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Tuesday September 25, 2001
I will admit I was one of the many that left the football game early in the fourth quarter on Saturday when the game was in hand. At the time, finding a place to go Saturday night outweighed watching the tail end of a blowout.
As I walked away, I was reminded of a basketball game nearly two years ago at George Washington University's Smith Center in Washington, D.C.
No. 5 Temple was taking on the GW Colonials. It was senior night and the last night my brother, Mark Lund, would suit up at home.
My brother started out as the water boy under Mike Jarvis at GW. The next year, he was given a spot on the end of the bench. He worked hard in practice and, on an almost weekly basis, explained to me how he had to be stitched up after taking a charge from one of his teammates. Mom would get worried, Dad would say "suck it up," and I would explain to him how I was still a better player than he was.
It didn't take long for him to win over the hearts of fans in the nation's capitol. The chants of "We want Mark" bellowed from the seats for the next three seasons and came to a climax his senior year, two years ago, against Temple.
As I walked around to take my seat in the Smith Center, I noticed my brother's name inked into white T-shirts. Phrases like "thank you" and the aforementioned chant were as common as red T-shirts at McKale.
As for the game, Temple absolutely demolished George Washington from the start. Trailing by 30 in the first half, the deficit grew in the second half to almost 40, but the fans didn't leave.
They stuck around to catch one last glimpse of their hero. The 6-foot-nothing kid from Alaska, who accumulated more stitches in practice than points in games, did not ask for the attention, but he received it anyway.
Their humble hero checked into the game and the crowd went wild. He thrilled the crowd with an alley-oop pass and a 3-pointer, both of which made the crowd roar like the game had just been won.
The game was not a blowout, despite what the scoreboard said. To the fans at George Washington, it was a celebration of three years of "the people's champion" - the name that appeared on the scoreboard when he entered the game because he was the fan favorite.
Mark Lund was nothing special. He didn't ask to be noticed. He just was. He didn't play for attention. He played for love.
Wildcat athletes are the same, and they deserve the same.
At the UA-Oregon State volleyball game on Friday, chants of "Lauren" echoed for senior Lauren Benward when she took to the court.
Although Benward is not a walk-on, she is in a similar position. Backing up all-everything Dana Burkholder, Benward assumes her role on the team and fulfills it the best she can.
"I can't say enough about Lauren and the role she has played in our program," UA volleyball coach Dave Rubio said. "Backing up Dana (Burkholder) and not getting a chance to play very often, she has always been such a tremendous contributor in the practice gym everyday."
Most UA students remember Josh Pastner and his late game appearances, but in his last home game, a packed McKale slowly emptied as the Wildcats pulled away. Even after an NCAA National Championship and four years of dedication, staying for "scrub time" was not a priority.
"They don't get enough credit from anyone," UA associate head men's basketball coach Jim Rosborough said of walk-ons and role-players. "They have always deserved what the scholarship players get."
While some might deem the final minutes of a blowout irrelevant, there is no such thing as "scrub time." Every second is a reward for these exceptional athletes.
"It is kind of a thankless job," Rosborough said. "Their reward is to play·whether the people see it or not."
Here's to those down a few seats from the hype and the limelight - those who bleed Wildcat red and work every bit as hard as those that play every minute, driven simply by the opportunity to wear Arizona across their chests and represent themselves and their school.
So stick around and cheer, Wildcat fans, when backup quarterback Cliff Watkins runs out on the field. Stay and cheer when the backups and walk-ons get their turn to shine, and know that for what these players might lack in talent, they more than make up for with heart.
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