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Transcript from "Jersey #62"

I have a question? Why were you number 62?

That is a good question.

Well, when I was a freshman I got in line to get a jersey. The guy in front of me got 61, so I got 62.

Is that right? So they didn’t divide the team the way we do now with the backs having the lower numbers?

Back then, I never would ask to change, because I was always afraid. With Coach Butts you didn’t negotiate anything.

He was a tough guy.

All he wanted you to do, he wanted you to perform. If I had to do it over again, I would have started out what my number was in high school, number 10. That is what I really would have loved, so I started out with 62. Then when I got into pro football, I wore 62. Then they changed the rules. See, to play in the backfield was from — I think you could use smaller numbers like a 1, 2, or 3, and 62 would be a guard.

Right

— and 70’s were tackles, and 80’s were ends, and now if you was a defensive back, you could wear any number, but when they changed the numbers, they said now I had the option to keep 62, but in order to do that, every time I would come into the football game, I would have to report to the official. If I didn’t, we would be penalized. So I said, oh heck, on that. I don’t want to ever put my team in jeopardy because of my stupidity — not asking to play. So I changed it to number 2. I took half of it. So that is why I ended up with number 2.