My Letterman's Jacket -- a flash fiction story by Colin Kelly


A high school football player has his best day of all


When I was a sophomore in high school I went out for football and made the team. I played guard for Grant on offense and defense. In our third game of the year, against Excelsior, I was injured. Their line was huge, and I ended up on the bottom of a pile of players, but my right leg was somewhere up toward the top of the pile. My right hip was dislocated and my right femur had a hairline fracture. I was put in a partial body cast.

While I was still in the hospital the team came to visit me, and presented me with the game ball. We’d won the game, 22-0.

Because of my cast I was home schooled the rest of the semester. One day my tutor told me there was going to be a surprise that afternoon. I thought he meant a snap quiz. He loved to spring snap quizzes. Instead, Coach Rowland and a bunch of team members presented me with my black letterman’s jacket with a gold “G” and a football patch on the bottom bar of the “G”.

That turned out to be the best day of all for me in high school.


This story and the included images are Copyright © 2008-2010 by Colin Kelly (colinian). They cannot be reproduced without express written consent. Codey’s World web site has written permission to publish this story. No other rights are granted.