Tim Johnson Johnson

Letter to our team gathering
August 8, 2008

To: The ’68 Tiger Group

Something “special” happened to a group of guys in 1968 in Irving, Texas.

It was an ordinary group of guys in a very average town in Texas.

We thought we were just doing sports together. But it was not just about sports. Yes, we won a lot of games together. But it was more than just a game that we were playing…it was life…we were doing life together.

Somehow, without ever speaking the words, we told each other, “I’ve got your back.” It was something that we communicated with actions.

It was more than a casual relationship that develops among teammates. It became a lifelong bond…a brotherhood.

It went past the miles we lived apart. As soon as we would greet each other at a reunion or a dinner, the time we spent away from each other disappeared. We had learned to respect the differences in our individual lives.

For some of us --- the relationship went deeper. We knew we could count on one another to a deeper level. It became an unspoken bond to each one in the group. We had gone past seeking friendship or “being in with the in-group”.

We had learned to ignore our individual quirks and differences; not evaluating each other based on our success in the world. The group seemed to require a respect for each individual’s way of pursing life, liberty, and happiness…and we now shared another unspoken vow -- to stand “beside” each other…for no reason…just because we had developed this bond by doing life together. Maybe it was the really special leaders of our group, maybe it was our spiritual base…I really don’t know.

I don’t know what special is…but I know this is special.

That unspoken commitment is evidenced when one of us leaves this life. Be certain you have made the decision to spend eternity with us in Heaven.

This letter is to openly state the unspoken bond for a special group of men…and to salute some of the group who has gone on before us:

* Robert Copeland
* Chuck Davidson
* Robert Clark
* Coach Carter
* Coach Bell
* Mike Story
* Tom White
* Alan Dunaway


Letter #2 written to Alan Dunnaway 2003
Dear Alan,

Hope you will actually take a few minutes to read this. After the party last night in your honor, I realized that I really never got to know you very well. And probably you don’t know the “real” me either. We all have those “public” conversations, laugh about the things we have enjoyed together, and never get much beyond that in our party talks.

I think you and I actually have more in common than what is visible on the surface. Listening to your stories at parties, I think you have done most everything imaginable for a man to do. Some of those events we are proud to share, some we are still trying to figure out what we could have been thinking about when we did that. My list is likely not quite as complete as yours, but most of the check marks are still there.

Alan, one thing I learned when my son died, was that none of us really knows how long we will be here. I passed up some opportunities to say and do things with Timmy that I now regret. Can’t change my regrets about what I did, or did not do in the past…just try to leave no regrets for the future.

The point is that neither of us has lived a perfect life, we have known each other for over 30 years and we still don’t really know each other. I don’t know where you stand with your peace about eternity. One thing that gives me peace now… is having a hope about eternity.

Alan, I have a peace about the future that I hope that you also share. I have hope and confidence that there is another life after we leave this body.

I started to realize that I needed peace with God and I had nothing to offer him to pay for may past. That list of things we have done over the years was not what I wanted to present to God to impress him, when he is deciding about my future. I really have no hope of “making things right” with God. My only hope is that God will give me mercy…just cancel my past…help me with my report card so I will be eligible to play next season. I need someone to help me… a Coach Dabbs to talk to the teacher to see what I can do about my failing grade.

Somehow I started to realize that God is real and I cannot undo all my mistakes. I have no way of doing enough good deeds or undoing the messes I have made. If God is real, I will meet him and I will not have enough to offer him to pay for my past. My only hope is that God will have mercy on me.

Neither of us has lived a perfect life. We both have plenty of people who would gladly serve as witnesses to agree about the “not perfect” part. I started to realize that I couldn’t change the past or make up for all the wrong things I have done.

As I started to read the bible, I saw that God made a way for me to have hope in his mercy. He just wants me to agree with him. Sounded too simple, but simple things are not always easy, are they? My hope about the future is that I hope that God is real and that the bible is true. Romans 10:9-10 says that if you “believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved.” My son did that when he was 11, and now I have a great hope that he is living in heaven.

