4Ever 44 with Jason Miller & Pete Girolamo

This episode is devoted to the memory of Paul Girolamo, Waverly's 4Ever 44. Although Paul is  now a halfback in heaven, he left a lasting legacy on the Waverly Football Community. This episode emphasizes what is really important, Faith, Family, Friends and Football.

This podcast will run weekly during the season and continue as long as a Section IV Football team is playing.

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:09

Welcome to Cover Four. If you're a Section 4 football fan, this is your podcast. I'm Coach Smith, and I'll be your host. Our guests today are head coach Jason Miller of the Waverley Wolverines and his assistant coach, Pete Geralamo. Welcome, guys. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 0:33

Thank you, Tim.

SPEAKER_00 0:34

Thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Great to have you guys. Appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule. I'm sure you're gearing up for the season. And speaking of which, Jason, tell us a little bit about your Section 4 football backstory and uh a little bit of in-depth into Waverly Wolverines.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

Sure. Uh well, yeah, I graduated from Waverley in 1987. And uh back then, Waverley played in the NTL, which is a Northern Tier League of Pennsylvania. So my introduction to Section Four put football was not until 1992, which was my first year coaching at Waverley. And this is my, by the way, this is my 29th year coaching high school football. And uh I became uh head coach in 2001 and then took a job at Corning West teaching job. So I left Waverley and then was hired back in 2004. And I've been head coach, and this is my 18th year as head coach at Waverly. So Section Four, um, you know, we we've tried to make a name for ourselves down here in the valley. Um, we've had some good runs, had some good teams, a few sectional titles, and uh, you know, we're we're you know, we're competing against some pretty good, pretty good teams here, you know, some of the best in the state. So we love section four. I'm I'm involved with section four uh leadership of the coaching association. I'm involved with the leadership at the state level on the executive board. Um, so I'm involved and I'm very proud of what we do here in section four to promote football. And along with Steve Verkler from Owigo, we we represent our our section at state level. So section wise, uh, you know, we we we know that we're we have a very good um you know, very good competition here. And uh there's there's always a team, especially in the lower divisions, that are coming out and are always competing for a state title year after year. So we're you know, we have a great section.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

There's one one thing I'll never forget, and I wasn't actually calling the game, but I was at UE when you you brought your Waverly squad up and played UE at UE, and everybody was talking, oh, we're gonna dust Waverly, this and that. And you guys handled that game very well, come out victorious. And that was one of the marks that uh Waverly put on section four.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Yeah, we've had some big games, you know. We've in in the last five years, we've beat Corning, we've beat UE, we beat Johnson City when they had uh Karutz and company. That's some good players there. So we've had some big wins, especially early in the year. This year we opened up with East Syracuse Manoa, which is a class A team. We're a class C team, so we always try to start uh you know with a really good competition right up front. Nothing gets better than the competition we have in our in our class, you know, with Jenangle Forks and Susquanta Valley. And and uh I have a lot of respect for all the teams in in our in our section. And um so you know, we we I'm just so happy to be back with uh, you know, we looks like we're gonna have a full season, and here we are less than two weeks away from camp. And uh it's hot, it's late August, you know, it's just it just feels right.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

You're kind of starting to smell the cut grass, and you don't have much grass, many grass fields. I'm more of a I'm a mud, dirt, and uh grass kind of guy, but I used to love that when you smell the grass that was just cut, and you get out there early in the morning with the dew, all that stuff.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

Yeah, there's a certain nostalgia to it. It brings back a lot of memories, and um, you know, as far as uh us here down here in Wavely, we you know, we have uh uh wonderful support from our community. We do a lot of things with our community and football teams involved in. And uh there's you know, we we probably have a better, I don't know for a fact, but just by appearance, um, you know, we have some of the best attended games uh by fans in the section, if not the state. I mean, we we will uh on average between three to five thousand people. So it's uh Friday night football and Waverley is a big thing.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

The last game I was at was when you guys were playing uh Johnson City at home. I was down at that game, yeah. And there was, you know, I was on your sideline and there was no real place to sit. I was standing up behind, and it was really a kind of a I equate it to how Forks um has their game. It's almost like a small college atmosphere, yeah. A lot of uh people very interested, they're really into the game, they're intelligent fans, and they really know the game. That kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 5:04

