Darrel - The Boy Who Never Gave Up

   Many columns and posts are dedicated to the kids I taught and coached while a teacher, from 1980 thru 1994 at Duncan High School. The best, most satisfying part of my professional life were the fourteen years I spent as a classroom teacher and high school athletic coach, primarily because of our students. I would have done the job voluntarily if I had to, because what I received from the kids was worth far more than any pay check. As a matter of fact, it was a very emotional experience for me when I left coaching altogether in 1995... because of the kids. The 23 professional years since 1995 have not made nearly the impact on my life as the "coaching" years did. I experienced many unforgettable characters (kids) during my "short" tenure as a high school coach, but none so unforgettable as Darrel.
   I first got to know Darrel in 1984 as a ninth grader at Duncan High School. He was an athlete, participating in both football and wrestling, but was not physically imposing nor particularly gifted. When he graduated in 1988, he barely stood 5'8'' and weighed 150 lbs..., soaking wet. Darrel had deceptive speed (was slower than he looked), but had about 140 lbs. of heart in that 150 lb. frame. He had more courage and commitment to a cause than any kid I ever knew. What separated Darrel from most people with a cause - was his commitment... not just "dedication" to the job at hand. Many people believe, as do I, that the difference between dedication and commitment is like the "bacon and egg" breakfast: While the chicken only dedicates the eggs, the pig is committed to the breakfast. The pig sacrifices its well-being and resources, so that we have a tasty meal.
   Darrel Martin was truly a committed athlete and friend to those he trusted as he went through Duncan Public Schools. When I first saw him in 1984, no one could have told me that he would be a starter on one of the best high school football teams in the state in 1987, and an all-state wrestler for the Duncan Demons in that same year. But it was inevitable, as Darrel was all heart. In 1987, the Duncan Demons were preparing to play for the class 4A football state championship in Stillwater, against the Tulsa McLain Scots. The Demons were made up of a rag-tag bunch, who were small and slow... and led by Darrel Martin (strong safety and fullback). The Scots, led by several high school football all-Americans, were big and fast - and had literally slaughtered their first three playoff opponents. As a matter of fact, the week previous in the semi-finals - Tulsa McLain had destroyed the previously unbeaten and number one ranked McAlester Buffaloes, 24 to 7. The Demons were already warming up in what is now Boone Pickens Stadium, when the Scots took the field. As they entered the playing field, they jogged slowly through the Demon warm-up lines (an intimidation technique), where an "impressive looking" player looked down at Darrel and said: "Boy, they're a bunch of little ole ants" to his team-mate. Darrel simply looked up from his stretching exercises and said "We'll see", which was quite funny to the Scots.
   But I digress... back to Darrel's public school athletic career: Darrel Martin sustained several injuries during his athletic tenure at Duncan High School as well as Arizona State University (where he wrestled after high school), which proved he had a high level of mental and physical toughness. Two football injuries come to mind which had an impact on his teammates and coaches. The first was a knee injury in which his patella was dislocated to the side, almost to the bottom of the joint. He was hit going out of bounds, so the injury was readily apparent to his coaches. Darrel looked up at one coach and said calmly: "I think there is something wrong with my leg, coach". The coach said: "Yeah, your kneecap is dislocated", at which Darrel replied: "Well, put it back in place, so I can get back in there..." At this time, we were loading Darrel onto a stretcher to be transported to Duncan Regional Hospital for evaluation, since there were no volunteers to replace the kneecap. I don't know what happened next at the hospital, but I suspect the medical staff moved the patella back in place (with no pain medication), and Darrel checked out against medical advice. He was back at practice on Monday. The second injury was a little more serious - Darrel came to the sideline during another game and said: "Coach, I think I broke my arm". The bone near the wrist appeared "crooked as a dog's hind leg", so Darrel was carted off in an ambulance again. Medical staff fixed the break by installing two pins on either side of the break through the bone but under the flesh. According to Darrel - No pain, no gain. Anyway, after missing two games (maybe only one) Darrel was back at practice. The first game he played in following the injury went well... until the last quarter. Superman (the name his coaches were now calling him) came jogging to the sideline and said he was having another problem with his arm. Both pins were now protruding through the flesh from the bone. Darrel said: "It doesn't hurt" and started heading back out on the field, at which time a coach stopped him and said "Maybe so, but we've still got to get the blood covered up" and slapped several strips of tape on the exposed pins. He continued playing and wasn't the least bit concerned that he could be doing more injury to the arm.
   The third injury I remember was a career-ender for Darrel. He was in his freshman year at ASU wrestling. I may be a little hazy on the facts, but this is what I heard from those present: Darrel was living in the dorm with other athletes when some horse play was initiated by others. He had gone out on the 4th floor patio overlooking the campus, when a couple of his friends decided to prevent him from re-entering the room by holding the door shut. Of course Darrel thought he could overpower his friends, so he gave the door a hard jerk... just about the time his friends released their grip. You can guess what happened next. The balcony was encircled by a 4 ft. restraining fence, but he tumbled backwards and upside down over the rail. A few weeks later, Darrel told me the last thing he remembered seeing was the top of a tree as he plummeted downward. He ended up breaking his leg in three places and suffered multiple contusions. He claimed he would be wrestling again in no time, but for Darrel Martin, this was the career ending injury.