I hope that you have also believed this. It is our only hope, because you and I cannot change our past.

Alan, I have not done enough right things in my life. I hope that writing this letter is the right thing. Deciding to believe that God is real and the bible is true is the right thing to do. It does not seem that “only believing” is enough to pay for my past, but it is the entire price that God is asking now. Jesus paid the real price. I believe that. It is my only hope.

I pray that you also agree with God. You may be in the ninth inning. You may get extra innings. You may get rescheduled. I hope you win. I am not trying to be cute with all this. Your life is much to serious a thing to joke about right now. I am writing this because I hope to see you for eternity.

Your friend,

TJ

Dabbs Little Johnson incident.

Sloan told me this was a true story …so?

It seems that during the summer of 1968, Dabbs was very involved in his coaching and was staying much too busy…working late, keeping Dempsey out of jail, trying to keep players academically eligible to play the next season…it was all taking a toll on the Dabbers sex life…Then with two-a-day workouts…his Johnson was on waivers.

Marguerite, being a fine, loyal, patient wife…did not complain, but Dabbs lazy little Johnson was becoming an issue in the dwindling activity in the bedroom.

Dabbs decided to discuss his personal issues with Coach Taylor and Coach Engle…why those two only God will know, but Dabbs was becoming concerned about his marital intimacy. When he brought up the subject to the two coaches, they reassured him it was just his stress level and things would be ok in a few days…just relax… take some time to be with the wife, and the little Johnson would come back to action.

After the discussion, Taylor and Engle were a little concerned that Dabbs would let this intimacy issue get him emotionally sidetracked…his little ED could shipwreck the start of the season…they knew they needed Dabbs to be 100% focused; they needed his offensive genius to create the next game plan…if his little Johnson was not firing on all cylinders…the offense might be sputtering also.

The coaches decided to give Dabbs lots of encouragement and keep all negative talk out of the locker-room. No coaches were to give Dabbs any public ribbing about his non-performing member.

According to Sloan, just after two-a-day workouts in 1968, and just after Dabbs discussion with Taylor and Engle about his little Johnson, a few of the Tiger team leaders decided to take it upon themselves to go to the coaches to get a few things done for the good of the team…something good leaders should be willing to do…confront team issues and get problems resolved.

Sloan, Silvey, Starnes…they did not implicate Lowery or Rutherford in this matter. According to Sloan, the threesome went to the field house during school time to talk to Coach Dabbs about the sorry play of Johnson…he was the weak link in the defense and Dabbs could not see it.

Well, the threesome caught Dabbs in the coaches’ office and started telling him about the weak link in the defense…The guys told Dabbs that he had to face reality about his little Johnson. Dabbs had to stop protecting “his little Johnson.” Sloan said that Dabbs little Johnson could not hit a hole if he happened to find one…Starnes said that even the cheerleaders were making fun of his little Johnson…Silvey said that his little Johnson was not big enough to be in the game…

As luck would have it …Taylor and Engle overheard the conversation and went into the office to confront the players; it sounded like they were making fun of “Dabbs little Johnson”…something they did not want to happen…it could be too much for Dabbs to be humiliated with everyone talking about ‘his little Johnson” in public…

Taylor came in the door and asked “Why are you talking about Dabbs little Johnson?”

Silvey said it was obvious…”we’ve seen him, he’s pathetic!”…..well that was enough for the short tempered Taylor…he immediately went on offense “hey…his little Johnson can play…Dabbs little Johnson has never let him down…”

“Yea”, Engle chimed in, “He can make the crowd roar…he may be slow sometimes…but he will rise to the occasion…he can fill the gap.”

That was all Dabbs needed…just a little confirmation from his fellow coaches…”well that settles it, my little Timmy is our Monster man.”

“Timmy?” asked Taylor? “Yes, my little Timmy, replied Dabbs… our little Timmy ….thanks for your support, coach”.

Taylor was bewildered …Sloan, Silvey, and Starnes were dumbfounded, and that is how I became Dabbs little Timmy.

Big Irvi