Sometimes they they know it too much, you know. Yeah, they're they're they're but that's a good thing, you know. They're they are involved and um you know they're they're they're not afraid to express their opinion. And uh, but that to me, that means it's important. And um, you know, we've got some we've got a we've got a young team coming up again. I mean, we should kind of struggle in the spring with a young team, but uh, you know, a three-year starter. You mentioned that UE game. The UE game was one with an eighth-grade quarterback. So he's going into a sophomore year now, uh, has matured greatly. Um, you know, his arms get arm strength's getting stronger. He's you know, we relied on him to run the ball a little bit last year. Gonna rely on that more. So um, but we're probably uh, you know, we we're we're still pretty young, but we've we've got a good mix of kids, and we hope to to be right there in the mix when it comes towards the end of the year.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

I was cut what I called a couple of your games, and I was kind of disappointed that uh the tall receiver there, uh Woodworth or would something.

SPEAKER_02 6:04

Oh Scotty Woodring.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Yeah, I would I was hoping he would be healthy to see what that combination would have been like with him throwing the the nice ball and the accurate ball to somebody that can actually, you know, based on genetics, get above other people and snag it.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

I would say you can't you can't teach 6'6, Tim. I mean, but you know, he played in that UE game and then hers knee again and the following week in practice of all things, just getting up the stretch. Uh, he is now at Mansfield University on on basketball deal. So uh he's he's doing very well, great kid. Scotty Wernering's a uh uh you know great academically, just a wonderful person. And um, so it's good to see those kids move on and and do great things too.

SPEAKER_01 6:47

Good. Hey, listen, we got another guy here, I think you might know. Uh assistant coach there, uh Pete Durallamo. Do you know that name?

SPEAKER_02 6:54

Yeah, I know of it. Yeah, get rid of him.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

Yeah, he's like a bad rash. You can't get rid of him.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

Listen to him, he retired from teaching after 40 years, and I still can't get rid of him from coaching.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

Yeah, he's he's there to stay. Pete, tell us a little bit about your backstory.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Well, it's funny. I started coaching in uh 1982 on Long Island, and I was a JB coach and assistant varsity. And on Saturday, our games were a Saturday at one o'clock, and maybe we'd have a couple hundred fans, you know. And then fast forward to 1994, I was coaching at Binghamton University uh basketball and softball. And Kathy was actually my wife was teaching at Waverly. She's like, Do you want to go to the game? I'm like, Yeah, I'm thinking I got too much to do on Saturday afternoon. She's like, No, it's tonight. I said, Really? So we got in the car, we drove because we lived in Endicott, and I walked through the gate to that rundown but fantastic stadium, and I was stunned. I I looked around and I said, Oh my god, I haven't ever seen this many people at a high school football game in person. There had to be four or five thousand people there and a band and the whole thing. And oh yeah, that that that was my introduction to Section Four football. And uh and the rest is, you know, I started with modifying JV and then I hooked up with Jason and I can't remember the I think it's 2009, and I've been doing it ever since.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

So yeah, and your uh your relationship extends beyond the coaching staff too. I understand you guys are have become very more than just a standard coaching fraternity relationship. You're really excellent friends outside of the game.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

Yeah, we do, we we used to take our kids to the beach together, and I mean, that's where Paulie and Peyton would they would throw the ball all day on the beach. And we've you know, we go out to dinner. His wife, Joe, and I taught together for almost 10 years between the two buildings we were in. And he actually teaches Jason and my wife still teach together. So it's been it's been great, it's been unbelievable. It's it's been hysterical at times. I mean, it's stuff I couldn't even tell you, but it's it's been some real fun time. We've had a lot of great times together. Yeah, remember.

SPEAKER_02 8:56

Yeah, Tim, we've we've had our staff has been together for well over a decade. Uh some guys have been with me almost 20 years. So uh we do have a very close staff and do a lot together. And uh, you know, it's kind of year-round too. You know, we do a lot in the offseason, like a lot of teams do, but you know, all my coaches are do a great job of uh participating throughout the year.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

Yeah, that and that's what it's all about. I uh we we're gonna talk obviously about some some fours and how important the number four and 44 is, but there's four things that I think that are most important in life, and we're gonna touch probably on all of these today, and that's faith, family, friends, and football. Pretty much that's the order. And obviously the fifth would be financial, but faith, family, friends, and football, you really kind of summed it up between your your your twos relationship, what you do between the lines and you know outside the lines.

