"I Know I Could Do It"

by Charles Tirone

When I played ball at UB, we used to go on these road trips, and I used to see alumni who traveled with the team, with their wives.

In the old days they had Bernie Skerker. He was a very prominent alumnus and supporter of the team. He owned a cutlery company, or ran it, or something like that. He was absolutely a great football fan.

We'd go into chalk talk, or we'd have our Friday night meeting. I'd look up and there'd be Bernie Skerker, having a beer and enjoying himself over a big steak dinner while we were going into the talk. I said, "Someday, I'm going to be an alumnus like that. I'm going to go travel."

Recently I went with the UB team to their Connecticut game. I told Bob Arkeilpane, "Well, you fulfilled one of my boyhood dreams," to travel with the team to an away game and enjoy myself.

I said, "I have one more."

He said, "Oh yeah, what?"

I said, "I've always wanted to suit up again and slip into the middle of the lineup. I know I could do it. If there's any way I could get insurance, or whatever, I would do it."

Okay, I'm not really that big, and they're monsters. . . . But I played nose guard, which is defensive. Nobody knows who the nose guard is. I said, "I'd be surrounded. Just one play. I want to unload on the center, and then I'll come off."

He says, "I don't think you're going to be able to do that this trip."

I'm 63 now.

He says, ". . . I don't think there's anyone who would allow you to do that."