Could this be it? The answer behind the scenes of why ETSU killed football? Maybe it goes back to the day, 19 years ago…the moment when Marc Buoniconti became a quadriplegic. It happened when he tackled ETSU’s Herman Jacobs…in the mini dome.

Think about it…The man who made the decision to end 81 years of football is a physician. Maybe he viewed the recent HBO story about the incident… If you haven’t seen a clip, you need too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58CLVPWV6Sk

Then the story about the Marshall’s football team on its way home from an ETSU game. As a physician the violence, injury, negative publicity perhaps was too much to take… budget was tight…the easy way out, eliminate football.

After watching the HBO story, you can feel the pain and damage that event left on ETSU running back Herman Jacobs. Even though he has a great attitude and does not blame anyone but perhaps himself, he is left scarred and damaged. Jacobs said, “My uniform was on, but my spirit and my soul were gone.” His desire was to be a chef… Working at Pals across the street from where he played will have to do for now.

A cure for paralysis is near researchers say…that maybe the only bright spot of that ugly day where Jacobs and Buoniconti were injured….Marc physically, Herman psychologically. The pain that inflicted everyone involved still persists... Perhaps the only way to heal is when Buoniconti is back to normal physically. Perhaps ETSU medical school researchers will make the discovery that will restore.

As for Jacobs he admits that his life has been a slow downward spiral. That is painful to hear. Next time I’m in Johnson City, I’m going to Pals and if I see Herman Jacobs, I’m going to encourage him…He has a job to finish…his bachelors degree and then his career as a chef. Wherever he uses his culinary skills is a place I want to patronize…one Buc supporting another. The hope is this man will be an over comer. In my book, Jacobs is a hero. His compassion and concern about Buoniconti is refreshing. He is just another reason why ETSU needs football.

(12-28-2010 01:11 PM)Mister Jennings Wrote:  Could this be it? The answer behind the scenes of why ETSU killed football? Maybe it goes back to the day, 19 years ago…the moment when Marc Buoniconti became a quadriplegic. It happened when he tackled ETSU’s Herman Jacobs…in the mini dome.

Think about it…The man who made the decision to end 81 years of football is a physician. Maybe he viewed the recent HBO story about the incident… If you haven’t seen a clip, you need too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58CLVPWV6Sk

Then the story about the Marshall’s football team on its way home from an ETSU game. As a physician the violence, injury, negative publicity perhaps was too much to take… budget was tight…the easy way out, eliminate football.

After watching the HBO story, you can feel the pain and damage that event left on ETSU running back Herman Jacobs. Even though he has a great attitude and does not blame anyone but perhaps himself, he is left scarred and damaged. Jacobs said, “My uniform was on, but my spirit and my soul were gone.” His desire was to be a chef… Working at Pals across the street from where he played will have to do for now.

A cure for paralysis is near researchers say…that maybe the only bright spot of that ugly day where Jacobs and Buoniconti were injured….Marc physically, Herman psychologically. The pain that inflicted everyone involved still persists... Perhaps the only way to heal is when Buoniconti is back to normal physically. Perhaps ETSU medical school researchers will make the discovery that will restore.

As for Jacobs he admits that his life has been a slow downward spiral. That is painful to hear. Next time I’m in Johnson City, I’m going to Pals and if I see Herman Jacobs, I’m going to encourage him…He has a job to finish…his bachelors degree and then his career as a chef. Wherever he uses his culinary skills is a place I want to patronize…one Buc supporting another. The hope is this man will be an over comer. In my book, Jacobs is a hero. His compassion and concern about Buoniconti is refreshing. He is just another reason why ETSU needs football.

-----

Unless I've missed something, Herman is actually in Miami and has been finishing up school down there, could even be done by now. Not sure when this originally aired but all I got was a clip, didn't see the whole segment on this clip... so maybe it's more recent and things have changed for him for some reason.

He's my friend on Facebook, so I'll double-check his current status. There was many of us who were affected by that tragic day, we had no idea how it would change any of us, I know I personally never looked at football the same way again BUT it serves as a wake-up-call to understand that there are many, many sides to a tramautic event like this. I'll update this when I hear from him.... nothing on his page indicates that he's back in Johnson City... so I'll let you know about that...

Don't know if it was shared on here or not but there's a great SI article from a year or so ago:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/a.../index.htm

I really don't think there's any link to Stanton's overwhelming concern as a physican as it is that he just wanted to move the money to something else. His comments during the 1998 task force about "football being a cancer and as a trained surgeon, he's trained to cut out the cancer"... that's what he thinks about football. Doubt he's given any thought to Marshall (it was East Carolina btw) or Marc.... he's just a narrow-minded, political hound that saw an opening to score one for his own team.. forget the rest of us....

Great update Straight.

All that stuff was written to stir it up a little. Dr. Stanton is a good person...has done what he thinks is best for ETSU. He's just wrong about football.

The more that can stirred up about football, the better. I fear it's becoming a forgotten issue. Past players, coaches etc. need to be brought back to memory. ETSU football needs to be a present reality, not just an historical fact.

It sounds like more than a coincidence that Herman Jacobs is in Miami. Does it have anything to do with Buoniconti? BTW...I saw the piece on Jacobs and Buoniconti on Bryant Gumbel Real Sports program today. I'm sure the program will be on again this week. Check the HBO schedule.

Straight....I read your SI link. What a great article. It should be must reading for all human beings.

ETSU could have raised thousands upon thousand of dollars by having Jacobs and Buoniconti back on campus. It's important that we do not forget. I feel bad that Jacobs had to go to Florida to complete his bachelors...which I hope he has done. Apparently my school was asleep at the wheel in not helping Jacobs...but Buoniconti was paying attention.

