"Football Theory 101:" God's hidden grace for my future

    While looking for a document I just now came across my old OU transcript and was shocked to see something mind boggling for the first time in 60 years. And it has God's fingerprints all over it.

     I'd been named the "OU Daily" sports editor for the fall of 1967. Not having played football and wanting to do a good job, I enrolled in Theory of Football the semester before. Yes, where else but at Oklahoma, right?

     I thought it was a good idea, but I got some funny looks from other students -- all actual players  -- during the first class. The second meeting, the instructor, a coach, asked me, "Uh, what are you doing enrolled in this class?"

     Learning football, I replied with a smile. 

     "Are you a football player," he asked?

     I of course said no, and quipped, "but I'm ready to learn."

     Which drew a laugh from the class, which I hadn't noticed was intently focused on our conversation.

     "Well," the coach said, "you can't be in this class. It's for players only."

     I understood and dropped the course; and I thought nothing more about it until this very day. I would load up 15 hours each semester then drop my toughest class. Such were duly noted in my transcript with a W for withdrew.

     But there was no W beside Theory of Football. I still can't believe what I see, but there it is -- a B!

    I cannot explain it, but I guess God had the instructor take pity on my intent. Yes, I couldn't be in that class, but I guess he remarkably gave me credit for wanting to provide better coverage for the Sooners and, unnoticed to me all these years, bestowed a much-needed B.

     You see, this blessing came at a time when it was crucial for me to raise my GPA to stay in school after flunking out my freshman year.

     Which caused me to notice another shocker on my transcript: I actually flunked Principles of English Composition! 

     What? I'm a writer, for goodness sake, a veritable custodian of our English language! Embarrassing!

     I don't remember this and started wondering how such could have happened 

     Then it came to me, something I've long forgotten: While I wasn't doing all that well in classes, I did miss two whole weeks of school after almost dying during the German flu epidemic. I apparently was passed out for three days alone in my dorm room when finally found. 

     Ahh, that explains it, but I still was a bad student until my God-ordained skill at English allowed me to make great grades in journalism courses and clear OU with exactly a 2.000000 GPA, the lowest allowed to still graduate. Any lesser grade, well, let's say God's grace of that B actually made it possible, as things turned out.