Digital Ink Los Angeles

Thanks to and credit to Sport Illustrated‘s photographer, Heinz Kluetmeier, for this 1979 photo insert from 30 years ago.

They called him the Tyler Rose. His leg strength — the weight and fury of those tree trunks churning, jersey #20 at Texas and #34 with the Oilers — Earl Campbell was a perfect blend of balance, strength and speed.

His career with the NCAA’s Texas Longhorns and NFL’s Houston Oilers is a thing of legend — a powerful display of leg strength and nimble feet that make Big Earl the most feared Running Back in history.

Earl was born in 1955 in Tyler, Texas, the sixth of eleven children. When Earl was 11 years old, his father died. Some people say this made Big Earl become a man at a young age.

Well, after leading his Tyler High team to a Texas State Championship, Barry Switzer said he should have gone straight to the pros. In his senior season at Texas in 1977, Earl was awarded the Heisman Trophy, having led the nation in rushing with 1,744 yards. Earl’s best NFL season was 1980. In 15 games with the Houston Oilers he had 373 carries for 1,934 yards, at an average of 5.2 yards per carry with 13 touchdowns.

Watch this YouTube video showing the Power and Force of Earl Campbell with a football in his hands.

For this kind of spirit and human strength, a hero, if not superhero, mythic status, must be offered the Tyler Rose. #34 in the program, #1 in our football hearts.

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“In our blessed and mostly peaceful society we’re not as familiar with courage as we once were. We ascribe the virtue to all manner of endeavors that only really require skill, fortitude and a little daring, the qualities Pat Tillman showed on the football field. Pat’s best service to his country was to remind us all what courage really looks like, and that the purpose of all good courage is love.“
– Senator John McCain
Pat Tillman’s memorial service, May 3, 2004

Pat Tillman was an excellent football player. He was also an heroic soldier. He gave his life for a cause most Americans still can’t quite comprehend, except to say there are bad people who wish our nation harm, and men and women like Pat Tillman have a desire to defend everything this nation represents.

Every once in a while, an “Outlier,” a 1%er, a SuperGOOD person comes along, and their exceptional character necessitates their destiny. For Tillman, it was a sad ending to an otherwise extraordinary life. Only now, after years of cover-ups and back-room bureaucracy, have the facts surfaced about his death. Like much of war, they are not pretty.

Pat Tillman, Sr., in a letter written in 2005 to The Washington Post, stated that supposed “mistakes” by Army higher-ups were part of a pattern of conscious misconduct:

“With respect to the Army’s reference to ‘mistakes in reporting the circumstances of [my son's] death’: those ‘mistakes’ were deliberate, calculated, ordered (repeatedly), and disgraceful — conduct well beneath the standard to which every soldier in the field is held.“

Writer and “New-New Journalist” Jon Krakauer has a new book, “Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman,” which attempts to expose the facts behind the Pat Tillman tragedy.

Whatever the truth may be, Pat Tillman will always be a hero. On the 8th Anniversary of 9/11, Digital Ink Los Angeles remembers the people who’ve sacrificed everything for the love, not the glory.

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Fly Like an Eagle – July 16, 1969

The recollection of historical facts can draw together disparate ideas and create relevance where before there seemed none. Sometimes, historical events might become metaphors for grander ideas, allowing us to imagine if that is possible, so might this be.

A walk on the Moon is something only 12 American astronauts can lay claim to, and Neil Armstrong was the first, declaring, 40 years ago, “one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

There’s a plaque left on the Moon, 240,000 miles above Earth, by the crew of the Apollo 11, which reads:

“Here men from planet Earth first set foot upon the moon July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”

As the United States — and the rest of mankind — adjust to the rigors of 21st Century existence, many difficulties and uncertainties have become magnified and worsened. Failed drug wars, California’s financial collapse, Wall Street chaos, Middle East conflict, and domestic issues like healthcare and education are seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

If the United States can put a man on the moon, can’t we educate every citizen? Can’t we assimilate a global conference to eradicate poverty and abject hunger for children? Can a nation founded on liberty and the pursuit of happiness continue to offer these privileges to its citizens as inalienable rights? Can the United States continue to lead the free world toward peace and harmony?

Armstrong’s declaration remains as prophetic today as it seemed in the volatile era of 1969, announcing to many that a common goal among humble men can become more for humanity than we might’ve imagined. Every exploration begins with uncertainty, and some end with certainty. 40 years after Apollo 11, the announcement remains the same:

Yes We Can!

Dude, is there a better and quicker way to Zen-master status than luxurious cardigans, white Russians, bowling, and puffing joints? Life’s so bright, The Dude has to wear shades. Let’s see what condition my condition is in.

Today’s summertime “HERO” is none other than Jeff Bridges’ “The Dude,” made famous in the Coen Brothers‘ 1998 film, The Big Lebowski. Take some edge off the summertime heat with a few of The Dude‘s mantras:

The Dude: Mind if I do a J?

The Dude: Yeah, well. The Dude abides.
The Stranger: I don’t know about you but I take comfort in that. It’s good knowin’ he’s out there. The Dude. Takin’ ‘er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh. I sure hope he makes the finals.

The Dude: Yeah well, I still jerk off manually.

The Big Lebowski: Is it being prepared to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Isn’t that what makes a man?
The Dude: Hmmm… Sure, that and a pair of testicles.

With Iranian elections, North Korean nukes, Honduran coups, Iraqi bombings, and summertime kicking into gear, it seems like a good time for The Dude to abide and chill out. The Dude Abides.