By Mick Holien
It should not surprise anyone that Jason Seaman engaged an armed attacker who opened fire at the Indiana middle school where he taught science and coached football.
While he was shot three times Seaman continued to engage the man in suburban Indianapolis last week until he was able to knock the weapon away and tackle the shooter who reportedly later told police the act was vengeance for being bullied.
Tackling a pursing attacker is just second nature for Seaman who started at defensive end for Southern Illinois University, a second level Carbondale, Ill. Institution and coached seventh-grade football.
After entering Seaman’s room the gunman was able to fire three shots from two hand guns before he was detained by Seaman. The first shot struck a female student, Seaman three times..
A three sport high school performer at Noblesville, Illinois, the 29-year-old Seaman continues to recover from his wounds and has been released from the hospital. Tough? In high school Seaman blew his ACL but was back playing football the following fall.
In high school, a two-sport all area performer in football and basketball, Seaman drew rave reviews from every team he ever was a part of and friends said they were not at all surprised at his actions.
The season before Seaman came to the SIU campus, the Grizzlies defeated the Salukis in Missoula in the second round of the 2006 football playoffs, while in 2003 Pat Kennedy’s Grizzly basketball team lost to the Salukis in Carbondale.
The reason that game sticks in my mind is that during the contest, after deciding while we drove out of St Louis, I asked my then fiancé to get on the air at the home station and surprised here by asking her to marry me. She did later at a game in VEgas
In post season analysis Kennedy said it was the high point of the season. Wow
My first Missoula Osrey live in, brian matsenbacher, also attended the school
That also was the game when a young under grad came up to me and asked to talk about broadcasting. Russ Eisenstein eventually got the play-by-play job at Idaho State but since has moved to Ohio University where he has broadcast several major bowl games for the Bobcats.
Tis my small world that I share with you…Just sayin’
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