No Lead is Safe

[Zach Schnitzer]

Hi friends, this is a 3Down article I wrote about how my late father taught me to love the CFL and the Bombers. He died of kidney disease over five years ago. I thought it might resonate with some folks here.
 

https://3downnation.com/2022/08/17/no-lead-is-safe-remembering-the-man/ 

[White Out]

A wonderful read, thanks for sharing. Condolences for your father

[SpeedFlex27]

Thanks for that story. A great read about your Dad. Something tells me that you needed to tell that story as a way of still grieving your Father's loss & to get it all out. So, it was therapeutic to do so & good for your soul. My condolences on the loss of your hero. 

I grew up in a totally different era. The 1960's. An era of no social media, 3 channel television, No NHL. No NFL. No Blue Jays, Expos or Raptors. No nothing. Winnipeg was less than 500,000 people. The only thing we had were the Bombers. For me, they were the Bombers of the Bud Grant era. Big, tough, talented & winners. Six Grey Cup appearances & 4 Championships. All against those sad sack Jim Trimble led Tiger Cats. My Dad was just a casual fan. He liked the Bombers but his life was his family, his successful auto body business, hunting & fishing. We never went to a Bomber game together until I was in my 20's & I had season tickets. 

It was my neighbour Mr McGibney who used to tell me stories about all the Bomber heroes going back to 1935 at Osborne Stadium. He saw all the lefendary Bomber players perform on the field. Guys like Fritz Hanson, Bob Fritz, Jack Jacobs, Tom Casey, Neil Armstrong, D ic k Huff, the Grant era players all the way into the mid 60's. When he regaled about the team back then, I could see those players come alive in my head & it was fantastic. 

His love for the Bombers transferred to me & even though guys like Butch Pressley, Paul Desjardins, Phil Minnick, Ken Nielsen, Amos Van Pelt, Mitch Zalnasky. Glenn Schapansky, John Schneider, Glenn Orris, Ron Johnson, John Senst, Lou Andrus, Ed Breding, Chip Barrett, Wally Gabler & others only won a couple of games a year for 5 straight years in the second half of the 1960's, I became a fan. I didn't care if they won two games or 20 as they were my team, The Bombers have always been my team for nearly 60 years. They always will be. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by SpeedFlex27

[Arnold_Palmer]

3 hours ago, Zach Schnitzer said:

Hi friends, this is a 3Down article I wrote about how my late father taught me to love the CFL and the Bombers. He died of kidney disease over five years ago. I thought it might resonate with some folks here.
 

https://3downnation.com/2022/08/17/no-lead-is-safe-remembering-the-man/ 

Great article! I read it this afternoon. Started getting some tears in my eyes as I have a similar story about my grandfather who was a huge bomber fan who passed away from a long battle with lung cancer in 2016. 

[Stickem]

Just a great story Zach about you and your dad ....True Blue and Gold through and through....It's people like you that keep this team in high regard and the Winnipeg Blue Bomber organization will be forever grateful

[Zach Schnitzer]

21 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Thanks for that story. A great read about your Dad. Something tells me that you needed to tell that story as a way of still grieving your Father's loss & to get it all out. So, it was therapeutic to do so & good for your soul. My condolences on the loss of your hero. 

I grew up in a totally different era. The 1960's. An era of no social media, 3 channel television, No NHL. No NFL. No Blue Jays, Expos or Raptors. No nothing. Winnipeg was less than 500,000 people. The only thing we had were the Bombers. For me, they were the Bombers of the Bud Grant era. Big, tough, talented & winners. Six Grey Cup appearances & 4 Championships. All against those sad sack Jim Trimble led Tiger Cats. My Dad was just a casual fan. He liked the Bombers but his life was his family, his successful auto body business, hunting & fishing. We never went to a Bomber game together until I was in my 20's & I had season tickets. 

It was my neighbour Mr McGibney who used to tell me stories about all the Bomber heroes going back to 1935 at Osborne Stadium. He saw all the lefendary Bomber players perform on the field. Guys like Fritz Hanson, Bob Fritz, Jack Jacobs, Tom Casey, Neil Armstrong, D ic k Huff, the Grant era players all the way into the mid 60's. When he regaled about the team back then, I could see those players come alive in my head & it was fantastic. 

His love for the Bombers transferred to me & even though guys like Butch Pressley, Paul Desjardins, Phil Minnick, Ken Nielsen, Amos Van Pelt, Mitch Zalnasky. Glenn Schapansky, John Schneider, Glenn Orris, Ron Johnson, John Senst, Lou Andrus, Ed Breding, Chip Barrett, Wally Gabler & others only won a couple of games a year for 5 straight years in the second half of the 1960's, I became a fan. I didn't care if they won two games or 20 as they were my team, The Bombers have always been my team for nearly 60 years. They always will be. 

