"Hey, That Guy Owes Me a Favor."

Is there a statute of limitations on redeeming favors offered?

We like doing favors for others. And, we particularly like others doing favors for us. And, further, we enjoy the intrinsic power that exists when someone owes us a favor, but we have not yet redeemed that favor.

Now, how long should you wait before enjoying the benefits of the favor offered to you? I suppose it depends upon the offer. If someone offers you a kidney, and you are in need of a kidney, my advice is: don’t wait - move forward right away. Some favors are seasonally-dependent. Let’s say, for example, a good friend of yours has invited you to join him for a weekend in The Hamptons. It’s best to redeem this offer in the summertime; a weekend in The Hamptons is best enjoyed at that time, rather than in cold, snowy January. . .I’m told - I’ve never actually been invited for a weekend in The Hamptons. And, if another friend has volunteered to deliver a eulogy at your funeral, you’re going to want to defer redemption of that favor for many, many years.

My father-in-law, whom I will call Kurt (because that’s his name), decided to wait fifty-three years to cash-in a favor offered to him; he also sought to redeem this favor on my behalf - how selfless is that?

About seventeen years ago, I was in a job search (Remember 2008? Not a great time to be seeking gainful employment), and Kurt volunteered to help me in my efforts. He said, “There’s a guy who owes me a favor - I’m going to reach out to him.”

By the way, that’s Kurt pictured above, hauling in a pass in the final game of the 1955 season for Northwestern University, a game in which they avoided their ninth consecutive loss of the season, by tying Illinois, by a score of 7-7, at a snowbank-edged Dyche Stadium in late November. Yes, they ended the season with an ignominious 0-8-1 record.

Kurt significantly undersold his Big Ten football exploits, at least to me, in that he offhandedly related that he played for Northwestern way back in the 1950’s, and he was an end on a team coached by Lou Saban (yes, Nick Saban’s dad). But, thanks to Rule of Three’s research team’s efforts, including reviewing game film (from which we extracted the screen grab above), we have discovered that Kurt was named the Most Valuable Player (“MVP”) of that team. Maybe he didn’t mention that because, you know, the team was winless. Nevertheless, it was Big Ten, “smashmouth” football, and that should count for something. And, I can recall losing every single Little League baseball game my first season, until we won the very last game of the season; the manager took all of us to Homer’s Ice Cream, in Wilmette, Illinois (Homer’s may actually be located in what North Shore natives refer to colloquially as “No Man’s Land”), and we greedily devoured triple-dip ice cream cones. Kurt: I hope that Coach Saban at least took you to Homer’s for ice cream after you guys tied Illinois. For additional color commentary regarding this North Shore ice cream mecca, we have lifted this column from the archives for you. . .

Kurt’s receiving statistics reflect seven catches for 90 yards, which might not sound like much, but in the run-heavy offenses of the 1950’s, that’s something. It also appeared to me, in reviewing the game film, that Kurt played virtually every down, both on offense and defense, unless there was another #64 on the roster, catching passes and making tackles, who escaped my attention. I get winded simply reaching for the TV remote while watching a football game from the comfort of my La-Z-Boy recliner, so, big respect for your stamina, Kurt!

Anyway, back to the favor thing. Kurt told me that, at the conclusion of the Illinois game, his position coach approached him, and said something along the lines of, “Hey kid, great game! Thanks for making me look good out there. Listen, if I can ever do anything for you, you say the word. My family owns a business in Cleveland, and I could set you up with a job there.”

Kurt thanked his coach for the offer, but indicated that he planned to join the Air Force after graduation from Northwestern, and could not accept the job offer in Cleveland. He retired some years ago, after a successful executive search business career (I know what you’re thinking: Given his executive search background, why didn’t Kurt simply tap those skills and that network to assist me in my job search? Who needs that, when you’ve got a 53-year-old favor to cash in?).

Now, I have not seen the letter Kurt crafted seventeen years ago, but as a dedicated Rule of Three reader, you’ve learned by now that lacking knowledge of a particular set of facts won’t preclude us from forging ahead - we simply invent facts where none exist. Therefore, I imagine the letter to have been constructed much as this one:

October 1, 2008

Former Football Position Coach Northwestern University

Dear Coach:

I hope you are well. I know it’s been fifty-three years, but it seems like only yesterday that we emerged from the battle with Illinois at Dyche Stadium without a loss attached to it. I appreciated your kind and generous offer of employment back then, and was disappointed that I was unable to take advantage of the opportunity.

As I am now retired, I remain unable to accept that favor which you offered to me so many years ago. However, my son-in-law, a bright, energetic young man, whom I will call Bill (because that’s his name), is currently in need of employment, and I recall that your family owns a business in Cleveland - perhaps that company has a need for a talented professional such as Bill. I would be forever grateful to you for considering Bill for a position within your organization, as acceptance of that favor you extended to me.

With Best Regards,

Kurt

After some period of time, Kurt shared with me that he had received a formal response from his long-ago football position coach. Once again, as I am unable to secure a copy of that actual response, I am quite comfortable imagining one for us, as follows:

October 15, 2008

Former Football Player Northwestern University

Dear Kurt:

How delightful to hear from you. I recall fondly that season at Northwestern, except for the 0-8-1 part. The Illinois game was certainly the highlight of our season. Thankfully, I’ve experienced some better records since that time; hopefully, you have as well.

I certainly recall our post-game conversation at Dyche Stadium, at the end of the Illinois game, and wish that I could extend that favor we discussed back then to your son-in-law (I was able to offer a job to my own son-in-law some years ago, but had to rescind the appointment, after he and my daughter were divorced) - he sounds like a fine, young man - but, unfortunately, there is nothing available at this time within these organizations.

I wish you, and your son-in-law the best in your future endeavors.

Yours Very Truly,

George Steinbrenner Former Football Position Coach, Northwestern University Former Chairman & CEO, American Shipbuilding Company (Cleveland) Former Owner, New York Yankees

Note: A screen grab of George Steinbrenner from a 1955 Northwestern University football promotional film

Here I thought that George Steinbrenner would be the most interesting “hook” in this story arc, but I was wrong. It was Kurt. Who knew?

Also, you might wonder why I didn’t simply pick up the phone and call my ninety-two-year-old father-in-law to verify the facts of the story, before crafting this column, rather than making things up. First of all, don’t confuse me with a professional journalist; I am a columnist, a storyteller, and am not above tweaking details in a story in order to make it a more interesting read. And, I thought this way would be more fun. But, in the interest of ensuring that Rule of Three got the story right, I ask Kurt to connect with me, and to correct any misstatements contained in this piece - he is a valued subscriber, and, at times, offers feedback to me on particular columns; he also likes to have his say, and I think it’s only fair that he gets the last word in this story - I promise to publish his comments in a future column.

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