SPEAKER_02 9:49

Yeah, there's no doubt about it. I mean, you you you gotta have you gotta have good people around you, right? And and we've had some success here, and you know, I I wish we were more successful, and that's the goal all the time. But uh, you know, I I I always talk about relationships with people, you know, that's to me, uh, through the game of football, kids learn how to deal with people, learn to deal with disappointment, learn to deal with success. Um you know, uh all the all the trials and tribulations that come with playing this game. And and uh, you know, you you also go through that with the staff. You know, there's there's there's a lot of times it doesn't click. I see a lot of staff that they're they're they're people coming and going all the time. I'm very blessed to have people that are dedicated, committed, um, and uh and and help in so many ways. And it's you know, they're they're truly focused on on development of the kids uh and and these teenagers, mental health and physical health through through competition.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Yeah, well, you guys, you guys are another team that's on the field. You know, the coaching staff is a team, you've got the teams themselves, and then you've got the officials. So there's a number of teams that are uh simultaneously uh taking part in a football game, but it's it's very important. And one of the things I coach people, I coach uh first-time leaders is that you treat people like they make a difference and they will. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

My dad a long time ago, you treat people the way you want to be treated. And um, I remember that when I was a little kid, and no one's more important than anybody else. And you know, he always used to tell me, surround yourself with good people, good things will happen. I think Jason's done that. I mean, we are all on the same page. Yeah, we have our differences once in a while, but you know, we're it's all for the the same cause. We're in the same direction.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

So that's what family's all about. Um, yeah, what we're gonna want to talk about mostly today is uh forever 44. And I think most people in the valley understand what that means, but uh what we're talking about is an exceptional student athlete that uh played with Waverly Wolverines and Paul uh Laurent Quinn was his actual. I found out what his middle name was. I wonder what the cue was. It was Paul Quinn Geronimo and Pete, take us um, give us a little bit of backstory on Paul and what kind of a student athlete he was. And I know you've already shared some really interesting stories of things he did way above and beyond what uh you would expect uh a 16-year-old to do, or even if at a younger age than that.

SPEAKER_00 12:27

Well, he he was a fantastic student. Um, he he was number two in his class when he passed away, but you know, I in my head I think he would have been number one and was was minuscule in points, but he he didn't care. I think that was a great one of his greatest attributes is it he wasn't about the the glamour or the glitz, just not the way he was. He was very uh humble and in academically and athletically, and he was and and he was great with people. You didn't have to be the popular, it didn't matter who you were, he was good with everybody. I mean, I've had tons of kids come up to me, you know, three years later and say, you know, your sons took time to help me when this happened or that happened or to study or whatever. And those are the things I always remember. Not how many touchdowns he had, you know, not you know, not the sectional titles and badminton or any of that. Those things are all nice, but he was just a good kid and and people respected that.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

You touched on it. He played the what we we call the traditional high school sports, football, basketball, and baseball. But he was also a two-time Section Four Badminton mixed doubles champion. Take me there. How did he how this well?

SPEAKER_00 13:38

I I love playing Batman. And when I was at Binghamton coaching, I was teaching a Batman class, and I had all these kids that would bring their own rackets that were really talented. And I had an instructional racket, and I'm thinking to myself, I know I'm better. Why, you know, so I bought an expensive racket. Long story short, they invited me to their club and all this. And then when I when I came here, I started a Batman club, and all of my boys, they got hooked. I mean, I bought them all good rackets, and my God, I even have a machine to string them. So we we Mike's a two-time sectional champ, Auntie lost in the sectional finals. They all played. And when Paul first started playing, he was I took him to sectionals as a seventh grader. He wasn't supposed to be able to play. And the guys, John uh Izzy said to me, let him play. I'm like, You sure? He's like, Yeah. So we dumped him in there with all these 18-year-old kids, and he was itty bitty, and he held his own, but he didn't make the semifinals, he was upset. So true to true to form, he he's like, Can we get in the gym and practice? And you know, a year later he was a sectional champ with with Zoe Manning, and then they went back to back. Uh, you just, you know, he just had that drive to be good at whatever he did.

SPEAKER_01 14:46

Yeah, and and I didn't even know that there was bad mitten it at the high school level. Yeah, that's really cool to be involved in something like was it something you can let her in or is it a club sport?

