I have a physical copy of this one.

Why? I was a Gator, shooting the #1 Defense in the country slam my team. This wasn’t a game I really wanted to remember. In fact, I’d shot a lot of Gator games and this was next to only a handful of losses I had to endure in my time at UF. Gross, losing. But this one has a silver-lining.

I always asked what the anticipated story might be when going out on assignment with a mentor or friend hired for a job. In this case, that was a job for SI with Bill Frakes. I knew the most likely story. It was everything being talked about on sports networks…Alabama had a hardcore defense facing a strong offensive Florida team. Would Alabama prevail, proving their muscle and beating the Gators on the Gator home field?

Yes. Yes, they would. And they were then the story of the moment.

And somehow nothing else big happened that week, and Bama was the cover.

I gasped seeing it in Barnes & Noble, and bought it with more excitement than I really should have had.

Here’s the story though:

When the center threw up the play call, seeing it was the number 1, I took a chance and shot on one of the cameras I was there to mostly hold and tote around for Bill.

We both shot the moment, I know. I tell myself all the time that this is indeed Bill’s image. In the back of my mind, though, I know I had the 600mm, and if I DID get the shot, that’s less cropping and better quality for print. So…it could be mine, right?

Regardless, I’m still proud that I anticipated and saw the moment. As far as I’m concerned this was a personal success.