It all started on Thanksgiving Eve in a time that feels like it should have been part of long, long ago. Just before midnight, I headed over to my favorite nook and cranny of the world wide web known as twobillsdrive.com.
You see, the football team that stole my heart as a wee little child and has mercilessly held it for ransom ever since was enjoying what in recent times could be described as a banner season – meaning they were actually over .500 late in November and had hopes of ending a non-playoff streak that had long ago passed ridiculous and had dispersed all thoughts of the team ever again being associated with the term sublime.
In that moment my mind was awash with thoughts of the next day. Did we have everything for the big turkey dinner that was planned? Was there anyone that might be alone that we should invite last minute? What would I say for grace that would properly encapsulate all that I felt grateful for in my life?
It was at that moment that I saw a link to a column that would dramatically change my Thanksgiving and many days that would follow. Tim Graham, of the Buffalo News, had just posted a piece that detailed the plight of one of my favorite Bills players of all-time, Darryl Talley. If you haven’t read it yet, stop reading this and take a moment and do so now:
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/broke-and-broken-20141126
Graham would later say that he couldn’t take much credit for the column he just “got out of the way” and let the principals in the piece tell the story. Now, I feel qualified to speak of the nuances of quality newspaper column writing and I’m here to tell you that Graham’s modesty is admirable, but that the piece came to life because the broad strokes came from the brush of a master painter at the top of his craft.
I had a strong emotional reaction to the piece. Soon tears were rolling down my cheeks. Timing is everything and the fact that I had gone from thoughts of how thankful I was to images of one of the fiercest warriors ever to strap on a helmet emblazoned with a charging Buffalo, “broke and broken” was a juxtaposition too painful to bear.
Anyone that knows me would be shocked at what transpired next. I’m known by those that have worked with me as a most calculating individual. I plan my work and work my plan. In this instance however, I went against my instincts and I sprung into action without hesitation.
A few days before a wonderful young woman named Lexi had set up a GoFundMe page to get enough money for an airplane ticket to meet a sister she’d only recently found out she had. That website must have stuck in my head because I quickly headed there and set up a page entitled, “Circle the Wagons for Darryl Talley.”
http://www.gofundme.com/hvkgjo
The site requires one to set a goal amount and I arbitrarily chose $100,000 – partly because it felt like an amount that would actually make a difference and partly because it was a nice, big round number. I put in $100 to get it started and I went to bed.
Eight hours later, Thanksgiving morning I awoke to find the fund at around $800. A couple of hours later a man who would play a big part in propelling things forward, Steve Brown of WGRZ-TV, called and wanted to know if he could come out and do a story for the evening news about the fund, which had quickly grown to about $3,000.
By the time we filmed the piece at 1 PM, the fund was racing along and stood at $7,000. You can watch that piece here:
By the time people turned on the 6 PM news and got a shot of me basting a bird that my brother-in-law, Rick Colern, actually cooked, the fund was rocketing skyward to the tune of $18,700.
Now at this juncture an interesting sub-plot of the whole ordeal began to play out – how would I get the money to Darryl? First, the GoFundMe people wanted to know more about my relationship with Darryl. They asked for more clarification on the page as to who I was and assurance that Darryl and his family was aware what was happening.
The next morning, I reached out to the Bills Alumni Association. I believe it was Charley Ferguson, the Bills TE from the two AFL Championship teams, that answered the phone. He referred me to a member of the Bills organization. I left two messages for that person as well as another for someone else in the same department with the Bills explaining the situation and asking for the team’s help in getting me in touch with the Talleys. I never got a return call.
I reached out to Tim Graham. He responded back and said that Darryl’s wife, Janine, wanted to talk with me. I gave him my cell number and told him to tell Janine to call me. A couple of hours later I was walking through the Boulevard Mall when my phone rang and caller ID said that the number was from Orlando, FL.
In a bit of a surreal moment, I found a quiet corner in the busy mall and had my first conversation with a woman that I am now honored to call a cherished friend. She told me how blown away she and Darryl were by what was happening. She also told me that they were struggling mightily with even the thought of accepting donations that they hadn’t solicited.
I apologized that my spontaneous action had caused them any more stress. She assured me that they weren’t at all upset with me, but that Darryl’s pride made it very difficult for him to accept what he perceived to be charity when, all his life, he had been a provider and giver to others.
I told Janine that I understood completely and would feel the same way if I were in Darryl’s shoes. She then asked me something that I didn’t expect: What had I thought they should do with the money when I established the fund?
I responded that I didn’t know enough about the details of their current situation to answer that beyond pure speculation. I then told her that when I was halfway through Tim Graham’s article one name popped into my head – Junior Seau. Seau, a linebacking contemporary of Darryl’s, committed suicide in 2012 by placing a shotgun to his heart and pulling the trigger. Postmortem studies showed that he was suffering from deep depression caused by CTE damage – the same issues currently facing Darryl.
Tears were shed on both sides of the phone call. We agreed to keep in touch.
By this point media coverage was off of the hook. The fund was over $90,000 and looked like it would reach it’s $100,000 goal in a little over 48 hours – amazing.
My inbox was bursting with updates from the fund and media interview requests. In 24 hours, the fund had become a feature story on such lofty national outlets as, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, CBS Sports and USA Today.
I am the Tourism Director for the Hilton Fallsview Hotel ( niagarafallshilton.com/ ) and I went to work that Saturday with the dual task of serving the guests of our hotel and running things from the control center of what I was affectionately calling the “Talleyverse.”