SPEAKER_00 14:57

Well, it's actually technically a club sport, but they give you you can win, you can win the title, actually. And actually, the sectional title for Batman is the Paul Girolamo Award now. But Jason's daughter is a sectional champ in ping pong. Really? We did Badman Ping Pong. On a Wednesday, you walk in this gym. The superintendent walked in one night and said, Who's turned all these lights on? Because he knew it was me. There's had to be 30 kids here playing Badman and Ping Pong. And we put them all, you know, we get a bus, we went to BGA, we compete as a team, but also as individuals. You get a team score, and then my wife and I would always take them all out to dinner after. But it was just something that, you know, it started with a few kids, and next thing you know, we had 20, 30 kids. The Elm Street gym would be packed.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

That is that's a great story. And you know, those are lifelong uh sports that you can play.

SPEAKER_00 15:42

Absolutely. Well, uh the funnier thing was I don't even know if Jason knows this, but Jill was there, his wife was there watching, and and Paige played, and it was it ended up like 26, 24 or something, but they were going back and forth, and Jill was so nervous, she was outside of the room with her head like she wanted to see it, but she didn't want to see, you know, and the kid the ping pong ball was going back and forth. It was unbelievable to watch her win because the kid she was playing was very good. So, but it was just it was a great experience for everybody, you know. Um, and we've had a lot of sectional chance both in ping pong and in Batman.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

That that is that's great stuff. That's exactly what we want to hear is those behind the stories kind of things that uh you know that maybe that'll inspire somebody else to to do that, pick up those kind of rackets or maybe pickleball or or whatever, you know, the sports that you don't really hear about now, but are a lot of fun, and a lot of people could compete in those that maybe they're not, you know, wired or built for you know football, basketball, baseball.

SPEAKER_02 16:41

Yeah, I would say I would say there's a lot of schools that still either don't realize it or push it, but that's you know, a lot of uh I know our kids really enjoy it. And it's it's you're right, it's not the standard athlete all the time. Now they they do get involved, but there's other kids that go and compete. And you know, the other thing about Pete, he he he uh he coaches bowling and he coaches girls golf, and so he, you know, he's got ties to a lot of different uh segments in the in the district, you know, kid groups of kids. Yeah, and uh so you know he's a good recruiter, so that helps us in a lot of ways. Now we're typically won't get any superstars, but there's always inevitably every year a couple kids that try football, and that's that's what you need in a small school.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

Yeah, you definitely need to get everybody out that uh should be out. And I know what what that's like to actively you know have to recruit in school like that, because there's a lot of student athletes that well, they're students and they've got the the the desire, and maybe they just never uh anybody's approached them. But if hey, if Coach Miller came to me and Coach Miller asked me to come out for football, are you kidding me? You know, maybe the kid's a seventh grader or something. The next thing you know, you've got a you know, a section four All-Star or something, you know, that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

So you know, totally true. So there's a lot of truth to that. He's in the halls, and I know it because my wife's over there and she oversees him quit taking her tennis players or whatever. But he that that that's part of the job is to sell what we do. Sure, we make it fun, don't get me wrong. But it's also, you know, hey, try this. Uh you know, you feel like if you don't try it, how do you know? So, um, and every once in a while, I mean, if you go back to the year that we're in the state semifinals, Ryan Hewitt was just a basketball player, and Jason got him to come out for football and he ended up making all-state in football. And he's one of the reasons, one of many reasons, but he's one of the reasons we got to where we got to, because he was six four and could catch the football.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Sure. Yeah, it's those are great stories.

SPEAKER_02 18:43

Tim, be when we as we start to talk about Paul here, I I do want to say one thing, and and um, you know, when when Paul he passed away in a tragic car accident, um you know, we were talking about section four earlier, and and and I think it'd be uh I I just want to make sure the people that listen to to this podcast understand the support that Wavely as a community received from uh all of this many of the Section Four teams, most of the Section Four teams, particularly our uh you know, our competitors, you know, the teams that we were playing. Uh first of all, they they all came down in their in their jerseys uh to the to the you know the the viewing um and uh just an incredible show of support and and it speaks volumes for the coaches that are in this section. Uh to take time out of their busy days is right in the middle of camp, preseason camp, interrupt their day, interrupt their their preparation to come down. And uh I'm just eternally grateful for that. And and another story that I think the the listeners should be aware of is wherever we went that year, there was always some kind of pre-game ceremony to honor Polly. Um it it was it was really, really super thoughtful. Um you know, it just it went it I don't want to say it went beyond what was necessary, but you know, they really went out of their way to to try to recognize his passing and and and in some way to try to comfort not only us as a staff, you know, as a staff member who lost a uh a child on the team, and that that child had friends on the you know, of course, many friends. It was a it was uh you know, tumultuous time for us. And uh that brought a lot of comfort. Um, it it was difficult to play that year, and and we got through it. Uh, it was certainly not one of our best records that year. Uh, but man, that was uh that really helped. And I and I just want to recognize the professionalism uh of of the section four coaches and those teams that did that that year.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

