#37

       Ah, fall is nearly upon us. The mornings are crisper, the air is lighter, and football dominates Southern life from Thursday ‘til Monday. Of course, an 0-2 start by the New Orleans Saints as well as my fantasy team already has me wondering how the Cubs will do next spring. (As if we don’t all know the answer to that one already…) At least my Tigers, Neville and LSU, are 2-0 and ranked extremely high. While not watching or listening to football, I tend to read about it which is how I found an article this week about a high school kid from Florida that caught my eye and led to our magic number for today:
 

#37

a.) Senior running back Derrick Henry of Yulee High is one of the most prolific runners in Florida high school football history. His career total of 8,753 rushing yards places him in third place all-time in Florida, just behind NFL Hall-of-Famer Emmitt Smith and his 8,804 yards. But this past weekend, Derrick tied another impressive record by rushing for over 100 yards in his 37^th straight game. Derrick, all 6’3” and 240 pounds of him, ran over, around, and through the defense of South Lake High to finish with 41 carries for 303 yards and 5 touchdowns. And how many games has Yulee High played since Derrick’s career began? 37. Meaning Derrick Henry has never not rushed for over 100 yards in a game. A kid this good has to have a highlight reel, and here it is.

b.) During the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, this year’s incarnation of the USA men’s basketball team claimed to be better than the original 1992 Dream Team which included Jordan, Magic, Bird, Ewing, Robinson, Barkley, Malone…basically the entire 2nd floor of the basketball Hall of Fame. After everyone threw in their own two cents on the matter, the 2012 team set out to destroy Olympic records. And they apparently decided to do it all in one game against the Nigerians. During that game, Carmelo Anthony took it upon himself to top the record for most individual points in a game, which he did in less than three quarters, finishing with 37 points on 10-12 3 point shooting. The rest of the team chipped in as well as the US broke the Olympic record for team points in a game with 156. (They had over 100 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter.) The US broke the previous total points record of 138 with 4:37 still left to play in the game.  The team also broke the Olympic record for points in a half (78) as well as American records for 3-pointers (26), field goals (59), and shooting percentage (71%). Their dominant performances on the way to the gold medal podium left many still debating which of the two Dream Teams would have won in a head-to-head matchup.

Bronze Medalist Chanatip Sonkham of Thailand
makes the other girl look slightly uncomfortable.

c.) And speaking of the 2012 Summer Olympics, this past summer we witnessed 10,820 athletes representing 204 nations gather to compete in the XXX Olympiad. Of those 204 nations, Great Britain led the way with 541 representatives while 11 different nations sent only 2 athletes. (The US was second to Great Britain with 530.) Israel and Thailand both qualified 37 Olympians who participated in 17 Olympic sports. After sending 4 athletes to the finals in windsurfing, floor gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and swimming, Israel failed to earn a single medal for the 1^st time since the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Thailand fared slightly better by earning 3 total medals in women’s weightlifting, men’s boxing, and women’s taekwondo, although they failed to earn gold for the 1^st time since the 1992 Barcelona games.



Bobby Isaac and his #71 Dodge.

d.) NASCAR driver Bobby Isaac broke into the big time in 1963, seven years after he began full-time racing. It would be another five years before Bobby would win his first race, driving his #37 Dodge sponsored by K&K Insurance. Bobby would beat out 22 other racers in the 1968 Columbia 200 race, including LeeRoy Yarbrough and Richard Petty. His average speed over the 100 mile race that afternoon was a not-so-blistering 71.35 mph. To this day, Bobby Isaac remains the only NASCAR driver to win a race behind the wheel of a #37 car. He would later go on to win the 1970 NASCAR Grand National Championship. Bobby last raced in the 1976 World 600 in Charlotte, NC, and was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 1979, as well as the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1996. He was also named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers of All-Time in 1998. And how many wins did Bobby Isaac accumulate during his storied career? 37, of course.