11/21/24
November 05, 2003
An Illinois prep football star has asked that his record-breaking pass be removed from the books because it wasn't earned. Nate Haasis didn't want to join Nykesha Sales, Michael Strahan, John Reaves, James Wilder, Anthony Bowie and Ricky Davis in the record-attempt hall of shame.
The people who break the most records tend to be the people who are largely oblivious to the records they are breaking. There's enough pressure in sport without heaping extra (and essentially artificial) pressure on yourself by trying to win games AND break records. Having grown up in the UK, I don't know my football from my elbow (despite going through a phase as a 10 year old of wanting to be John Riggins, Walter Payton or Dan Marino - or preferably a mutated, superhuman combination of all three), but this youngster sounds like he'd make a valuable addition to any team - integrity is a sadly dwindling commodity in sport (and elsewhere) these days. Good luck to him.
posted by JJ at 10:12 AM on November 05, 2003
integrity is a sadly dwindling commodity in sport (and elsewhere) these days For someone who was raised a super moralist, and later in life found out the rest of the world's rules don't equate, its nice to see this type of selfless leadership.
posted by garfield at 10:50 AM on November 05, 2003
His own coach, Neal Taylor, probably ruined the kid's chance of legitimately getting the record. Write-ups in many newspapers do not mention this. This makes Neal Taylor a bad coach in my opinion. "He was leaning toward going to a different school and he and his parents told me that he went to Southeast because of me," Taylor said then, wrestling back emotion. "And when someone does a nice gesture like that, it deserves a nice gesture back." Cry me a river.
posted by jasonspaceman at 11:05 AM on November 05, 2003
rcade, that's OK, most people won't remember her at all ;) I think that's pretty big of the kid but it sounds like there was enough time left in that game for him to get it anyway - each team scored and had time for a possession. I think selfish stuff like Ricky Davis, or any other where the player was actually in on it, is much worse than this, where the QB didn't really know it was happening untill afterwards.
posted by Bernreuther at 11:41 AM on November 05, 2003
JJ, my god, think of the hair you'd have gotten out of that mix! Dayum!
posted by billsaysthis at 01:22 PM on November 05, 2003
Just tells you how wonderful us central Illinois boys really are. Here's a long article on Haasis from the Springfield Journal-Register written on his way to the record. This is a more localized version of the story. This is SJR's sports editor, Jim Ruppert, and his take on the situation. Finally, here are reader responses to the paper's coverage.
posted by wfrazerjr at 02:41 PM on November 05, 2003
I have to say that it is very refreshing to see that. Strahan's record will never be in my books - and I think given his stats since, he has shown himself to be a bit of a one-show pony. Somewhat fitting (though some other football experts can tell me his true worth). This kid sounds like a guy who really respects his teammates and opposition. Too bad there aren't more of him.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 03:46 PM on November 05, 2003
How nice to see a young person do this. I hope that his example will inspire some professional atheletes to have as much integrity. How funny - many professionals claim that they are not role models so maybe in an odd karmic way high school atheletes have a chance to be role models instead.
posted by Joey Michaels at 04:30 PM on November 05, 2003
posted by Smackfu at 06:19 PM on November 05, 2003
We just had a similar incident, or at least similar in the sense of a school holding integrity higher than W-L. Wilcox High School, here in San Jose, had to forfeit five wins (out of a 6-1-1 record so far this year) when the school found out that a reserve special teams player forged one teacher's signature to retain his eligibility. According to the school officials (and football coach) quoted, they never even thought about a cover up but reported the violation immediately to the governing body. The other kids seem sad but accept that they have to play by the rules; the offender, not surprisingly, transferred to another school to finish out his senior year without being beaten to a pulp.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:15 AM on November 06, 2003
Chuck Foreman was playing for Miami during the famous "Gator Flop" in 1971, in which Florida allowed the Hurricanes to score so that they'd get the ball back and Reaves could try for a record. I think it's interesting that he's still angry about the incident:
I can't believe anyone would try any of these overt manipulations. In 20 years, more people will remember Nykesha Sales for the faked basket than they did for the other 2,176 points she scored.