Real Life Bulldog 1


Real life Bulldog Story 1:

In November of 1980, I was at my grandparents’ house for Thanksgiving. The Lions were playing the Bears in a traditional Turkey Day showdown, and I had a front row seat on the couch in the living room.  The center ref blew the final whistle of the fourth quarter and much to my surprise (and glee!) the Lions were still in the game with a 17-17 tie; I was about to witness the first-ever Thanksgiving Day overtime! Laser-focused with anticipation, I prepared myself to witness NFL history.

As both teams trotted into the locker room before overtime, I turned to Bulldog with a big grin on my face and declared confidently that the Lions would clinch a victory when it was all over.  In classic fashion, Bulldog looked me straight in the eye and bet me two dollars that the Lions would lose. With eight quarters in my pocket and all the Detroit faith in the world, I took the bet. We both placed our money on top of the TV, and retreated to our respective spots on the couch for the showdown. 

The Bears won the coin toss and elected to receive the kick-off. But that didn’t faze me; who needed to win coin tosses when you had the faith of the child and the luck of Thanksgiving at grandma’s house on your side. I took a deep breath and buckled myself in for all the entertainment, emotional moments, and fingernail biting that history-making overtime would inevitably bring.

The Lions took the kick-off. And…the Bears returned that kick off for 95 yards to win the game in what would be forever known as the shortest overtime in the history of football. 

Bulldog walked over to the TV and swiped up all four dollars at once, gently folding the two-dollar bills back in his wallet and tossed the quarters in his pocket.  I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe that he would take my money after such a humiliating defeat. Hadn’t I suffered enough?!

As he calmly sat down by my side on the couch, Bulldog said, “Spider, if you don’t want to lose your money, don’t bet.  But if you lose, always pay your debts. A man is only as good as his word.”

Bulldog never gave me back my two dollars, but he did teach me a great lesson about the value of money, and holding yourself accountable for your promises…and of course, to never bet on the Lions. They’ve been making me cry ever since.

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