Tribute To Jack Kemp

He that shall see this day and live to old age,

Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,

And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispin's:'

Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.

And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'

-- William Shakespeare, “Henry V”

Jack Kemp (1935-2009)

Perhaps Shakespeare’s greatest pregame speech explains why football matters in our villages, towns and schools.  But days after Jack Kemp -- one of the great football player-citizens, former congressmen, Cabinet secretaries and vice-presidential nominees -- has left us, it’s appropriate to remember the timeless aspects of the game and the contributions of its players who come to it seeking glory and find something more: the value of teamwork; an appreciation for those different than us who struggle with us and against us; and the ability to achieve far more together than we can individually. 

Kemp, who passed away at age 73, outlived his playing days with both honor and distinction. Along a road that all players travel, Kemp, the man, replaced Kemp, the quarterback, without a drop in the quality of his performance. He was regarded, even among his political opponents, as a caring and decent man. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives who had more influence than seniority in a body consumed by seniority. He was a thoughtful leader of a political movement, and he enjoyed a life well-lived.  

Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,

But he'll remember with advantages

What feats he did that day.

But Kemp the quarterback was a title he bore with similar honor and fame.  He led the Buffalo Bills to consecutive AFL championships in 1964 and ‘65, the only championships won by the Bills for their beloved hometown.  He played 13 combined seasons in the NFL, CFL and AFL, got cut by five teams and came back to star. Twice his football career was interrupted by stints in the Army Reserve. The undersized, near-sighted quarterback from Occidental College made his mark on the field and off it.  He was a founder and first president of the AFL players union.  Kemp not only shook off adversity, he walked through it.

Then shall our names,

Familiar in their mouths as household words,

Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.

This story shall the good man teach his son;

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,

From this day to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be remember'd;

Kemp was one of the last brush-cut, lunch-pail leaders. Unitas, Starr, Morrall were his peers. But the late 1960s saw a new image of leader emerge. Joe Namath, the charismatic superstar, changed the image of the quarterback forever. But Kemp walked away from a four-year, no-cut contract and was elected to the House of Representatives. Today, former Redskins QB Heath Shuler serves in Congress, but who in today’s game could walk out of the locker room and credibly into the halls of Congress?  Although only of few of us remember Kemp the player, all who love the game know Kemp the legislator, the leader, the man who gave service to his adopted home of Erie County, N.Y.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition:

Kemp was unquestionably a thought leader in the conservative revolution that elected Ronald Reagan president in 1980. He later made light of his “wonkish” image and propensity to give long-winded speeches, saying he “loved every hour of them.” But remember, he was Jack Kemp, not Joe Namath. Hard work and perseverance, rather than charisma, were the hallmarks his of whole life. But perhaps the greatest tribute being given to Kemp after his passing is that he opened the conservative movement to African-Americans and minorities. Kemp lived what fellow union organizer John Mackey said, that the huddle was color-blind.

Kemp, after his career in public service, took on the cause of the game itself.  As chair of USA Football, an independent non-profit association charged with leading the development of youth, high school and international amateur football, Kemp crusaded against perhaps the greatest threat football faces in the near future -- the loss of programs for young people to play this greatest of games. The work goes on, but his answering the call of the sport is testimony to his conviction. Kemp said it was the game that enabled him to reach out to people of all stripe. They had been his teammates, and in the meritocracy of the locker room or huddle, where one came from means nothing compared to the collective goal.

And gentlemen in England now a-bed

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

But why Shakespeare and all the thought about what it means to be an ex-player, especially when my own career ended with a whimper rather than a bang? On the day of Kemp’s passing, I was fortunate enough to attend a dinner of Columbia football alumni before the annual fundraising golf outing. I say fortunate because the core group at this dinner was the 1961 Ivy League championship team (the only one in Columbia history for full disclosure), and observing these men together was truly special. Their conversations were not about the glory of their youth or games played but of their enduring bonds of friendship. They were as forward-looking and hopeful a group as you could find, about to break the huddle for the next drive, whether for their school, their family or their community.

I identified myself as a football player for about a decade and have never been able to leave the game behind for long. I consider myself fortunate.  But now, based on the examples of the life of Jack Kemp, the words of Shakespeare and force of these older Lions, who kindly included me in their number, it dawned on me that it was OK to have become a former football player.

The game exists to shape our lives long after we leave it. It is this story the good man teaches his son. Kemp, the quarterback, passed the game to his sons Jeff, a nine-year NFL player out of Dartmouth, and Jimmy, who played at Wake Forest and in the CFL. Thank you to Jack Kemp for keeping the values of the game through a life well-lived, passing them on and fighting to preserve them for future generations.

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