Oiler Pride Is Contagious: The Interview

This past weekend I was out to eat with some buddies when I noticed an elderly couple sitting in the corner eating alone. Now normally, I would have kept to myself and minded my own business but I noticed the husband wearing a long sleeve shirt with the Oilers logo across his chest. I instantly knew I had to hear his story about how he was connected to the Oiler Football community. I introduced myself and found out his name was Joe, he let me ask him a few questions. His story was not what I expected...

Me: Well, I first noticed you wearing the Oilers Football shirt, how are you connected to the team?

Joe: Actually I'm really not, my wife and I moved into the community 15 years ago after we retired. Once and awhile we will catch a game on a Friday evening if we don't have much of anything else going on. The Oiler Pride is contagious around here and it is always nice watching the team play each year. 

Me: So with no ties to the school, what draws you into attending the football games?

Joe: One of my favorite things to do while my son Kyle was in school was going to his football games. He is grown up and has a family of his own now. So sometimes its just nice and relaxing to go back out on a Friday night and sit in the bleachers again. 

Me: Well how many games do you usually make it to each year?

Joe: It always changes, some years we try to make it to all of them. That doesn't always work though because of weather and such. I like the games but not enough to sit in the rain and cold. Or one year my wife had hip surgery, so we didn't make it to any games. 

Me: So overall, what is your favorite part about the Oiler Football games?

Joe: I just like reminiscing and getting back to that Friday night football fever. The whole setting is what I love about it. Everything from my wife always making me buy her a popcorn, the student section cheering, and just the hard fought football games. It really makes me think back to the days of watching my son play. 

Me: Do you ever bring your son with you to the games?

Joe: Well he moved out to Texas for work so I've never been able to bring him to an Oilers game, but I visited him a little over two years ago and I was able to watch my grandson and his team play. If you think football is a big thing here, you should see how serious they take it in Texas. The high school stadium looked like a college stadium. The amount of people at the games was incredible. I think more people were at this football game than at my sons graduation. 

Me: Okay last question, so do you attend any other sporting events at the school?

Joe: Not really, one time we attended a JV football game but we have never went to any other events at the school. We don't leave the house very often but if we do go to a sporting event it's usually just to a football game. We went a football game at the university a few years back but we agreed that we preferred the Oilers games. 

-Noah Burgess 

*Not affiliated with MPHS