Dear Nate

[JohnnyMack]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=110126%2FOklahomaState

A great article. If this doesn't make you a little misty eyed, there's no hope for you.

[Big D Sooner]

RIP Nate from a fellow Husky.

[Boomer.....]

:(

Remember the 10

[Soonerjeepman]

great read...God Bless those 10 folks...

[CowboyMRW]

God bless the 10. It was a really touching and moving ceremony today at GIA. We will always remember the 10

[OUstud]

RIP Nate from a fellow Husky.

.

[theresonly1OU]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=110126%2FOklahomaState

A great article. If this doesn't make you a little misty eyed, there's no hope for you.

went to HS with Nate.

Doing the Lord's work now.

[Sooner_Bob]

Wow . . . . that's some awesome words from a daddy.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I posted this over at the OP website yesterday:


As I type this, I just completed reading the Nate Fleming story..Thankfully I am alone in the office and no one can see the tears on my face.

Although growin up a Sooner fan, I have always had an admiration for certain Cowboy athletes..Sanders, Thomas, Hudson on the football side...Houston, Alexander, Williams, Rutherford on the basketball side..Those are not all, but names off the top of my head..I would like to add another to that today.

You see 10 years ago, I was a 24 year old boy..Boy in the sense that I was single, no kids, and still stayed at my grandmas house a lot so she could make me big breakfasts. I was at a place in life where death is the furthest thing from you if you are healthy, which I was.

I remember sitting at my grandma's watching this story unfold..One plane that didn't make it back. Honestly, the only name I recognized was Bill Teegins, as he was one of my favorite sportcasters of the time. I didn't have cable like many country folk, so I trusted him in a 2-3 minutes time span to give me all the sports knowledge I needed.

Sadness? I felt it. I felt horrible for the team..I felt bad for the family and friends..I remember having pride when Sampson had the boys wear those orange shirts. But there was something I wasn't getting.

Last night, My 4 year old son played PG for the basketball team I coach of 4-6 year olds. I watched as he said "Daddy, let me show you how I dribble with my left hand." I was so proud that when I issued up the challenge of who is going to get the next rebound, my son, the smallest one on the team, said "Daddy, I'm going to get it."...and he did. He laid next to me in bed, as we do every night, and told me how he is going to play basketball with the big boys one day..Causing my smile to beam from one side to the other.

As I look back at Jan 27, 2001 as a father now, I have wept off and on..almost like it had happened Jan 25th, 2011..Wishing that it never would have happened, "What iffing" the circumstances over and over again...Thinking "What if my son was on that plane?"

I know there is other stories to read of great people that passed that night, but today I say to Nate Fleming, I'm proud of you. Not as a fan, but as a father. I hope my son lives and plays with the heart you showed. I hope he chases his dreams like you did, and I hope he sees them accomplished.

And to the Cowboy fans, This part of the Sooner nation weeps over your loss and stands with you as we Remember the 10.

[CowboyMRW]

I posted this over at the OP website yesterday:

I saw that STEP. Cowboy Nation was very grateful for your T&P's.

Thank you to all Sooners for their T&P's.

[stoopified]

I was in Stillwater that Sunday,eating lunch at Eskimo Joe's.They were carrying he CU game while I was eating and I was silently cheering as CU won.As we drove home the news broke about the plane crash and I felt a flood of shame about rooting against oSu.Logically I knew that my rooting against them had nothing to go with the crash but that was my gut reaction. I really miss Bill Teegins.

[Sooner95]

A good read indeed. Sad day for all.

[soonervegas]

Man. A few things......if you don't tear up to that you have no soul Sooner or not. I am thinking about taking that idea of writing my kids letters. That's pretty impressive and allows you to say things that sometimes you are "afraid" to say.

Finally, I just realized reading that article that I met Kyle and his wife on vacation (outside of Oklahoma) in 2006. He noticed that I had a Memorial Bombing Marathon T-Shirt on from OKC and he had an OSU shirt on. I made a joke that I almost wore an OU T-shirt out that day....I asked him what he did and he stated he worked for OSU. After a few more questions his wife finally let in that he was a basketball coach. Well of course, being a avid OU b-ball fan I though it was awesome. I asked him how Coach Sutton was doing, etc.....

[Soonerjeepman]

agreed...it has nothing to do with sports...in the grand scheme of life...it's just a game...it's amazing how the athletes can get along after the game...shake hands..know they played their best...but fans can just be real d**ks sometimes....

and what's sad is it starts in pee-wee league...

[Soonerfan88]

Another one of those "remember where you were" moments for me - very sad day. If you still have tissues left, here is another article on those left behind.

http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2011/01/27/oklahoma-state-plane-crash-memories-live-on/