Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Get to Know Brian Jozwiak

Yeah, it's game day. For reasons other than the game itself, today is a huge day for West Virginia football. This is a chance to wipe away the memories of the loss to Pitt and to start building for 2008. I'm nervous! Not scared, but nervous in anticipation of what West Virginia will be able to do against the Sooners. I haven't felt this way since the Louisville game of 06. I haven't written as much about it because of other things that have kept my attention away from what will take place in Tempe today. But the big game feeling is there. I have no intention of predictions or analysis. But rather something that fired me up.

I met Brian Jozwiak once in 1989. My band was playing at Bentley's (now called Sam's) during the golf tournament at Berry Hills CC. Brian and Brad Hunt were out hitting the bars in Charleston and stopped by to give us a listen. After a few songs, Brian came up and offered to buy each of us a shot of Wild Turkey if we would play Cocaine. We didn't tell him that that was the next song on our list, but we played it and drank the shots anyway. And that's pretty much what the rest of the night was like. Play a song, do a shot. Luckily everyone in the bar was as drunk as we were. He only talked to me once all night. He came up and shook my hand (which I was afraid he was going to crush it and end any chance I had at a musical career right then) and pointed at our drummer and said, " I bet he could kick your ass! And if he can't I WILL!" Maybe he thought I needed to hear that. I don't know. But I get the feeling that I must have played it right the rest of the night as the shots kept coming. I know it was all in jest, but you tend to take the word of a man that is 6'6", 320. Anyway, that's about as much as my memory allows me to remember meeting Brian Jozwiak.

On the field, he is a big part of the time I spent developing my loyalty to WVU sports. I was at the 1984 games against Penn St. and BC. There is no exaggeration in what he says about the crowd at Mountaineer Field back in those days. Maybe it's because we were always the underdog beating the Heisman candidate, etc, instead of the other way around. But anyway, I saw this on Youbube and got a little fired up just watching and remembering. And I hope it does the same for you as you get ready for tonights game.

Be Loud! Be Safe! and.......

Let's Go!.........Mountaineers!

7 comments:

True Blue Liberal said...

Congratulations on beating the Okies (even though the refs and announcers were all working hard for the Big 12) from your friends in Jersey at BeatVisitor.com

Anonymous said...

Oklahoma had 423 net yards. Roughly 90 of those were bullshit penalties.

And while most teams would cower at the favoritism the refs showed tonight, WVU just threw it right back in their faces.

Now let's go set some couches on fire, it's effin cold tonight!!

John Radcliff said...

Woop! Woop! And thanks for the well wishes TBL! Light 'em up Dyer! Light 'em mother effin up!

Anonymous said...

ha he's my science teacher now :]

Anonymous said...

Brian is a beast! Shortly after trading Penniton to the Dolphins I snuck into the talk studio of the radio station I interned at.

I was 18, 6'0, 170lbs.. Sitting next to me was a beast.

Luckily he's a gentle giant, I feared for my life when i blatantly announced that Chad wont help the dolphins and that they will suck.

His reaction was oh, so intimidating.

Anonymous said...

I first met Brian in 1st grade. We went to Westowne Elementry School together, then Catonsville Jr, then Catonsville High. He was always just one of the guys until High School where he dominated the field. "You should have seen the fright in the eyes of the opposing linemen!". I was so happy for him when he went to K.C., and sad when I heard he was injured.

Ken Green

Floor Heating Largo said...

Hello