Heroes

Heroes come in many shapes and sizes. They all have a few common characteristics which are; a moral compass pointing in the right direction, a work ethic that will carry them through difficult times, and a sense of compassion and caring for others.

I’ve chosen to chronicle a few of the people in my life who I consider heroes. Some you will have heard of, some not. But I feel it’s important to recognize them all.


DICK VERMEIL

You probably think I’m going to talk about football. But the reason I consider Coach Vermeil a hero has nothing to do with football. He’s my hero because he cares about others, regardless of the amount of time that has passed or the minimal role you played in his life.

I’ve talked about my wife’s almost fatal car accident last year. Luckily she survived and is well on the road to a full recovery. But it was touch and go for a few months. A couple of weeks after it happened; I was spending most of my days at the Cooper Hospital Trauma Center in Camden, NJ and was taking a break in the cafeteria one afternoon when my phone rang. It was Dick Vermeil. He somehow had heard about the accident and was calling to check up on us. Keep in mind I only played a couple of games for him 29 YEARS AGO. But to Dick, I was still a part of his extended family. He must have called me 6-7 times over the two months Terri was hospitalized, voicing the same concerns over and over.

We had a dinner recently at the Greate Bay Country Club in Somers Point, NJ to help promote his new line of wine (which, by the way, is delicious). There were two of his ex-players in attendance, and he recognized both of us. When it came my turn to be introduced, he rightfully talked mostly about how happy he was to see my wife there and how she was “tougher” than any first round draft choice he had ever selected. His wife Carol then stopped by our table to chat for over a half hour, and Terri was overwhelmed with the attention she was receiving.

I would be flattered if he even just remembered my name. Yet he took the time to call and check in on a bit player from almost thirty years ago that most coaches wouldn’t remember. That’s why Dick Vermeil is my hero.



JOE PATERNO

I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Joe Paterno. But I’ve heard a multitude of stories about the legendary football coach from the Penn State players who were my teammates over the years; Chuck Fusina, Tommy Donovan, Scott Fitzkee, Bill Duggan, and Roger Jackson, just to name a few. Do you remember Tommy Donovan? He was the Stars wide receiver who would do a complete flip in the end zone after scoring a touchdown (since I only scored 1 career touchdown in a 4 year pro career, I never quite got my touchdown celebration down pat like TD). Anyway, he would do a great Joe Paterno imitation, screaming in a falsetto voice “get outta here!” the way the coach supposedly would do it at practice.

I was scratching my head a few years ago when this Hall of Fame coach suffered a couple of losses and people were calling for his scalp. They said he was “too old” and the game had “passed him by”. Here is a guy who has stayed at the same University for over 40 years, has a graduation rate 10 per cent over the national average, been a shining example of playing by the rules and to my knowledge has NEVER been accused of an NCAA violation, won two national championships, is the all time leader in wins in the history of college football, and has raised over 13 million dollars in charitable contributions to the school, not to mention his powerhouse teams draw over 100,000 fans for every home game.

C’mon, give the guy a break. He should coach as long as he is capable and feels healthy. Like Coach Johnny Wooden that I chronicled in a previous blog, Joe Paterno is my hero because he has made a lifetime out of doing it the RIGHT way.


MORE HEROES

My brother Mike Dunek who chose not to pursue college basketball even though he was a much better high school player than I was. He and his wife Anna stayed behind in Chicago while I moved out east, and are doing a great job of tending to my aging parents in my absence…..a great friend and business associate Betty Stahm of American Eagle Paper Mills who has backed me and the business I started up about a year ago and is as loyal and caring a person as I’ve ever met…….My father Jim Dunek and the memory of his headlights shining in my bedroom window as he left for work at 5am to make a living for us and sometimes not coming home until midnight, only to do it all over again the next day….My friend and massage therapist Cristina Giordano who is trying to keep these old battered football bones flexible enough to go on. She is a single mom, had the courage to follow her passion and start her own business, and is the best I’ve ever seen at what she does……Helena Sprague, who is my sister-in law and has endured so many hardships over the last four years but forges ahead with an incredible amount of grace, dignity, and tenacity... University of Pennsylvania Head Women's Basketball Coach Mike McLaughlin who teaches and coaches the game the way its meant to be played...

Stars owner Myles Tannenbaum whose belief in his team and financial support transcended into one of the best records in the history of professional football...Dr. Greg Halligan of St. Christopher's Childrens Hospital in Philadelphia for making a dramatic difference in the lives of kids with cancer and their families....Pat Maguire is that special friend that comes along once in a lifetime and is someone you could call anytime day or night and know he would be there for you…My sophomore basketball coach Roger Cannon who would meet me at the school gym before school at 6:30Am to work on my game...Sam Mills, my late, great ex-teammate with the Stars of the USFL who proved its not the size of your body that makes a great player, its the size of your heart....Brian Sprague, my nephew who survived a terrible worksite accident and is courageously on the mend....My friend and associate Tommy Hyland who has taught me more about kindness, honesty, and generosity than anyone ever did, and has made me a better person in return….

My late mentor Coach Murray Armstrong of Memphis State University who encouraged me to give football a try, and then to stick with it when the going got rough....Marjorie Sprague, who is the sister of my brother in law Mike Sprague. She survived non hodgkins lymphoma AND a heart transplant and started a charitable foundation called "The Queen of Hearts" that benefits heart disease and cancer patients....Carl Peterson for believing in me enough to sign me to my first professional contract....Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs, whose effervescent personality and indominable enthusiasm endeared me to the team and to the greatest ballpark on earth..Wrigley Field.

My daughter Ashley Dunek, who was a standout basketball player and got a full ride to Holy Family University, a nationally ranked D2 school in Philadelphia. I have never enjoyed anything as much in my life as I enjoyed watching her play basketball….her triplet sisters Alexandra, Taylor and Jamie are great examples of young people that give us all hope that the future is in good hands…..and finally my wife Terri, who has been a great Mom to four girls… slept on the floor of our nursery for six months as she tended to triplets, gave nursing care to our daughter Alex who battled cancer at 1 year of age, and has put up with an over inflated ego as a husband for 27 years now. When I think of her, the words respect and gratitude immediately come to mind.

You are ALL my heroes…and I thank you.