SJS1970

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Hi Ya’ll ! (I’m hopin’ this is o.k. to say, even if I’m not a Southener), So, on 9/21 my boys from San Jose State will be paying you a friendly visit. I hope you treat them well and show them some of that Southern hospitality. Now, I have no doubt we’ll compete, since, I can assure you, there’s not an ounce of quit in my team. And we will fight until the final whistle no matter the score, as we have done in every game we’ve played in since 1893. But, I’ll be honest, I have little hope that we can win since our players aren’t as athletic or talented as yours. That being said, to give to an notion of what kind of football team you’ll be hosting, as I know you’re probably a little bit curious about us, I thought I’d tell you a story about a long forgotten chapter in our school’s history. Long ago, the San Jose State team was in Hawaii, playing a school, (not the University of Hawaii, I believe), but some other collegiate school there at the time. The game had finished that Saturday (again, I apologize for not knowing the final score), as most college games are played on that day. The next day was Sunday, December 7th, 1941. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, the players took cover in the hall that they were staying and watched in stunned silence, as the Japanese bombers destroyed the U.S. naval fleet. As you might imagine, it was a scene of total devastation and was a harrowing event for these young boys to have witnessed. After the attack was over, the players sought out the military men on the base they were staying at and asked if they could be of service. All of the boys were handed helmets and rifles and were posted at the base and told to be on guard for any further attacks. Days later they were scheduled to board a ship to come home to San Jose, California, but many elected to stay and join the military as volunteers. They exchanged their football helmets for steel ones for war and were shipped out shortly thereafter. That day the San Jose State disbanded its football team at that location and the season was canceled. They wouldn’t play another organized football game until after the war, I think around 1946 or ’47. This was The Team That Never Came Home. We still remember and honor them from time to time for their sacrifice. I hope you will remember this story too, when they take your field in a couple of weeks, and know that you are playing young men who know what responsibilities and traditions they carry when they represent our school. And while you’re at it, after the game, maybe ya’ll can show them some of that Southern Hospitality by giving them a tip o’ the cap for a job well done. I’d very much appreciate it. Thanks much, George.