On Nov. 16 former NFL player, Skip Lane, made an appearance in the Library Learning Commons during all three lunch waves as Staples’ very first “Lunchertainment” guest.
Lane lived in Westport his entire life until college, when he went to play for University of Mississippi or “Ole Miss” on a full scholarship. He attended Staples High School, and his father was the Wreckers’ football coach for 25 years before Coach P came along.
Lane played for the United States Football League (USFL), which lasted from 1983 to 1987. After the USFL went out of operation, he played for seven different teams including the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, three different Canadian teams, the Italian Verona Red Skins, and finally the Washington Red Skins.
During his presentation he made a point of how difficult it is to be successful in the NFL right out of college considering that news player must take the spot of a professional that has signed with the team.
Lane admits that after living in Fairfield County for his entire life, going south to Miss. was an “interesting experience with all the racial tensions.”
In Miss., Lane connected with Leigh Anne Tuohy who is Michael Oher’s (of the Blind Side) step mother. He referred to Tuohy as his “first southern bell.”
He encouraged students to take advantage of the education that Staples is providing them. When asked if he thought that he would make it to the NFL when he was in high school, he said that he never looked that far in to the future; he was always focusing on the next ten minutes.
Related articles