Yeah, what you're talking about, and I'll sum it up real quick. Those people got it. They get it, they understand that it's you know, it's much more than football. Football's a little bit down the list. Remember, there's faith, family, friends, and football. They were in the faith, family, and friends era. And uh it's really glad. I'm glad to hear that. And uh, that goes a long way because I'm sure if if the shoe was on if the cleat was on the other foot or the coaching shoe was on the other foot, uh, you'd have the same thing coming from Waverly and any of the other teams that uh well it it it certainly solidified and set a precedent for us.

SPEAKER_02 21:41

Like if by gosh, if that happens, um we need to set aside everything we're doing to make sure that we we also do that, you know. Um I I don't know, you know, you you you get caught up in your life and you say, Oh, that it's someone else's community. Um But man, they were pretty unified in that. And and so I I you're certainly right. Waverly waverly will do that. Um, and and so it was uh just a very valuable lesson.

SPEAKER_01 22:12

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, we're talking about the number 44. There's a lot of uh lot of things going on with uh the number 44, it means so much to me, uh, the number 44, particularly Ernie Davis, because my dad had the opportunity to coach him at high school in football. But if you look at the cover four podcast artwork, you have to be on the internet and your computer. But if you look down at the bottom on the 44-yard line, there's a little orange 44 there. And that's symblematic of Ernie Davis and the other 44s. Um, and we've actually, uh, in addition to Pauly, we've also lost another 44 this year. And uh, I think it was actually last year. That was uh Floyd Little. He was another uh famous 44. But one thing I will share with you, Pete, and I'm kind of geeky this way with numbers, is um, and I know you told me that you know you add up the the numbers on the day that that Paul passed, that adds up to 44. Uh, there's things like uh the clock every day, the clock twice hits four 44 on the face of the clock. There's four in the backfield, right? There's four downs and you know in football. There's um, you know, there's two 44s on every football field. So what I'm getting at is there's a lot of reminders of the 44s in your case, particularly Paulie. When you coach any game, now there's always going to be multiple reminders. And and um, I was kind of joking with uh coach earlier. I said, you know, if you get the ball and it's fourth down on the 44-yard line, it's fourth and four in the 44, it better be a no-brainer going for it, or you know, in a situation like that. And I just kind of was joking with him, but that's the kind of stuff that would mean a lot to a team, and I mean the team would get it. And it's it's nice to see. And he mentioned uh um, they had just uh implemented a plaque with uh Polly's information on it. They're close to uh Coach Hogan at the field, and I thought that was really nice.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

They have um there's Coach Hogan has a bench there because he was also principal here, and um, I got approached and they asked me to if I wanted to put a bench there, and I said absolutely. And um the art teacher here designed the logo in the middle, which has a bad mint racket of football. It actually has a uh marauders skull because he was in the marauders as a fifth, sixth, seventh grader because he was academically, he was advanced, and that was part of it. So we put that all in there. And then they asked me if I wanted like Bob Hoggins' uh John, uh yeah, his is on the in the mulch there by the playground so kids can sit on it. I and they asked me and I said, Well, I'd rather put it by the basketball court because he played there and the stadium's on the other side of the fence where he played. And so we poured a slab, and the guy, the maintenance guy that did it, he said, Grab your kids' sneakers when we pour the concrete. So I was out actually teaching a class on the turf, and my phone rings. I had it in my pocket, and I see it's Scott. He goes, Hurry up, it's drying fast. So I ran my whole class up there and I gave him Paul sneakers and he staggered them. So it looks like it's Paul getting off the bench to play basketball. And it's his Nike shoes, his actual shoes he wore when he played JB basketball. So that's fantastic. And then Eric Knowles, our superintendent, was he's been unbelievable about honoring everybody, but my and personally for me, my son. So there's a bronze plaque by his bench now that Jason Munn, actually his fifth grade teacher, wrote the the uh did all the writing that's on the plaque. It's it's it's just fantastic. So, you know, that's how we remember him. And and I, you know, for the whole first three seasons, it was tough, but I never realized how it affected all the kids, not just the kids at Newham. And Jay, when we go pregame, Jason and I walk down and do pregame, and then the rest of the team comes down. Then we go up and go over, you know, our last minute details and whatnot. And we come down as a team, two by two, along that sidewalk there and come in through the big helmet. And so I'm always in the front with him. I've done it since Anthony played, you know, and he's 26 now. I mean, it was Jason and I in the front, and it just how it worked out, not didn't mean anybody was important or anything, just how it worked out. And I never thought about it, but we had put a small vinyl sign that Tom Marchese had made from Tom's Harbor on the fence that said Forever 44. It's the exact logo of the t-shirt. And I put it on Jason said, put it on there. So I put it on there, and I didn't think anything of it. And I get halfway down the walk from the building, and he kisses Mr. G, I don't have an knee pad. So I I have all the equipment, so I ran up and grabbed it. So I'm jogging to get catch up, and I end up in the back for the first time ever. And I hear the chain link, and I'm like, what the heck's going on down there? Because I was always already in. And I and I it was thank God I was last because it I was not ready for the emotion of every kid putting their hand on his number and putting their head down before they went in the stadium, and it had been going on for three and now I know it, but I had no idea that the kids were doing that since he died.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00 27:44

