Football connects community, friends and family like no other sport. Last week while visiting my favorite restaurant the Pioneer Saloon in Ketchum, Idaho, I had one of the coolest chance meetings ever. I posted the following on my Facebook wall:

“So I decided to go to the Pio for dinner, and standing there while on my crutches some guy says to me….. what did you do to your knee.? My standard answer, long story, multiple knee surgeries from an old football injury. He asked me who did my surgery and I said, Dr. Waz. He tells me he is up here for the orthopedic conference in ‪#‎SunValley‬, ‪#‎Idaho‬and that he makes plates and screws for hips and knees. Then he says who did you play for and what position? I said I played defensive line for the Arizona Wildcats, a long time ago. He then asked me if I knew a guy name, Chris Burget? I said, that is me and who are you? He said, E.J. Duffy… and both of our jaws dropped. E. J. is my cousin who was the starting inside linebacker for the Oregon Ducks from 82 to 86 and played special teams for four years in a row. E.J. was on the kickoff team when I broke my leg 30 years ago, and we actually talked about the play and he remembers telling his team that his cousin just went down. I have not seen nor spoke to E.J. since that play back in 1983. ‪#‎Oregon‬‪#‎Arizona‬ ‪#‎GoDucks‬ ‪#‎BearDown‬ ‪#‎smallworld‬“