privileged: while there are many different definitions of this word, especially in today’s climate, i can only think of one definition that fully encompasses the term, and that is having had firsthand experiences with rafer johnson and family. when i saw him light the cauldron in 1984, the summer before my enrollment in ucla, i surely did NOT grasp what it would mean to don the same blue and gold that this legend had worn. seeing him at every meet, i began to understand the shadow he casts on EVERY bruin, in every sport, who strives for greatness--you could argue (and it would NOT be a one sided argument in the least) that jackie robinson may be the only bruin who casts a longer shadow. but upon graduating in 1989, i got to see firsthand the man and father that rafer is when i started coaching at windward high school; even though i never got to coach his kids, i couldn’t help then, and i can’t help now, but be impressed with how they honor their father with their own impressive accomplishments, but more importantly, with their character. just as he was at every ucla track banquet, rafer was at every windward banquet (they were all-sport for this small private school), and it was clear he was supporting his kids in all the right ways that dads are supposed to, and it was clear he was supporting ALL the athletes in all the right ways that an olympian is supposed to. while i probably only accumulated less than an hour of conversation with him in the 31 years i’ve been a bruin, it was amazing how this soft-spoken giant, with a few words, made you want to be a better person. privileged indeed...