About Me

🏈 Football: A 40+ Year Love Affair

Ever since I was 9 years old, I've loved NFL football and my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys. You may ask, why the Dallas Cowboys and not the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, or some other Midwest team since I'm from the Midwest? It's really a simple answer: the Cowboys uniforms looked the coolest to me. That star on their helmet was awesome, and it also probably helped that outside of local market teams the Dallas Cowboys were the most visible team on TV, they were winning, and that NFL Films labeled them as "America's Team."

The Game I Created

I enjoyed NFL football so much that in the offseason I created a game with playing cards, paper, and pen. I would write down each game of each week of the previous season and with playing cards determine the team that won each game for the entire season. I would give teams certain advantages based on their record and if they were the home team. Every time I played the game I would make it better and more realistic by tweaking the advantages. I think Mother Nature cringed every time I broke out the paper for my game. By the way, I never gave Dallas any unwarranted advantages—it was totally up to the cards.

Maybe when I retire, I'll even get back to playing/updating/improving the game I created over 4 decades ago. Oh wait, somebody already did—it's called Madden Football. 😊

"The Catch" - My First Heartbreak

I started watching NFL football in 1981 and my heart was broken by one of the most famous plays in NFL history, "The Catch." If you know NFL football, then you know what I'm talking about. It was my first NFC Championship game to watch—Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers.

With less than a minute on the clock in the 4th quarter, Joe Montana rolled to his right and threw a 6-yard touchdown pass over the outstretched arms of Ed "Too Tall" Jones to Dwight Clark, who leaped into the air making an amazing fingertip catch in the back of the end zone.

What many people forget: on the ensuing drive with 38 seconds left, Dallas was in 49ers territory and only needed a field goal. But Danny White fumbled the ball, and the 49ers recovered to ice the game 28-27. The 49ers went on to win their first Super Bowl—which was also the first Super Bowl I watched, Super Bowl XVI.

Loyalty Tested, But Never Broken

The Cowboys went to the NFC Championship again in 1983 and lost. After that they rapidly declined, and by 1989 they had their worst season ever: 1-15. However, I remained loyal and was rewarded with Dallas winning the Super Bowl three out of four years in the early to mid-90s.

My loyalty is being tested even more now. The last time the Dallas Cowboys have been to an NFC Championship game was the same season they won their last Super Bowl: 1995. In 1995 I was a young 23-year-old. Now I'm 53. Do the math—that was 30 YEARS AGO!

Even though my Cowboys haven't been to the big dance since 1995, I still love watching NFL football every season. I grasp onto different team storylines every year. Like last year, I found myself rooting for the Detroit Lions (who have NEVER been to a Super Bowl—their last championship was 1957) and against Kansas City's three-peat attempt. No one has ever three-peated in the Super Bowl era—Kansas City came the closest.

That's why I love NFL football: just when you think you can predict something, you realize you can't. Upsets happen all the time and new champions are crowned more often than not. So until the day I die, you'll find me watching NFL football every year, rooting for that sharp-looking team I discovered in 1981 and rooting for the underdog team—unless they play the Cowboys.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family: What Matters Most

I'm married to a beautiful and fun woman who makes our home feel like home and accepts me for who I am. We have 3 children, 5 grandchildren, and a 75-pound golden doodle—and they all are the reason I get out of bed or get back up when I fall down.

I'm so very proud of all of them and enjoy spending as much time as I can with them, supporting what is important to them to the best of my ability. Family isn't just important to me—it's everything.

⭐ Values: The Platinum Rule

Growing up I learned about the Golden Rule, and most everybody I know knows about it. However, about 10 years ago I learned another rule which isn't as popular called the Platinum Rule:

Golden Rule

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Platinum Rule

Treat others the way they want to be treated.

The difference between the rules is just one word, but it changes everything. Even though I'll never be perfect and will continue to make mistakes, I do my best to live by the Platinum Rule both at work and at home.

This is the most important value to me because you can be the greatest Developer/Programmer/Analyst/Software Engineer of all time, but if you don't treat people with the respect they deserve, your outstanding skills will fall on deaf ears.

🎵 Other Interests

Outside of football, the next thing I like to do is listen to music. Whether I'm mowing the yard or seeing a local or national band, I fit music in where I can.

But football and music are not nearly as fun if you don't have family and friends to share the experience with you.

💻 Why I Love Software Development

I love software development because it keeps my mind busy and the workday flies by. This wasn't always my path.

The Journey from Third Shift to Developer

Shortly after I got out of the Army, I landed a Postal Service job in 1997, which was exciting at the time. However, after working there a couple of years on 3rd shift, I found that every workday was dragging by because I was not being challenged. I worked at a Distribution Center basically throwing mail 8 hours a day, and my overactive mind couldn't take it anymore.

In addition, I found out that working 3rd shift was messing with my overall health and making it difficult to spend quality time with my young family. I didn't see this ending anytime soon because it was going to take me at least another 10+ years to build enough seniority to successfully bid on a day job.

That's why I decided to use my GI Bill money and go back to school in 1999.

Just a couple months after graduating in May of 2002, I found my first "Software Developer" position in July—and I've been working days challenging myself ever since.

Software development gives me what I was looking for: mental challenges, problem-solving, continuous learning, and the satisfaction of building things that work. Plus, the workday flies by when you're solving interesting problems.

🎯 What I'm Looking For

I'm seeking a role where I can contribute my 23 years of software development experience while continuing to learn and grow. I work well in teams that value:

Respect and collaboration - Living by the Platinum Rule
Problem-solving - Tackling interesting technical challenges
Quality work - Building solutions that last
Work-life balance - Because family matters
Continuous improvement - Always learning, always growing

If your organization values experienced developers who bring technical skills, strong values, and dedication to the team, I'd love to connect.