In one surreal moment I helped some guests with one of our award-winning tours then answered my phone to find myself talking with Darren Rovell of ESPN. He interviewed me and his subsequent column helped prove words that I had spoken 32 years prior, to my all-league tennis doubles partner Bill Storr, most prophetic.
“One day, Billy boy,” I’d said after an especially satisfying 5-set win, “I’m going to be the top story on ESPN.”
Sure, it wasn’t quite like I had imagined back in the days when a picture of the never-smiling Bjorn Borg hung over my boyhood bed, but I had indeed delivered. You can read it here:
Shortly thereafter the fund eclipsed $100,000 – in only 58 hours after it had been launched.
Part of the reason that it had moved so fast was due to the behind-the-scenes help of some angels that I met along the way. Charles Pellien of Bills Fan Thunder contacted me and I knew that he was an old friend that I’d only just met. He has insider access to some of Darryl’s former teammates, which would prove invaluable and his guidance was greatly appreciated.
Another member of Bills Fan Thunder, Diane Werling, got the word out to Bills backers groups all across America and they responded the way that only fans of the greatest team in all the world can, by opening up their hearts and their wallets to take care of one of their own.
Speaking of loyal fans, the followers of the West Virginia Mountaineers, where Darryl had played his college ball, stepped forward and quickly made it known that Darryl had the fan base of more than one former team guarding his back. Mountaineer Nation threw themselves behind the fund and I will forever be humbled and honored to have come to know the great people of West Virginia.
Now, one of the aspects of the whole story that astounds me the most is what happened after the fund eclipsed its goal. I naturally thought that it would end right there. I figured people would hear about it, click on the link, see that the fund had met its goal and move on.
Never underestimate the generous hearts of Bills and WVU fans. The fund didn’t stop at $100,000, it just keep chugging onward.
Janine and I talked some more and she revealed to me that, after talking with some of his former teammates and their wives, Darryl agreed that accepting the money was the proper thing to do. I contacted John Wawrow of the Associated Press and asked him to do the release.
We capped the fund at $152,909. It had raised that amount in just 12 days and would probably still be receiving funds if I hadn’t closed it to donations.
I did one more round of media and fortunately, my good friends at WGRZ-TV posted my full interview online so that I could do my best to properly summerize all that had transpired.
http://www.wgrz.com/media/cinematic/video/20210879/frank-croisdale-talks-about-talley-donations/
The word miracle gets thrown around a lot. Sometimes it seems too trite, like in the case of lottery winners. Other times, like in the biblical sense, with things like the parting of the Red Sea or the burning bush, one has to wonder are they to be taken literally or are they simply parables meant to teach a larger lesson?
But in this case, my friends, I think miracle is just the right word to describe what became known as the “Rally for Talley.”
Take out just one element – Tim Graham’s great piece of writing, the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday spirit, the immediacy of the GoFundMe launch, the unfathomable depths of love and generosity in the hearts of Bills and WVU fans – and it probably doesn’t happen.
But put them all together and you get exactly what transpired – a fan base circling the wagons for a former player in an unprecedented show of unity, love and giving. For a few magical days, it was one of the top sports stories in all of America and it had nothing to do with winning or losing, steroids or drug use or cheating or gambling.
Imagine that.
What it was all about was showcasing the unique bond that exists between a special player and the fans whose lives he touched. It was about everyone giving a little so that, collectively, we gave a lot. It was about speaking from the heart while the person who could be healed by your words was still alive to hear it.
It was an action that very well may have saved the life of one of the most beloved Bills of all-time.
To everyone that donated funds or sent such stirring words of encouragement, on behalf of the Talley family and myself I say, “Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.”
You delivered the best Christmas present that the sports world has ever witnessed.
[by Frank Thomas Croisdale]
email Frank at: nfreporter@aol.com
Chris, that should be ” raised, Dave,” not adage in my reply. Lol
Fantastic job
Thank you, Frank Croisdale, for setting up the fund in the first place. Because you cared, others were able to show how much we cared too.
No, thank you Frank. Thank you for caring. Thank you for allowing us here in Mountaineer Nation the opportunity to help a man that brought us much joy and many wonderful memories. Our beloved Mountaineers mean the world to us and many of us consider those athletes to be members of an extended family. We have a saying, “Once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer.” I for one will always consider you a Mountaineer because of what you did for one of our own. God bless you and the Talleys.
May God bless you, The Talley’s, and all that were involved. I’ve never been prouder to be a Bills fan, than I was the day I first saw your “GoFund” on Facebook. May you all have an even Happier New Year!
I donated around 9 am Thanksgiving morning. The fund was a mere amount of what it reached. I kept hitting refresh which almost seemed for the next week. As the amount raised. I smiled. I was excited to see fans of the sport coming together. I’ve always been a Bills fan, but that left a lasting impression. I have never, nor will ever be more proud to call myself a Bills fan! Kudos to you Mr. Croisdale for starting that snowball that turned into an avalanche. Merry Christmas to you sir. C
I know you weren’t involved in other fund raisers, but any idea what the Rally fire Talley shirts raised?
I don’t know how much the “Rally for Talley” shirts raised, adage, but I bought two of them and think they look great. People can get one by clicking rallyfortalley.org
Also, Del Reid of Bills Mafia, another great guy I met along the way, sold a Gridiron Greats shirt that Darryl endorsed.
That’s okay, my phone auto corrected to “Rally fire Talley” instead of “for”.
I bought a long sleeve shirt and see it listed as their best seller, but didn’t know any update.