My All-American Page #8

- Yeah.

Thanks, Doc.

Thank you, Doctor.

(exhales)

Freddie, you and I have been

through some tough spots together.

Both of us have... (sighs)

been behind in life, and we've come back.

We've never given up.

You can't give up now.

(sighs) Okay, Coach.

Whatever it is,

you will meet the challenge.

And I'll be here for you.

(quavering) Yeah.

Thank you.

- Freddie, don't get up.

- Let me do it now.

(grunts) I may not get another chance.

You know why we're having this meeting?

I think it's about Freddie.

Has anybody heard anything?

(indistinct)

ROYAL:
Sit down. Sit down.

Everybody sit down.

As you're all aware,

Freddie's surgery was today.

I want you all to know the outcome

before you heard it from somewhere else.

They found a cancerous tumor

the size of a baseball, on his femur.

Doctors told me they didn't know how he could

walk on that leg, much less play football.

Of course, I'm sure that

wouldn't surprise anybody here.

(gasps)

They amputated his leg...

- Damn.

- at the hip.

(sighs)

Men, your teammate is

in the fight of his life.

And if there's anybody I know

or have ever known who's up to it,

it's Freddie Joe Steinmark.

That boy has never backed down against

nothing or nobody, and he won't now.

But he's gonna need all of you.

Your thoughts,

your prayers,

your support.

Hey, Coach. Are they gonna

let him out of the hospital

to come and be with all

of us at the Cotton Bowl?

I'm afraid not.

Doctor said a minimum 30

days before he can leave.

But, men, he will be

there with us in spirit.

He will be there with us.

(sniffles)

(sobbing)

(heart monitor beeping)

(sighs)

I'll never play again.

I won't be able to show Notre

Dame what they missed out on.

None of that matters now.

(labored breathing)

Look at me.

There is nothing my boy can't do.

You will beat this.

We'll do it together.

(gulps)

Okay, Mama.

- (sniffles)

- You are so strong.

You're gonna be okay.

Love you, Son.

I love you.

MOTHER:
Get some sleep.

Hey, hot dog.

When you get out of the hospital,

we're gonna go to our

favorite parking spot.

That may be a while.

They said at least a month.

I've got nothing but time.

We're gonna get back to

our normal lives. I promise.

- Normal?

- Yes.

- (scoffs)

- Normal.

We got plans, mister.

I can see our future from right here.

Right here.

There's Austin,

where we'll graduate May, a year from now.

(sighs)

Right there is Denver,

where you're gonna be coaching.

And there's our little house in Aurora,

where we're gonna live with

our one girl and three boys.

Three. (sniffles)

(chuckles)

(kisses)

(sobbing)

(chuckles)

You're making a fast recovery.

That doesn't surprise me.

Hey, Dr. Martin, this is my

best friend, Bobby Mitchell.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- What are those for?

- Uh, Freddie.

He's gonna be with us at the Cotton Bowl.

(laughing) Not on those, he's not.

FREDDIE:
Please, Doctor.

No, I'm sorry, Freddie.

It's out of the question.

You know, only way we could

let you go is in a wheelchair.

Even that's doubtful.

You just had a major traumatic surgery.

I won't go in a wheelchair.

Then you're not leaving the hospital.

- Can't you just let me try the crutches?

- No.

Your system will be in recovery for weeks.

Just being upright puts too much

pressure on all your stitches.

I'd just like to try.

I'm sorry, Freddie. This

is not up for discussion.

I'll be back to check on you tomorrow.

- Nice to meet you, Bobby.

- Doctor.

Hey, Bobby.

Let's prove him wrong.

- BOBBY:
Easy, easy.

- No, I'm good.

One, two.

Yeah. Okay.

One, two.

(groaning)

All right, come on.

Maybe this isn't such a good idea.

- Let's try it one more time.

- Okay.

One, two.

One, t... (grunts)

One, two. (grunts)

(phone ringing)

ROYAL:
Excuse me, Nurse.

I just went to Freddie Steinmark's

room, and he's not there.

- Is there something wrong?

- Yes, there sure is.

We can hardly keep track of

him. He's constantly on the move.

Those two practice every day for hours.

I know some doctors do not support this,

but I think it's great.

There it is.

Okay.

Thank you, Nurse.

Absolutely.

All right, end of this

hallway, then I'll get a break.

(grunts)

(knocking)

MARTIN:
There's a rumor going around

that you've gone renegade on me.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Well, this isn't the military,

and I can't order you off the crutches.

I can only strongly advise against it.

Dr. Martin.

How many patients of yours have

lost limbs due to bone cancer?

Well, I don't have the statistics.

There are many variances.

Please. I wanna know where I stand.

I read an article on how bone

cancer is one of the deadliest.

Hardest to cure.

Well, that's true. It is.

But I've had a number of success stories.

I'm asking you to be straight with me.

I need to know.

The survival rates for your form

of osteogenic sarcoma are not high.

Doctor,

I'm gonna ask you one more time,

and I'm begging you to tell me the truth.

How many patients who lost

a limb from my kind of cancer

lived more than a year?

Very few.

(sighs)

Thank you.

(chattering)

(sighs deeply)

(chattering)

Bob.

Hey, little buddy.

(strains) McCoy's nothing.

- You're gonna own him.

- I will.

It's your game, Woo-Woo.

- FREDDIE:
Tom.

- Freddie.

Okay, I need you to shut down Theismann.

- Oh, I'm planning on it.

- (chuckles)

- Street.

- Hey, Freddie.

You know, their left corner's slow.

Attack on his side.

You got it.

Welcome back, Freddie.

Hey, Mr. Inside.

- Mr. Outside.

- (chuckles)

Hey.

(sighs)

Give 'em hell.

Yeah, I'll take care of that.

All right, men, let's listen up.

I don't need to say this, 'cause I

know it's all in your heads anyway.

Let's go out there and

win Freddie a game ball.

Yeah.

(crowd cheering)

(applause)

(crowd roars)

There he is.

WOMAN:
Whoo! Go, Freddie!

MAN:
Freddie!

MAN #2:
Freddie!

Whoo!

Yeah!

- You ready?

- Let's go get 'em, boys!

(shouting)

(cheering)

Whoo!

MAN:
Go, Longhorns!

(whistling, cheering)

(no audible dialogue)

(no audible dialogue)

(crowd roars)

Yeah, boy!

(shutter clicks)

ROYAL:
We won that game.

And Freddie did get the game ball.

That kid had a tubful of guts and courage.

And defying the doctor's odds,

he lived another year and a half.

He died on June 6, 1971.

His family and Linda by his side.

(sighs)

But he still lives in our hearts.

We honor his spirit

before every game.

- (shouting)

- Let's go!

(cheering)

PLAYER:
Let's go!

Yeah!

(shouting continues)

I don't know. If I tell

you how proud I am of you.

It'd be kind of, you

know, an understatement.

Uh... (clears throat)

afraid if I talk too damn

long, I'm gonna choke up.

But we've got a guy that we love a lot.

Freddie, here it is for ya.

ALL (cheering):
Yeah!

(no audible dialogue)

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