I was born near the Bay Area in the farm community of Watsonville, California.
When I was a toddler, I sat down with my father to watch my first Superbowl, which featured our Oakland Raiders against the Minnesota Vikings. I was too young to understand what was going on, but I did understand that the Raiders won it........"FINALLY" as my dad would yell in joy.
You see, the Raiders are a tradition in our family. When my father was 16 years old, he saw an Raider emblem sticker on neighbor's car and thought it was the logo of a pest exterminator company . Not long after that, his brother-in-law, who attended games regularily, enlightened him of who the Raiders really were.
My father was intrigued by the menacing black jersies and battle-scarred silver helmets. Upon watching his first Raider game, he witnessed Ben Davidson staring from the sidelines, wearing a large silver coat with a Raider emblem on the back. This was no ordinary team. As he described, "they looked like a motorcycle gang!"
Throughout the early seventies, the Raiders would come close to the Superbowl several times.....but he faithfully watched the games, hoping for the moment of glory. It came, early in 1977, in Pasedena, California. The Oakland Raiders 32, The Minnesota Vikings 14.
In case you didn't know.......my first name is Rico and I'm extremely proud to be an American of Mexican descent. In the 1980's, we had another reason to be proud when Jim Plunkett and Head Coach Tom Flores (themselves Mexican-American) led the Raiders to two more World Championship.
Aside from the most Storied Franchise in Professional Football, I have other intests as well. I've been a an avid student and teacher of the martial arts for over a decade. I've done the majority of my work in the grappling arts, particularily Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which was made famous by the legendary Gracie family from Rio. I'm not about to advertise myself as the "Ultimate Badass", but I feel I'm proficient enough to cause some damage if need be.
My home life revolves around my lovely wife, Valarie, whose spirit has always been an in inspiration. She's surely the strongest person I've ever met. We don't have children yet, but I'm sure we'll be ready someday. Right now, we're basking in our youth, enjoying the time we have that doesn't involve changing diapers or late-night feeding.
Valarie and I reside in the great Cornhusker State, Nebraska where the land is open as far as the eye can see. We just returned from a brief sojourn in Arizona. The desert was more beautiful than I thought it would be, but it didn't feel like home. Right now, I'm in the computer business, but my desires are beginning to lean toward education.
Within the next two years, I plan to become a high school math teacher. My talent has always been in mathematics, but my passion has always been educating kids. My journey through Algebra, Trigonometry, and Calculus has been well-paved by brilliant minds in the teaching industry. They're fantastic people and I hope to soon join their ranks. Wish me luck!
Sidenote to the teaching thing.......I figure highschool is also a great way to start my football coaching career.
;-)
Please feel free to sign my guestbook and if you're interested in talking football, email me or jaw with me at the "Fans of Oakland" message board in Yahoo Pro Football Pick 'Em.
- Eastbay