It's an amazing as as his dad, it doesn't get any better than that's honoring him on their way to go do battle, basically.

SPEAKER_01 27:54

So that's going to be a tradition forever.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

Well, I don't know that, but it's been four years worth of tradition. So um the kids get it. I I teach elementary phys ed, although I just retired. The little kids still run around with the Forever 44 shirts because it was hand-me-downs from their brothers or sisters, whatever. Or I ended up buying more logos and left them at Tom's Harbor. And I said, Look, someone wants a 44 shirt, they can have the logo. And he, you know, we don't have any more now. And we've I've made over 500 of them. So um, and it's how people remember him. So yeah, that's what we try and I try and keep his memory alive the best we can. And I don't know, sometimes my I think, you know, I think that maybe I go overboard a little bit. My wife, I think my wife thinks I do, but um, you know, it's tough. The whole thing's been really tough. And sure, I said this to you earlier. If it wasn't for the Millers, I don't know how the drawles would have done it. Yes, Kathy's best friend, and Jason and I are best friends. And you know, I was with Jason when Paul died, actually. We went to watch Peyton scrimmage, and um, my wife called me, and I was in Utica, so it was the most horrific two and a half hour ride home. But he was there the whole way. The Forever 44, he coined it. People don't know that. He came to my house with all the 44 jerseys, and he they had put the plaque on there. And Gwen Tommaso actually, they he Jason's like, we were like a bunch of idiots trying to put the shirts in the in a in a shadow box. And he's like, take it to Gwen. So because she's a seamstress and she does draperies and those kind of things. And um, so she's sewed them into the box, and then on that's where the Forever 44, the first sticker was. Uh plac, it was actually a placard. And then um, you know, they had them on their helmets, and then next thing you know, somebody else had them made as car decals, and then somebody else had them made as car decals, and then Ethan Stottler's grandfather works at a fabricating place. I uh another one of those, you're not ready. And he had these keychains made for me that say 44 on them. And then I gave, I mean, I had I gave them all away. I mean, you know, obviously, like my brothers and you know, my my children and the millers and you know, people that were closest to us. But I I his friends would call Mr. G, can I have a keychain? And I'm like, if I have one, you can have one. And so the same guy made a giant sign for the pond that we dug for Paul. It says Paul he pond on it. All the fish in the pond, his friends put in there. Every one of them, you know, they would go fishing and they would I would see a truck roll up to the pond at night. Mr. G just us, and they would dump 15, 20 fishing, and there's over 200 fish in there now. No, but well, that's what you know, that's what the kids did. They, you know, they were as lost as we were when it came to you know dealing with Paul's loss.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

So sure. Now that Jersey 44, will that ever that'll never be worn again, right? That's taken out of the numbers.

SPEAKER_00 30:50

I well, officially, I I won't I don't say that. We Jason and I took them out. So, and I I don't right now I'm I'm retired, even though I'm coaching with him, but I do all the equipment stuff, so I'm still doing that. But sure, I don't like to say that because there's other people that were just as important that we've lost.