The article indicates that the end of football almost claimed Herman Jacobs as another victim... Marc Buoniconti made sure it didn't.

It would be great to have an update on the story. ETSU followers are being robbed by not having the game played now. Bring football back! I suggest that Buoniconti and Jacobs would be the first to second that motion!

In today's edition of the Johnson City Press...Trey Williams answered many questions about Herman Jacobs... Here's the end of the article....



Jacobs had worked at Pal’s off and on for parts of three decades. He left Johnson City in 1995 to manage at Ryan’s in Lumberton, N.C., and then switched to Waffle House, which eventually landed him in Little Rock, Ark. He returned to Johnson City in ’99 and stayed until he left for Johnson and Wales in 2008.

He graduated in May and works in South Beach for Epicure, where the rich-and-famous clientele has included the likes of Shaquille O’Neal.

“Marc made it possible (financially) for me to come to Miami and go to Johnson and Wales University,” said Jacobs, who always liked cooking and fondly recalls being the child underfoot taking it all in while his mother and grandmother prepared meals. “I was real curious and looking and watching, because I could see them take raw food and make it look so good and smell so good … and it was like magic to see all of that food for such a large family.”

Jacobs now would like to learn under the team of Norman Van Aken.

“He is a world-renowned chef who built a restaurant here in Coral Gables,” Jacobs said. “We actually talked about him in class. From my understanding, he’s the only chef in the United States who’s won the James Beard Award. …

“He’s somebody that I learned about and I’ve met him. But I want to learn from him. Right now I’m talking to one of his chefs to work out a time when I can go in and work with his prep team, so they can see where I am.”

Jacobs stayed with Buoniconti for a time after the move to Miami, and said he discussed them coming to Johnson City a couple of years ago, primarily to look up some of the medical personnel who acted during Buoniconti’s near-death experience. He said Buoniconti’s mother has a home in North Carolina’s High County.

“I was trying to get Marc to come back to Johnson City, but that was before I came to Miami,” Jacobs said. “When word came out that Marc and I were meeting for the first time in 20-some years, I had a guy come through Pal’s and say that his wife was one of the nurses that helped Marc, and that she was still at the Medical Center.”

Jacobs will get back this way eventually.

“There are a lot of people in Johnson City that I miss,” Jacobs said. “I’d love to see (ETSU strength) Coach (Lee) Morrow and talk to him.”

Who knows, maybe Jacobs could open a restaurant here. It seems certain that it’d have the friendly vibe he was proud to be part of at Pal’s, and this time Jacobs’ smile wouldn’t need an asterisk.

“A lot of people noticed I wasn’t smiling and the outgoing person I had been,” he said. “I wasn’t the same. I was distant.. …

“Coaches would say ‘Herman, you’re not playing like you should.’ I just couldn’t get it out of my head. … Not only did I see a guy get hurt on the field, I saw his life change. I mean it was a totally life-changing experience, not only for him, but for his family and for his friends and for the rest of his life.”

But unlike Tatum and Stingley, the Jacobs-Buoniconti legacy isn’t a to-the-grave haunting.

“Most of the time what somebody really wants to do is talk about it and share their thoughts and share their feelings,” Jacobs said. “That’s how people face things. That’s how people get past it and are able to shut that door on the past. …

“Jack Tatum felt bad enough himself. Why hate him?”



2001-2010 Johnson City Press and The Associated Press

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/art...p?ID=79459

I've emailed Herman, so I hope to hear from him in a day or two... he'll be happy to know that people are still supportive of Buc Football.

I'd really like to see Herman and Marc be the primary speakers at the Buc Football Reunion this summer, along with the announcement being made that stanton is gone.

I really hope there's a movie in the works out of all of this... what a great story there is to be told about both these men.

The power of HBO apparently is what brought this story back to the front page. I hope Herman Jacobs comes back to Johnson City and is surrounded with support that helps him get his culinary career off to a gigantic start. From what I'm reading, I think Herman wants to see ETSU football back on the field. I hope he will be there recognized when the Bucs kick off. I can't wait till the long period of suffering ends...and Buc football is back giving hundreds a chance to experience playing division one football.

Herman Jacobs and Marc Buoniconti are two new heroes that have been added to my book. Thank you for your example of competitiveness and sportsmanship. You embody all that is good about college athletics.

I really like Straight's idea of a movie. The climax has yet to occur. The injury was just the start of the movie. I can't wait to see the ending!

I remember what an impact "Brian's Song" had on many people in my generation... and "We are Marshall" was definitely something that people needed to see to understand how powerful the community is in facing tragedy... the story of Marc and Herman has more lessons than we could ever hope to see being taught in a classroom, let's hope that it's something that is being done.

I heard from Herman over the weekend... as mentioned in the article by Trey, he's in the Miami area working under a very well-known Chef Norman VanAken in Coral Gables. Life is very good for him.

He's interested in coming up to the reunion, I'll get to work on the contacts in the BFFF and see if we can't make this happen.... what a great follow up to have both of them come back to address the community and supporters of Buc Football.

I worked with Herman at Pals...

He is a great friend and a very good man. I think he would appreciate all the support he has received here on this forum. I am going to call him in the morning and let him know.

He was a broken man, but now he is in a much better place.

Thank you all.

Update on the Buonocontis, mostly on Nick:

Nick Buoniconti going downhill

The man deserves much respect for his work over decades to mitigate the damage of paralysis.

And now.........."the rest of the story"......

Jacobs and Buonoconti update

HBO trailer

More:

more of the trailer

I did *not* know he also had a stepson have another tragic event:

Nick's stepson also had a brush with death

A little bit more about the research effort (and a nice story):

reflecting.......and research

Nick has passed away.......

Nick Buoniconti gone at age 78