Our Bond

Diane: I'll never forget that night. I was 22 years old. It was a Monday night football game in 1971, a matchup between my team, the Green Bay Packers, and the Detroit Lions.

A typical November night in Wisconsin—cold, wet and miserable. Still, it was a full house at Milwaukee County Stadium. I hunched in the stands wearing a Hefty bag to keep out the rain.

Players slogged through the mud—slipping, getting nowhere, almost looking like they were in slow motion. Except one. Number 42. John Brockington. The Packers running back. A rookie, but play after play, the ball went to him. He plowed through the line, outmaneuvered the defensive back, charged for the end zone and brought the crowd to its feet.

I'd been a football fan my whole life, but I'd never seen a player like John. From that day on, he was my favorite. I knew one thing about this player. He had heart.

John: It was a big game for me. The first Monday night game of the year, and it put me on track for a 1,000-yard season. I was blessed just to be carrying the ball in the NFL. I had no idea the real blessing of that night would come later.

Diane: Flash forward 15 years. I moved to San Diego with my twins, Jessica and Justine. I'd gotten a great job teaching English at the University of California, San Diego.

A couple days a week I'd have lunch at a deli in Little Italy with a back garden, where I could sit in the sun with coffee and a stack of papers. The owner and I got to be friends. One day he noticed my Packers key chain.

"There's an ex-Packer who comes in here: John Brockington. He lives in the neighborhood. Ever hear of him?"

John: One day I stopped in at my local deli for a sandwich. "I've got someone you should meet," the owner told me. "This is Diane. She's a big fan." I shook hands with a pretty lady about half my size. Then we started talking football. She sure knew her stuff, especially about the Packers. "I hope I see you around," she said. "Me too," I told her.

Diane: John was one of the toughest NFL backs I'd ever seen, but in person he was incredibly gentle. Not soft, but kind. Spiritual. He put me at ease. Our conversations got a little longer, a little deeper.

What do a college English professor and a retired NFL running back have to talk about? Lots, actually. Football, of course. But also faith, family. What's funny, important, interesting in life. John had gone through a divorce too.

Soon we were going out to movies, football games, dinner. I introduced him to my girls and they liked him right away. What would we be to each other—just good friends? One thing that hadn't changed about John since his playing days—he still had heart. And that still got to me.