   The Duncan Demons 1987 Football Season: The first game of the '87 season pitted the Demons against the Lawton High Wolverines, which resulted in a lop-sided loss (28-7) for the smaller and slower Demons. The Wolverines had future All-Americans and All-Staters such as quarterback Kelly Stinnett, who went on to play for the New York Mets baseball team; running back Dewell Brewer, a state champion sprinter in track and player for the University of Oklahoma; James Trapp, who played for the Oakland Raiders of the NFL and ran in the 1992 Olympic Trials as a sprinter; and Will Shields, an offensive lineman who played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Kansas City Chiefs. Lawton High went on to win the 1987 State Title in Class-6A, so must be considered a very good football team. We, as a coaching staff, noticed that the Wolverines had the word El Deguello printed across the side of their football helmets. El Deguello is a bugle call used as a march by the Mexican army buglers during the 1836 siege of the Alamo and annihilation of the Americans. It was later used by the Americans fighting the Mexicans as a motivation. The Demons tried to re-group after that first demoralizing loss, but lost four more games before ending the regular season with five wins and five losses. Duncan lost the last regular season game to Altus in four overtimes, but still qualified for the playoffs by finishing a very mediocre 4th in the district. As a team, the Demons remembered that motivational phrase El Deguello used by Lawton High, and decided they needed something extra to motivate success during the playoffs. One of the coaches, a history teacher, suggested the phrase Never, Never, Never Give Up which came from a speech Winston Churchill gave in England as Adolph Hitler and the Nazis were sweeping across Europe. What Churchill meant was "when all hope appears lost, don't give up, as anything can happen". The Demons would not print it across the helmets, but print it on their T-shirts underneath the shoulder pads.
   Since Duncan finished 4th in their district, they were matched against the state number one ranked and undefeated Carl Albert Titans. Carl Albert's players were bigger and faster than Duncan's and had averaged 40 points per game offensively, while allowing only 6 points. The Demons knew, however, if they could keep it close going into the 4th quarter... Never, Never, Never Give Up could maybe inspire them to victory. Carl Albert led 6-3 at halftime (It was close), but the Demons never stopped "clawing and scratching" for every yard. Still trailing, with only a few minutes left in the game, the Demons got the ball back and began driving the field. The Duncan fans then began to chant Never Give Up, as their team began its march to the endzone. Six plays later, the Demons were on the Titan's one yard line, as the inevitable but impossible was about to happen... Steve Hale, Duncan quarterback, scored the game's only touchdown - ensuring the 9-6 victory.
   The Demons went on to win their second playoff game 7-0 and their third 7-6, both in the 4th quarter, but faced the Class-4A favorite Tulsa McLain Scots at 2 PM on Saturday, December 5 - as mentioned above. A quote from Melvin Driver, the Scots head coach, before kickoff said it all: "If they (the Demons) stay close for three quarters, we'll be in for the fight of our lives." He could not have been more right. The newspaper which quoted Driver began that column with "Today's Class 4A state championship football game looks like a mismatch on paper", and then revealed the offensive and defensive team statistics which backed up that claim. The news column stated that Tulsa McLain had moved down from class 5A to 4A two years ago, and had promptly won the 4A state title, so this would be their 2nd championship in a row - provided they won. The article ended with "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. After all, games aren't won on paper".
   The Tulsa McLain Scots had their own motivational and intimidating "battle cry". Toward the end of the pre-game warm-up, the Scots would line up on the 50 yard line facing their opponent and begin chanting We Will Rock You, while pointing at them (with emphasis). The line is from the song recorded by Queen in 1977. The Demon coaching staff had provided this information to the team, and told them to be prepared and not be intimidated. It was probably something that Darrel Martin and his teammates didn't need to hear, as by now it was clear they weren't intimidated by such nonsense. As the pre-game warm-up period ended, the Duncan coaches and players were expecting the McLain intimidation chant to begin... but instead, the Duncan fans (nearly 5000) began chanting We will, we will rock you... and pointing to the opposite side of the stadium, as the band played the sports anthem. The Scots then cancelled their chant.
   McLain took the opening kickoff and marched 72 yards for the games first score, and many in attendance thought "that's all she wrote" - as it was probably going to be another route. As Mike Baldwin of the Daily Oklahoman wrote after the game "(The Scots) were never heard from again". Long story short: The Demons gradually took over, driving the ball 73 yards in 13 plays to score with 8 minutes remaining. The Demons elected to go for a two point conversion for the win, but still trailed 7-6 when a pass was ruled controversially incomplete. They kicked off to the Scots and held, forcing a punt, and getting the ball back with 2:39 left. Duncan marched to the McLain 11 yard line and called timeout with 10 seconds remaining in the game. The Duncan kicker, Danny David, who had made several clutch field goals over the season, was then called on. The 27 yard field goal attempt appeared good from the sidelines, but was ruled "no good" by the official. The Demons had lost the championship, 7-6. Head coach Charley Lynch told a teary-eyed locker room, minutes after the game "Everybody thought we were out-athleted, but we weren't out-hearted. You deserved to win. Anybody who saw the game knows who had the best team today. It was us." McLain coach Melvin Driver only had one thing to say to the sports reporter: "I'm sick about this..."
   Darrel Martin and the 1987 Duncan Demons are truly high school students who never gave up and were committed to Duncan. They sacrificed their time, resources, and even well-being for their school, and the reason most teachers are committed to our public schools.