Growing up, I remember my Dad telling me stories about my Uncle Nelson Coyle and him going to the Notre Dame games. His favorite story was when they went by train from Toledo to Cleveland to see Notre Dame play. Notre Dame won a thrilling game and my Uncle Nelson had his own bottle of whisky. But the time the game was over, he was happy and drunk. So he was hitting the heads of people on the way to the train station and of passengers with his umbrella in his post-game celebration. My Dad had to apologize and try to appease the unknown victims to avoid a fight. LOL.
Nearly 30 years passed hearing this story over and over through the years. I actually tried a few times to find out what game it was (the opponent and score), but I did not even know the year. After my Uncle died, my Aunt Marge (sister of my Dad) moved to my hometown of Mount Vernon, Ohio. Several years later after my Aunt died and my Dad was in the nursing home with Alzheimer’s, I found a cigar box with small momentous. Inside, I found the ticket stub, NOTRE DAME vs NAVY, 4 Nov 1950, Cleveland Stadium. Notre Dame won, 19-10. I miss hearing my Dad telling me that story, but seeing the ticket stub brings back happy memories. GO IRISH!
