It’s Been 25 Years, We Must Never Forget

It is a moment I’ll never forget.
Never.
I was working in Indianapolis when I woke up a couple of minutes late on a beautiful fall morning. I had a meeting with Greenwood High School’s athletic director, so I rushed to my car and flipped on the radio.
Strangely, there was no rock ’n’ roll playing as usual. Instead, people were talking in stern, cold voices about something that had happened in New York.
I arrived at GHS within 10 minutes. The building seemed lifeless.
I walked into the athletic office and noticed a young girl with a ghost-like pallor on her face. I asked what was going on.
She never uttered a word. She simply pointed toward the television.
I walked around the counter to take a look.
Instantly, my world — our world — was forever changed.
I watched a replay of a commercial jet flying into one of the towers of the World Trade Center.
It was September 11, 2001.
The horror of that moment has never fully left me.
Friday night marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and many of our local high schools will pause to remember an event that most people over the age of 30 can recall with the same clarity our parents had when they told us where they were and what they were doing on Nov. 22, 1963.
The day John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Crown Point athletic director Chris Seibert was a student at Valparaiso University 25 years ago. He remembers driving home to his parents’ house to watch the news coverage that had shaken the nation.
Consequently, Crown Point will have a major remembrance before the Bulldogs battle Lake Central at home Friday night.
Crown Point native Jason Wille, the IHSAA’s sports information director, sent directives to schools this week that want to recognize the anniversary.
I hope everyone is doing something.
Seibert said there will be a moment of silence, along with words honoring the firefighters, police officers and medical personnel who put their lives on the line to help others.
“Our student section is planning on wearing American attire, flags and things like that,” Seibert said. “I know our students didn’t live through 9/11. But I want them to be grateful for living in our great country. It is a blessing to live in America.
“I want our kids to be proud of that.”
The horror of those terrorist attacks impacted every aspect of American life, including the sports world.
Major League Baseball, the NFL and college sports suspended activity for at least a week.
In Indiana, the IHSAA faced a difficult decision. The attacks happened on a Tuesday morning. Should football be played just three days later?
The IHSAA left that decision to individual schools.
Most played.
I covered a game at Indianapolis Ben Davis. Never have I seen so many American flags.
It seemed the entire nation had come together as one.
Political and cultural differences were set aside. Nothing like the days we live in now.
Sadly.
Crown Point football coach Craig Buzea was coaching at Portage in 2001, and his Indians played Crown Point that night.
It was a night when the score of the game really didn’t matter at all.
“Both teams came on the field together for the National Anthem,” Buzea recalled. “The patriotism was very high. Flags were everywhere. It was a powerful moment. Very few people really cared about the score of the game that night.”
Portage won 47-0, for those keeping score.
One of the public-address announcements sent by the IHSAA to schools came from Commissioner Paul Neidig. Here are some of his words:
“As our nation approaches the 25th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, we remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost, the thousands of first responders who answered the call, and the enduring spirit of unity that emerged during one of America’s most difficult moments. … While today’s students were not yet born when these events occurred, the anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on the values of service, courage, sacrifice, and resilience that continue to define our nation.”
This is a great thing the IHSAA and the schools involved are doing.
We must never forget what happened.
We must keep our eyes open so such a thing never happens again.
And, most importantly, we must come together.
MAGA. Democratic Socialists. Republicans. Democrats. Bears fans. Packers fans. Everyone.
We don’t have to agree with one another.
We don’t have to share the same politics, the same beliefs or the same opinions.
But we don’t have to hate someone simply because they see the world differently than we do.
Never.
That, too, is something worth remembering.

By Steve Hanlon
Heartland Sports Network