Father’s Day Without My Dad
June 19th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
This is my first Father’s Day without my biological father. His funeral was this past Monday. There was a good turnout from his friends in Minnesota to include quite a number of old Vikings football players. A number of them spoke about my dad. Since he lived in Minnesota, and I lived in Texas and saw him only a couple of times a year, I got to hear some of their stories for the first time.
Probably the one I was the most proud of was from Gene Washington, another Vikings player who played with my dad and also happened to be African American. He related that both he and my dad were originally from Texas. When they played high school ball in the 1950’s in Texas, whites and blacks were not allowed to play on the same teams, or to play against each other.
He related that when he got to the Vikings, my dad welcomed him, encouraged him and treated him like a peer, even though had they been in their home state they would not have been allowed to play against each other. It was nice to find out that even in those racially charged times, my dad treated everyone the same regardless of skin color. I can think of no higher compliment.
While we were in Minnesota for the funeral, the Minneapolis Star Tribune ran a great piece on my dad’s football playing days. From the story:
Paul Dickson was one of the original Minnesota Vikings, but he also was a Texan, and proud of both. His Lone Star-bred intensity on the defensive line — “We don’t play football any other way in Texas,” he said shortly after joining the Vikings — could grate on teammates who had to face him in practice.
“He was ornery on the field, even in practice,” recalled Jim Klobuchar, who covered Dickson and the Vikings for the Minneapolis Star in the 1960s. “It kind of offended the halfbacks, who didn’t think he should be knocking them on their can in practice.”
“Usually, when it’s first team against first team, you’re not as aggressive. But that wasn’t Paul,” linebacker Roy Winston added. “He upset the offensive line like crazy because he went so hard all the time.”
At the funeral, my daughter learned that my dad’s nickname in the NFL was “The Growler”. She asked me where that came from and I told her it was because Grandpa was ornery and ferocious on the field. She looked at me incredulous and said “Grandpa?”. She never saw his mean football player mode, only a kind, gentle grandpa.
Quite a number of old Vikings players came to the funeral, including Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and former Vikings teammate Alan Page. It was an honor to spend a few minutes chatting with such a fascinating guy and reminisce about my dad.
I also spent some time talking with Minnesota Chapter NFL Alumni president Kurt Knoff and another alum about the chapter that my dad worked so hard to support. We talked quite a bit about the physical toll that playing pro ball had on old players like my dad. Many of his medical problems were due to his 13 years in the NFL. At least, the league is finally beginning to recognize this and is changing the rules to prevent the kinds of injuries that hounded my dad in his later life.
In spite of all this, I am very grateful for my step-dad. While my biological father was 1,100 miles away for most of my life, my step-father put shoe leather to being a dad to me and was there to raise me. He did an admirable job with my brother and I and more importantly, he was and still is, there for my mom.
While I may not have a biological father anymore, I still have a dad in my life. For this, and for him, I thank God.
