I don’t know when I developed my “Secret Crush” on Ernie Pelton. But, I do know how. We had Sophomore English together, with Mr. Quinn (the Eskimo)… Ernie, being no dummy, had me doing his book reports in no time. My Mom, however, was Ernie’s biggest fan. He’d stop by our house after football practice and she would fix him Tiger’s Milk and he would talk to her about the Bible. I admired Ernie’s strong faith. He believed, someday, as a Professional Football Player, he’d make a difference. He’d be remembered. Like I said, Ernie was no dummy.
And didn’t we love Friday night lights at Highland’s stadium. It was the best of times and our spirits soared. We were young, we were proud and we were invincible. At least in our hearts, we were.
At a football game in November, 1967, our classmate, Ernie Pelton was tackled, in what appeared to be a head-to-head, straight-on tackle. I remember seeing him walk off the field, shake it off, go back in to the huddle, and then collapse. Our hearts stood still. He had taken his last steps.
For those of us in the stands, it seemed incomprehensible. I kept thinking, not Ernie, not number 40. We kept expecting him to get up. Just get up Ernie… just get up… but it didn’t happen. The ambulance finally arrived and he was taken out of the stadium, and rushed to the hospital to undergo numerous surgeries. A group of us followed him, that night, from hospital to hospital and were devastated to learn that he had a severe spinal cord injury, leaving him completely paralyzed. Ernie died on September 9th, 2007 after a bout with pneumonia. He lived the last 40 years as a quadriplegic, lacking all movement and his capacity for speech. He was indeed taken out of the game that fateful night in November, but only that game. Because of his courageous legacy, he’s still in the game today. He is making a difference, and he will always be remembered.
Every high school game that is played today is played more safely, due to Ernie Pelton. The impact of that hard hit resonates loudly in the equipment safety standards that helmet manufacturers have been forced to comply with. Yes, Friday night lights shine even brighter tonight with the improvements that now exist, keeping our sons and their sons safer in the world of high school football. Because of Ernie Pelton, who somehow knew that he’d make a difference.
But how did this legacy come to be? Well, he did recover a bit, despite all odds. I remember several of us going to visit him after his father took him home, seven months after the injury. We were standing around his bed and he seemed to be politely ignoring our chatter. He hadn’t been speaking or moving much in those days. I looked over at Cindy Silva, and said, “Let’s go…” and he looked up at us, blinked his eyes, and said “Where you going?” We hadn’t heard him speak for seven months, and we didn’t go anywhere for a long while.
In an article, published in the Sacramento Bee, Melody Gutierrez reported on the lawsuit that the Pelton family filed against the company that made the helmet that Ernie was wearing. It appeared that this brave Knight’s armor may have failed him. The lawsuit alleged that Ernie’s helmet was defective, causing the separation of his spinal cord and brain. The Peltons knew they needed help caring for Ernie; he desperately needed medical, speech and physical therapy and his recovery was dependent upon resources that the Peltons didn’t have access to. The evidence was strong in favor of the Peltons, and even the Elk Grove player who collided with Ernie testified that it was a “head-to head, straight-on hit.” The case went to trial. I remember the day the ‘star’ witness for the defense, OJ Simpson, was in town to testify on behalf of the helmet manufacturer and against the Peltons.
OJ Simpson was a super-hero to Ernie and it saddened me deeply that Ernie had to be there to meet this ‘football icon’ in such circumstances. While Ernie lay motionless on his gurney, OJ took the stand and read the warning label on Ernie’s helmet, which advised “avoiding all purposeful contact, whether blocking, tackling or carrying the ball”. At the same time, Ernie heard OJ Simpson advocate for helmet-to-helmet contact, otherwise as OJ put it, “he’d score a thousand touchdowns”. In fact, OJ testified that he himself wore that very same helmet since high school. Yes, that very same helmet, so, hell, if the helmet fits, you must acquit.
The final blow was when OJ stated that this lawsuit threatened the very existence of high school football. OJ was very convincing on the witness stand and after a three hour deliberation, the jurors stood in line to get his autograph. They also judged against the Peltons. It seemed to boil down to Ernie Pelton vs. OJ Simpson and the American Dream. But, in this trial, I am here to report that OJ was RIGHT, unwittingly, in a way he didn’t expect! This lawsuit did “threatened high school football” as it was being played in those days, and because of it, research on helmet safety was made a priority and standards in athletic equipment were heightened. Friday night lights were destined to shine on a safer playing field. Because of Ernie Pelton, who made a difference.
I don’t remember the first time I met Ernie, but I do remember talking to him about how hard he played, and how small he was. He would smile his perfect, crooked smile, and say, “you can’t hurt steel.” And whether it was a defective chin strap or the lack of adequate padding or the plastic (not steel) helmet that failed, the spirit and the strength of Ernie Pelton will live long and strong.
On Friday night, October 10th under the lights of the new Rio Linda High School Stadium, we, his classmates and friends will ‘come home’ together to honor and celebrate Ernie’s ultimate victory and unheralded legacy. His number 40 will be retired and his name added to a paver in the new stadium. He will be forever remembered as our hero and friend.