Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — I really enjoyed watching the NBA TV documentary "The Doctor," which does a fantastic job telling the story of basketball legend Julius Erving.
It brought back a flood of memories from my childhood.
The first basketball hoop I had was a nerf Dr. J hoop. We set it up in the kitchen and I played one-on-one for hours with my brother. My father, when he wasn't working, was right there watching or playing with us.
My dad was a fan of Dr. J going back to the ABA days when Erving would come to Salt Lake City and play the Utah Stars.
Erving announced that the 1986-87 season would be his last — January 2, 1987 would be Dr. J's last house call in Utah. My dad didn't want to miss this last chance to watch the legend play in person, so we drove from our home in Star Valley, Wyoming to Salt Lake City and watched the Jazz play Dr. J and the Sixers at the old Salt Palace.
It was my first NBA game in person and I remember it like it was yesterday. Seeing Dr. J was surreal. There was also Charles Barkley on that Sixers team. He was the star of the game with 30 points and 14 rebounds and was quickly becoming a star in the league. It was also the first time I saw John Stockton and Karl Malone in person. I had seen games on TV, but this was a completely different experience. That was the day I became a fan of the game.
My dad took us to a couple other Jazz games when we could afford it and he also took us to other sporting events. My first college football game was in 1985 when Utah State hosted defending national champion BYU — a game often referred to as the Snow Bowl.
These are not unique or extraordinary experiences, but they feel like it to me. The influence a father can have on his children cannot be measured and sports can be a way of strengthening that bond. You don't realize just how much your father means to you until he's gone.
A blizzard hit Logan that day and the conditions were miserable, but we still enjoy the memories of that experience years later. We were also there at Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2000 to witness the last miracle for LaVell. Historic sports moments like that are so much more enjoyable when you share them with family.
More vivid in my memory are the simple moments spent playing catch in our yard or playing hoops in the driveway. My dad worked in construction, and after many long days at work in the sun, he came home where two boys stood in the yard with a football or waited in the driveway to shoot hoops. Some of my favorite memories are drawing up plays in the yard with my dad. He never grumbled and complained about how tired he was. He always found the energy to play ball with his sons and daughter.
He was our hero. We looked up to him so much.
He was very good at softball and loved to play in the local city league. To us, he might as well have been playing for the New York Yankees.
When we were grown, my brother and I were finally able to play on a team together with my dad. Our team won the city league championship. I know one of my dad's proudest moments was winning a championship with his sons. It was just a city league softball tournament, but for us, it felt like the World Series. And to share that moment together is something I will never forget.
I'm sure you've shared similar sports moments with your father. These are not unique or extraordinary experiences, but they feel like it to me. The influence a father can have on his children cannot be measured and sports can be a way of strengthening that bond. You don't realize just how much your father means to you until he's gone.
My father passed away five years ago, and since then, Father's Day has been difficult for me. I miss watching a game with him; I miss calling him on the phone and talking about sports or just talking about anything and sharing a laugh. I would give anything for just a few more minutes with him.
I sit here now sifting through old photos and watching some home video clips and I realize that these moments I took for granted years ago have had a tremendous impact on my life.
I cling to those memories and I'm grateful to my dad for always being there for me. I hope to give my kids similar experiences that they will value for a lifetime. I hope to make him proud by being the best father I can be to my kids like he was to me.
