Fife's blunder vs. Duke led to worried moments for proud parents
By Joe Falls / The Detroit News
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CLARKSTON--Dan Fife and his wife, Jan, were waiting in the lobby of their Lexington hotel for their son, Dane, to return with the Indiana team from their NCAA Tournament game with Duke last Thursday night.
It was an anxious moment for them. Their son nearly lost the game in the fading seconds when he fouled Duke's Jason Williams on a three-point shot and Indiana ahead by four points.
It was a colossal blunder. You don't foul in such a situation.
Williams made the shot but missed what would have been the tying free throw. The ball bounced off to Duke's Carlos Boozer, who had a 2-foot putback in front of him. That would have created a stunning five-point play and given Duke the victory.
But Boozer also missed and when the buzzer sounded, Dan Fife, coach of the Clarkston High School basketball team, threw his arms into the air in frustration, and then in elation.
What was his son thinking? Or was he even thinking?
"It flashed right through my mind, 'My God, he's going to have to live with this for the rest of his life. He'll be called a goat. They'll never let him forget it,'" Fife said. "It was like Bill Buckner missing that easy ground ball for the Boston Red Sox in the World Series or Chris Webber calling time-out for Michigan in the NCAA Tournament."
So, his parents watched and waited for the Indiana bus to pull up to the hotel. They knew they had to talk to their son, to help him through this difficult moment; Dad, 52, trying to help his son, 22.
It was 11 p.m. Then, 11:15. 11:20. The minutes seemed like hours.
Finally, here was the bus and the Fifes moved closer to the window in the lobby and watched the team get off. One by one they came down the steps, every player except Dane Fife.
Now, time seemed to stand still. Where was their son? Was he still back at the stadium? What's going on?
Tim Carl, the trainer, walked by.
"Where is Dane?"
"He's still in the dressing room," the trainer said. "They're giving him a drug test."
For nearly losing the game?
No, no, thought Fife. Not Dane. He's never been into that stuff.
He quickly explained to his wife, "This is what the NCAA does. It is part of their procedure. They pick one player at random and test him after the game.
"Tonight is Dane's turn."
So they waited some more. Ten minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes. The longer they waited, the more Dan Fife's mind was turning. Dane was the third of his sons he coached at Clarkston, all three going on to play college ball: Jeremy at Grand Valley, Dugan at Michigan and Dane at Indiana.
Dane had the most talent and his father thought of all those days he took his young son to practice at the high school and watched him in the family driveway taking shot after shot, thousands of them, and how Dane would leave for school at 6 o'clock in the morning so he could have the gym by himself and could take more shots.
Now, all of it nearly evaporated in less than five seconds.
Finally, the young man came through the front door. His parents were waiting.
Before they could speak, Dane Fife said: "Do you believe that? That's the dumbest thing I ever saw. Boy, that was stupid. I've had three great coaches in my life, Bobby Knight, Mike Davis and my father, and I should have known better."
The son looked at his dad and smiled. The dad looked at his son and smiled.
You had to look carefully to see their eyes glistening from a trace of tears.
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