| 25 August 2009
Greetings, Cougies!
In my last post, I gave a little background on how I came to meet WSU Hall of Famer Mike Utley and what has motivated me to ride in the 2009 Mike Utley Foundation Dam2Dam "Thumb's Up" Bike Tour.
Since that last post, I've gotten a bit more serious with my training by riding about 100 miles each week. I've now ridden a total of about 600 miles since June. The D2D offers rides of 25, 50 or 100 miles. When I signed up, I registered to ride 50 miles but with my leg muscles growing and my man-boobs shrinking (I'm down to an A cup) I officially changed my goal to 100 miles this week. By the time the ride ends on September 26th, I will have ridden over 1000 miles this summer.
Of course, the goal of the D2D is to raise money for the Mike Utley Foundation - whose ultimate goal is to find a cure for paralysis. My personal goal is to raise $2500 in donations and I'm just barely over halfway there. I hope that you'll consider a tax-deductible donation to help me reach my goal!
It seems like a good portion of our "regulars" on the blog are too young to remember Mike Utley as a player and even those of you that do, may not know too much about what he has been up to in the years since his injury while playing for the Detroit Lions on November 17, 1991. If you take just a few moments to check out his website, you'll see that he's probably a lot more active than most of us.
As part of my 3-part series on the D2D, Mike agreed to do a little Q and A with me, so I tried to ask him a few questions that covered each phase of his life, from WSU to the NFL, to his work with his foundation:
Hooty: As a highly recruited lineman out of Kennedy HS in Burien, you chose WSU. Why?
Utley: The final two teams I decided on were WSU and University of Oregon. The coaches and schools were both great, but it came down to staying in Washington State.
Hooty: Jim Walden is widely regarded as one of the great characters in WSU athletics history. What was it like playing for him?
Utley: Coach Walden expected the best out of you, and that’s the kind of coach I liked playing for.
Hooty: The 1987 WSU football season was a transition year from Walden to Erickson. How hard was that transition to make and what insight can you give us to help understand what last year’s WSU team went through in the transition from Doba to Wulff?
Utley: The hardest transition going from Walden to Erickson was that the starting positions were wide open. You had to go out and prove yourself again. From Doba to Wulff it’s the same. Whenever you have a changing of the guard you will always run into this as a player.
Hooty: The 1988 WSU football season was one of the best of all time, with victories on the road at Tennessee and #1-ranked UCLA, as well as thrilling wins in the Apple Cup and Aloha Bowl. What is your favorite memory of that year?
Utley: They were all great wins, but the best memory I have is when we had a police escort from Spokane to WSU’s Bohler Gym after the UCLA victory. Everyone from the students, teachers, alumni, and the citizens of Pullman came out and shared the triumph with us that day.
Hooty: At WSU, you played on the same line as Cougar Head Coach Paul Wulff. What was he like as a teammate?
Utley: Coach Wulff had the character, integrity and drive to win. He had it back then as he has it today.
Hooty: You were part of the same Detroit Lions draft class and blocked for Barry Sanders for three years. Is he the greatest running back ever?
Utley: Barry Sanders in my opinion, was the greatest running back ever. It was a privilege and honor to block for him.
Hooty: As an offensive guard, you were constantly involved in one-on-one battles against some of the biggest, strongest men in the game. Who was the best player that you ever faced (and why)?
Utley: The best player I ever went up against was Keith Millard, (Fellow Cougar). He had great speed!
Hooty: What do you consider your proudest accomplishment as a football player?
Utley: I made it to the NFL!
Hooty: As great as your career was on the football field, many would argue that you’ve accomplished more off of it. Are you one of those people?
Utley: Every day I am accomplishing something new. I set goals and achieve them. It’s no different today then it was when I played football, so for me nothing has changed.
Hooty: Over the years, you seem to have taken on a consulting role for other football players who have suffered spinal cord injuries – most recently Kevin Everett of the Buffalo Bills and WSU’s own Cory Mackay. Is that a role you embrace and what advice do you have for them?
Utley: I’m glad I can help in any way possible. I show injured athletes what I do personally along with educating them through the Mike Utley Foundation. Then it is up to the players to find the drive to win as they did when they played.
Hooty: 2009 is the 7th year for The Mike Utley Foundation’s Dam2Dam “Thumb’s Up” Bike Tour. For all those who have not yet participated, what are they missing?
Utley: The DAM2DAM “Thumbs Up!” Bike Tour is an opportunity for people to 1) Help find a cure for paralysis. 2) Do something today that they didn’t do yesterday. 3) Enjoy a day with friends and family. 4) Ride along handcyclist’s from around the country who are making a difference in their lives as well as others.
Hooty: What do you consider the proudest accomplishment of your post-football career and what goals remain for you personally as well as for The Mike Utley Foundation?
Utley: The proudest accomplishment I have today is that I still love this thing called LIFE. My goals personally and for the Mike Utley Foundation are the same… to leave this world a better place.
Thank you, Mike!
***
I really hope that through my participation in the D2D ride and this series of articles, that more of you will consider riding in future years and contributing to the efforts of a truly inspiring man.
Sitting with Mike at last year's Apple Cup and seeing him excited about the victory, my Mom said to him after the game "It looks like you're going to get up and walk out of here!"
Mike turned to her and deadpanned simply, "Not today."
Not on that day but someday, perhaps he will - and the more you get to know Mike Utley, the less surprised you'll be when he does it.
Thumbs Up!
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