A high school classmate contacted me on Facebook this week asking what number I wore when I played football. Email newsletter signupThe jersey in question is number 54, which means it was likely a practice jersey. I wore number 75 as a member of the freshman football team, but a senior had that number when I got to the varsity level the next season so I was issued number 61. The day before spring practice ended between my freshman and sophomore seasons, I tangled with the center and a guard during a play and came up limping. With my season over, the number 61 jersey went to a player who joined the team late, and the new guy had himself one heck of a debut.