This past weekend I had the privilege to support my father, Phil Roberts, and his 1964 UNI Panther Football Team as they were inducted into the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame. It was an incredible day. We joined the other members of the squad and their families for a luncheon ceremony on the floor of the McLeod Center.
UNI President Ben Allen spoke to the inductees about how they laid the ground work for the football program to build and flourish. Athletic Director Troy Dannen talked about how the success of that great team helped build momentum for the program, and help lead the University toward building the UNI-Dome. Coach Farley was also in attendance to shake hands and congratulate the Hall of Fame Class of 2010. It was an amazing day, and my family was very honored to be a part of it!
Dad was a starting offensive lineman on the Panther's team. They were the only UNI Football team to ever play and win a bowl game. They were invited to play in the 1964 Pecan Bowl in Abilene, Texas. The Pecan Bowl served as the NCAA Midwest College Division Championship, one of only four bowl games in the College Division for the 1964 season.
I learned a lot about Dad's team, and a lot about life this past weekend. For the past few weeks I'd been asking Dad a bunch of questions about his old playing days. And much to my surprise, he didn't share too much! It was just something he used to do. He played football so that he could go to college and get an education. He played on a team that was pretty good, but he just did what he was supposed to do. In fact, Dad never really let on that his induction into the Hall of Fame was a big deal. Really? It floors me to see how humble he is about this! I am so blessed to have him to teach me and my children. He is truly a great example of how to live life. He is a leader. He teaches by example.
There have never been any flashy speeches from my father in all the years that I have known him. He taught my brothers and I through the example and discipline of getting up everyday and getting your work done. My dad works harder than anyone I know. He always has. He would never tell you that. He would never complain about getting up 7 days a week to feed cattle and keep the farm going. Growing up on the farm I don't ever remember hearing him complain about all of the hard work or long hours required to build a successful farming operation. During the 80's, times were tough. Dad almost lost everything. He actually could have protected land and assets by declaring bankruptcy, but that wasn't an option in my Dad's world. If he had a debt, it would be paid. Even if it meant letting farm land go. The funny thing is, growing up, I never even knew we were going through tough times. When he came to the house at night, he gave his all to his children. He never let on. I wish I could say that I've never brought a hard day home to my family. The fact is, I have a hard time not getting down when things are tough. I pray that God make me a little more like my father.
Something I noticed on Saturday while listening to all of the Hall of Fame Inductees stories is that many of them had a similar outlook as my father. They were all very humble. The recurring theme was discipline and fundamentals. Hall of Fame wrestler Joel Greenlee spoke about how hard work, dedication, and fundamentals were the keys to his success. Hall of Fame Volleyball player Molly O'Brien stressed teamwork, discipline and fundamentals as the building blocks to her great career. Hall of Fame and NFL football great Dedric Ward credited long hours and rep after rep of fundamentals as being important in his development into becoming the best wide receiver ever to step on the field for the UNI Panthers. And then came Dad's teammate, who spoke for the team in accepting their induction into the UNI Hall of Fame. I didn't catch his name, but it was very interesting listening to him discuss the ups and downs of their great 1964 season. I got a kick out of a quote from the Abilene Times newspaper from after the bowl game... "Well the Yankees did it again as the corn fed Iowa farm boys came down here and shoved our Lamar Tech linemen up and down the field"! That is back when men were men! I can picture my dad lining up next to his teammates and getting it done in the trenches. Fundamentals. Discipline. What a great story. I am so proud of my dad, and so is the rest of my family.
There were a couple things I overheard that really stuck with me... the first was multiple compliments to my father about his beautiful family and how cool it was that all of his grandkids were there to support him! We took up 2 tables at the luncheon... my dad brought the biggest crowd of all of the inductees... that was awesome! The other comment I overheard was when one of my dad's old teammates came up and shook my dad's hand and asked how the hardest worker on the team was doing. Then he turned to me and said "You know your old man has always been the hardest working guy on the squad, right?" That put a BIG smile on my face. Of course I knew how hard my dad works, but to hear his old teammate say it was pretty cool.
I am very blessed to be my father's son. I learned so much from him. I learned to work hard. I learned to get dirty. I learned to love my family unconditionally. I learned to praise God, and to always be appreciative of what we are given in this life. I was taught daily about fundamentals and commitment. And almost all of it was taught by example. There were a few speeches and some of life's truths were put into words, but the good stuff, the stuff that made me who I am today, was learned just by watching my dad. By following his example and leadership.
I pray that you all have someone in your life like my dad. He has taught me so much about life, and how to live it. Dedication, discipline, fundamentals, commitment... words to live by.
Michael
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