Wow thanks so much for the story. I want to learn more about the 60’s and 80’s teams. Seems similar to this one in some ways. 
 

cool that your neighbour got you into it. Great story! I can picture meeting all your buddies and then going out after. 
 

yes it was certainly therapeutic. 
 

I bet I could gather stories from folks like you guys and me and do an anthology! It would be beautiful. 

[Zach Schnitzer]

11 hours ago, Stickem said:

Just a great story Zach about you and your dad ....True Blue and Gold through and through....It's people like you that keep this team in high regard and the Winnipeg Blue Bomber organization will be forever grateful

Thanks so much! 

21 hours ago, Arnold_Palmer said:

Great article! I read it this afternoon. Started getting some tears in my eyes as I have a similar story about my grandfather who was a huge bomber fan who passed away from a long battle with lung cancer in 2016. 

So very sorry for your loss. It gets us in the feels doesn’t it. So tough. 

[SpeedFlex27]

1 hour ago, Zach Schnitzer said:

Wow thanks so much for the story. I want to learn more about the 60’s and 80’s teams. Seems similar to this one in some ways. 
 

cool that your neighbour got you into it. Great story! I can picture meeting all your buddies and then going out after. 
 

yes it was certainly therapeutic. 
 

I bet I could gather stories from folks like you guys and me and do an anthology! It would be beautiful. 

I'm in!

[TrueBlue4ever]

41 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I'm in!

I would be too. My father’s connection to the Bombers goes back to Osborne Stadium and graduating from med school with Bomber great Tom Casey. He got me interested in the team and the CFL in 1981, and we got season tickets the following season. We got to experience the great 80’s teams together, an amazing way to start my fandom with such strong teams. Saw all the highs and lows over the next 37 years, and many vivid memories of our time spent at the ballpark during that time - way too many to share here but would be happy to regale you with some of you want the anthology contribution. Like your dad, mine passed in 2017 (on Thanksgiving) and I can still remember the  quiet pain I felt in 2015 when I could see that he could no longer physically handle the walk up the stairs or mentally follow the games from the stands any more as his age and dementia caught up with him. Knowing I was losing him and those special father-son moments a full two and a half years before he actually died. 

Thanks for your piece, it certainly resonates with me and brings my own fond memories with my father flooding back. 

[JohnnyAbonny]

I will always be amazed at how small our city really is. @SpeedFlex27’s neighbour was my Great-Uncle Doug! 
 

Great read Zach! It really hit. I have a similar relationship with my Dad around the Bombers. I can’t remember not going to Bomber games, but I know I was all in by 1993 at 6 years old. We beat BC and I saw Nathaniel Bolton of all players score a TD from the first row of the end zone. 
Dad had the same connection with my Grandfather (who passed before I was born) 
Among many stories, Jack Wells was a friend/drinking buddy of my Grandfathers back in the 60s, used to pick my Grandad up and drive him to work in the periods when my grandparents had no car.
I’m sure that thrilled my Dad as a young Bomber diehard. Would be like Bob Irving showing up to chauffeur your old man around. 

[SpeedFlex27]

21 hours ago, JohnnyAbonny said:

I will always be amazed at how small our city really is. @SpeedFlex27’s neighbour was my Great-Uncle Doug! 
 

Great read Zach! It really hit. I have a similar relationship with my Dad around the Bombers. I can’t remember not going to Bomber games, but I know I was all in by 1993 at 6 years old. We beat BC and I saw Nathaniel Bolton of all players score a TD from the first row of the end zone. 
Dad had the same connection with my Grandfather (who passed before I was born) 
Among many stories, Jack Wells was a friend/drinking buddy of my Grandfathers back in the 60s, used to pick my Grandad up and drive him to work in the periods when my grandparents had no car.
I’m sure that thrilled my Dad as a young Bomber diehard. Would be like Bob Irving showing up to chauffeur your old man around. 

Johnny, your Great Uncle Doug was the first person to teach me the importance of Bomber history & team legacy when I was a young teen Man, the stories he used to tell. Amazing memory & story teller. A proud Bomber fan who saw it all from the beginning.

[captaincanuck12]

That was a great read and I totally relate to you.  My dad was the one that got me into watching sports, but it was watching with my mom that made it so special.  We would cheer at all the bomber games on tv (and Jets games too).  Bomber nights were essentially family nights at our house.  I can here my mom's cheers in my head when a TD was scored, and her disgust when an interception was thrown.

Sadly my mom passed away in 2009 (exactly one day after Michael Jackson died).  She never witnessed the Jets returning, nor did she get to see the Bombers win back to back Grey Cups.  When the drought was over in 2019, I imagined my mom jumping for joy in Heaven .  And in 2021 I celebrated that Grey Cup win with my dad watching together.

It's crazy this thing we call sport, whether playing or watching, some truly special bonds are made.

Thank you for sharing this with us and allowing us to share with you.