Last Updated: 5:28 am | Thursday, October 23, 2008
Warming up to football
The father of Sycamore's star running back overcame lifelong distaste for the game
By John Johnston -
[email protected] - October 23, 2008
Friday Night Sights is a weekly series featuring some of the people, places and traditions that encompass the game-time atmosphere of area high school football.
In the first quarter of a scoreless game, a 190-pound blur of green and gold bursts through the line and sprints 11 yards into the end zone.
The home team's public-address announcer blares: Touchdown Sycamore! No. 6 Bud Golden with the touchdown run.
In the concrete bleachers, a smiling Annie Golden stands and applauds the Aviators. Next to her, still seated and holding a half-eaten apple, is the player's father. He, too, is named Bud Golden, but he often goes by his middle name, Lee.
Many parents eagerly await the day the spotlight shines on their son, the star. And without question, Bud Golden is a star. The scouting service Rivals.com rates the Sycamore Aviators senior as the top high school running back in Ohio.
For most of his life, though, Lee Golden could not imagine himself in a stadium, watching a football game. It was unthinkable. The memories too painful.
"I actually hated football," he says.
His presence here this night, as Sycamore takes on Oak Hills, is a testament to his own healing and his son's determination.
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