SPEAKER_01 31:08

Oh, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 31:09

Yep, you know, so I I nobody's wearing it now, nobody really kind of wants to. It's it's more of a it's kind of a understood thing, I guess, but um exactly. It hasn't been officially, I wouldn't say officially retired, but um, for the most part, in my mind it is, and uh his brothers all wore it. The reason they all wore it is because my dad wore it. I mean, the history of that number, my dad played high school football in 1938 or what I don't even know the year, 40, something like that. And um, he was 44, and my kids saw it and they're like, we want to be grandpa's number. So when they were little, I started because I was involved. I'm like, Can I? We didn't have that number actually. And I first bought it when Anthony was seventh grader. I bought it. I bought well, we bought all new shirts, but I said, I'm gonna order 44. So Aunt wore it, then Mike wore it, then Paul wore it, then we went to JV, then Aunt Wore, then Mike wore it, then and that's how it, you know, they all wore it.

SPEAKER_01 32:03

That's nice. That's that's a that's great.

SPEAKER_00 32:06

And you know, there's parts of that too before Paul was still alive. You know, Anthony would play. My dad would come up, he was old. You know, my brother would bring him up, it's a long ways, five hours, and my dad would sit in the stands and watch his grandson play, and then my brother, my uh brother would watch Anthony run off the field and hug my dad. And you just can't make that stuff up. I mean, it was so important. So the number became ingrained. My kids all wanted to be grandpa's number, right? Um, and that's how the Nip 44 actually started for the Geralamo family, anyway.

SPEAKER_01 32:35

That's that's nice. That's uh, I'm sure our our listeners really appreciate the backstory here and get that little bit deeper understanding. Even uh, maybe people there in your uh Waverly Wolverine's football community may not know some of this information, so it's it's good for them, but it's also good for the Section Four uh uh fans out there to understand that. And a lot of the things we covered again today, it's you know, I I know it's uh beating a drum here, but you know, faith, family, friends, and football, it really all comes together. And you and I have touched, and when Jason was here with us, we we touched on that, and that's what it's really all about. And I just want to wrap up right as so episode and thank you, uh Pete, for coming on and and you and Jason and doing such a great job and uh taking some of the time out of you. I'm sure your busy schedule because you're getting ready for the the season coming up, but thanks again, we really appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00 33:28

Oh, not a problem. It's my pleasure. I know you had called me earlier in the year, and it's something I I did want to do it, but it's not easy to do it. And um, you know, Jason's really the reason. He's like, we got to do this. I mean, you know, we we need to honor your kid, and um, you know, and I I think it's great, but I think what it does is it really honors all of Section Four, and I sincerely mean that. What all those guys, those coaches did, if I mean, it's like it was yesterday in my head every pregame, whether it was at Oigo where they shut the lights off and put all 44s on the board, if it was SV where they painted his number and they kicked off on the 44. I mean, you can't make this stuff up, you know what I mean? Uh and um it it the section is an amazing section for football. And it's not just because they've won a lot of state titles. If you look at it, yeah, Forks, S V, Maine MW, you know, I get it. And and we're banging heads with them all the time. But the people of section four are amazing. And and I would I would stack them up against anybody as human beings. Forget about X's and O's. But for those guys to bring busloads of kids with their jerseys to my kids' viewing when they they didn't have to, but out of respect for Jason and myself and my wife and my son and our program, uh you can't ask for any more than that. Um, and I owe them all a debt of gratitude because they've all along the way, even now, I see Dave Hogan, he's like, How you doing? And I know what he means. You know what I mean? He gave me a hug. And the same thing with Steve Verkler played for me in the 80s. So, you know, uh, same thing. Coach, how he still calls me coach. Coach, how's it going? Gives me big hug. They they know it's it's forever us that we've lost him. And um, but I appreciate that you would spend time with me today talking about him.

SPEAKER_01 35:16

Yeah, and that's what the one of the main reasons I wanted to do this cover four podcast is I know there's so much goodness in section four, like you said, outside even the X and AOs and outside the lines that people need to know and and hear these stories. And this is what it's all about. So, again, Pete, thank you very much. Good luck uh on the season coming up and uh go Wolverines.

SPEAKER_00 35:38

Yeah, thank you very much. We're gonna go the best we can.

SPEAKER_01 35:41

All right. All right, take care.

SPEAKER_00 35:44

Yep, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 35:46

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe. And remember, tell your friends. Coach Smith says visit cover4.com and be the next fan up. In football and life, it's not where we line up, it's where we wind up. Thank you for listening to the Cover Four podcast.