During his acceptance speech, Bud Ossey told the crowd gathered on the Nike Campus that he would have to figure out how to split the trophy he was holding in half. Bud said he didn’t deserve the award all to himself. There should have been two trophies, he said, one for him and one for his wife, Maxine.
Ossey was honored at the 2012 Oregon Sports Awards on Sunday night with the Ultimate Fan Award. Bud and Maxine have been going to Oregon State Beaver games together since the 1950s. When Bud accepted his trophy and talked about splitting it with his wife, he summed up the theme of the entire night: Family.
That theme was embodied by the very first presenters of the show – Kevin and Terry Boss. The Boss brothers were just two of many future, current or former professional athletes inside the Stanford Theatre in the Tiger Woods Center. But they were the only set of siblings to have both played professionally.
Kevin is a tight end for the Oakland Raiders who played his college ball at Western Oregon University in Monmouth. He spent the first four years of his NFL career with the New York Giants before joining the Raiders.
Terry is a recently retired MLS goalkeeper. Terry played at the University of Tulsa, where he is now an assistant coach. He then played with the Charlotte Eagles in the USL Second Division. After that he went to play for the Puerto Rico Islanders in the USL First Division. He then returned to Charlotte before moving to the New York Red Bulls. He ended his career with the Seattle Sounders.
The Bosses were on hand to present the Ad Rutschman Award for small-college athletes of the year. Small schools have a special place for both of them. While the elder Terry played Division-1 soccer, Kevin played football at a D-2 school. They both played prep ball at small Philomath High School, where the graduating class averages around 125 students.
The small schools create their own sort of family, Terry said after the awards had been presented.
“I feel like if you come out of a small school, you feel like the odds are stacked against you a little bit. So you kind of have that instant bond with the smaller school guys so you just root for each other,” Terry said. “Kevin’s story – being able to win a Super Bowl – I take a step back and I look at that and I’m always inspired that no matter what, you can make it. Dreams really do happen. Not to sound cliché, but it really is cool to know that if you put the work in, good things happen.”
Both brothers have been rewarded for their hard work. For Terry, it came in the way of playing in the World Cup qualifiers for the Puerto Rico national team. For Kevin, it came with a Super Bowl victory as a rookie.
But those accomplishments take a back seat to the joy they get from being able to spend time with their families. “It is an honor to be asked to come here, and especially being able to do it with Terry,” Kevin said. “It’s just a neat night to be able to come here and be amongst some of the great athletes that have come through Oregon.”
Those great athletes who were honored included University of Oregon football players Michael Clay and Kenjon Barner, UO running standout Jordan Hasay, Barlow High School graduate and throwing sensation Ryan Crouser, Madras native Jacoby Ellsbury and former University of Portland soccer standout Megan Rapinoe.
One constant among all of their acceptance speeches – whether delivered live or via video message – was love and appreciation of families. “It’s awesome to hear people give pub to their families because you really couldn’t do it without them. To be able to come back and represent Oregon a little bit and be with our families – it’s a good night,” Terry said.
To see a complete list of award winners, visit http://oregonsportsawards.com/.
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