14

 And now I'm half-way through the final semester of my long teaching career. My students were pretty good this week, and hopefully it will carry over next week as we have one more week until spring break. Today I popped into Walmart's to pick up something before leaving Burlington, and in the space of five minutes ran into a former student, my friend Deb from the Food Shelf, and Brother Yunus from the mosque, which just about sums up so much of my life over the last few years. My former students had taken my Ibn Khaldun class a few years ago, and he talked about how much he had enjoyed the class and how much he felt he had learned; professors never tire of hearing from their former students (especially the happy ones), since it gives us some hope that we're still making a difference.

And thanks to Jack Coan for loaning me his number 14 for the countdown. I thought I would change things up and feature a player just beginning his career, and not an all-star or a CFL Hall of Famer. Coan is the backup quarterback for the Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders, which, unfortunately for him, means he doesn't get a lot of playing time. The tickets have been purchased for this summer's Winnipeg/Saskatchewan doubleheader, so I might seem him get in some snaps (especially in those important 3rd and 1 situations). He played his college ball at Wisconsin and Notre Dame. I noted that he is from Sayville, New York, the home of the esteemed Sanford Zale. Today at the Breakfast of Excellence, Sandy told me that his father's knows Jack's family, so it is a small world.