me yet, or introduced himself. He shakes my hand and goes, "Ya look hungry,
ya ready for lunch?"
I said, "yeah." And he turns and walks away.
And I looked down at his feet and he's got on Florsheim sunburst shoes. The big ones,
with the one-inch sole and the two-inch heel with the steel spike in it. And he starts
walking away. So, I say well, what the hell, I guess that's the guy. So, I start...I follow
him...follow him through the airport. I'm about five yards behind him and I'm thinking
about what the hells...what am I doing? I don't even know who this guy is.
So, I follow him out into the parking lot. As he walks across the cement, sparks are
coming from the back of his heels. And he's walking, and he's on a mission. He means it.
And so he's walking. We get to a car. He goes, "Get in!" So, I jump in the front seat, and
he gets in and he starts looking through his pockets. He goes, "Oh hell." And I point to
the ignition and...well you've got to point to the ignition if the key's there, right?
So he goes, "Oh hell!" and he starts the car up and he throws it into reverse and steps
on the gas without looking and backs straight out into the parking lot. A horn...a guy lays
on the horn and a woman says, "My God are you crazy? Watch what you're doing!"
So he goes, "Oh hell!" drops it down into low and punches it and we burn out about 25
yards and hangs a left and we go right down the driveway and we're now at the crossroads
because of the traffic. And there's so much traffic and I can see he's not going to make
a right-hand turn.
And, it's kind of premature in my friendship with this guy at this point in time to tell
him, "Hey, don't do that. I know what you're going to thi...I know you're gonna...gonna
go across, aren't you?"
So, he's like this. He's not saying anything, and out of nowhere, he punches it and we go
right across the street. He hangs a hard left and we go right down the boulevard. Horns
are honking. And he says, "We're gonna take the freeway to the school!"
Well, the school, now I know the guy works for the school. So, I said, "Yeah, okay."
Now, I have both hands on the dashboard, like that, because somewhere in Sacramento there
is a station wagon in a junk yard with eight prints dug into the dashboard.
So, he goes down the street, and then he makes a hard right, under the freeway, and then
a hard left up the ramp on to the freeway.
So, I'm kind of like this. And, I look out the windshield, and I see a lot of traffic
coming this way.
The guy on the motorcycle I know intimately. There's a Corvette and a guy in a truck. I'll
never forget his face, he's half way out of the window, like this...really pissed off.
Not any more than I was.
Now, I see it and this all takes place in the blur of a moment. I'm assuming he sees
it too. He doesn't. He's going. We're like at 60 miles an hour and I turn to him and
the first thing I ever said to Don Coryell was, "What are you nuts?!"
"I'm tho damn thorry!"
He slams on the breaks and he sits...
[microphone dies]
Oh yeah, here we go...I'm in the business, I know this stuff, man.
So now, we're sitting there. We're stopped, and I said, "Back up!"
"Eh, what?"
"Back up! Just back up! back up! Go this way, go that way!"
He goes,"Oh hell!" And he jams it in reverse and floors it. Now we're going 60, backwards.
And he's like, this is...he's brave...I'm like this, and he is like this, "Oh hell,
this is not my car! This is state's station wagon! And I'm not a very good driver. And
I do this all the time."
Good. Now, I know I'm going to the hospital that day. My luck is to burn wood. You know
where they put you in the gauze and you're there for about a year and a half? Like that?
So, we hit the bottom of the ramp and it was like a Jackie Chan movie. He cranks the steering
wheel like this, and the front of the car flew across the street, and the car just transposed
itself on the opposite side of the street. He hits low, and floors it. Now we're going
70 miles an hour, and he's not even batted an eye.
I'm now on the dashboard, and I said, "Hey, man, what are you doing?"
"I'm tho damn thorry. I'm just tho damn thorry. We'll go back to the school and get some lunch."
I said, "Yeah, the school, yeah. I've got to meet the people responsible for this deal."
Now, he's now driving like this, kind of cockeyed, and he's driving like that. And the front
of the friggin' car is going like this. But, he's going so fast, he has to modulate his
speed with the break peddle. So, we're now going like that, all the way back to Peterson
Gym.
So, we come into a circus stop. We slide in. I jump out and I'm faster than I've ever been
in my life. He gets out, slams the door and points up. "Okay, let's go upstairs." So,
upstairs we went, made the turn, first door on the right, right off the landing and we
walked into Coach's office. And there, standing in...like a bunch of little manequins, John
Madden, Joe Gibbs, Sid Hall, Ernie Zampese.
So, Coach said, "This is John Madden, this is uh...uh...what's your name? Uh, uh, Joe
Gibbs. Yeah, that's Joe Gibbs and, and that's Sid Hall." And Sid asked me, "Want to see
some film?"
"No."
"And this is Ernie." And Ernie is double-lighting a cigarette.
So, John's like this. He's looking at me and he said, "Yeah, yeah, uh, so you made it,
huh?"
"Yeah, I made it."
So, now I'm getting a real good look at the group, you know. And I said to myself, "So
this is the irresponsible clump of humanity that gave Don Coryell, head football coach,
the keys to the friggin' station wagon. Thanks so much, guys."
So, I look over at Don and he's like this. He's holding that beach ball, and he's dripping
wet. He says, "Let's visit for a minute, then we'll drive down and get thome lunch."
I took a look around the room, and I shook my head and I just said, "Yeah, this is the
place for me."
You know, as a tag to all this, you know, we're telling all these great stories, and
the great celebration is that we knew him. We had him for 85 years, although we didn't
know him for 85, it seems like we did.
I...I feel like, I...I knew him for 43, and all of these stories just fit. It's like it
started here to here and we just kind of entered kind of like here for a while. And that's
what happens. People just kind of like intercept, you know? And they plug into his life and
we all come away charged. We all come away with optimism.
Joe was beautiful when he said it, you know, look around life and see who you touch.
Boy, what a special guy. Mike, Mindy, you guys were blessed with great parents. We were
the benefactors. God bless you.