Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

NFL star found his way into oral surgery

I admit it, sports consume my life. I’ve tried to convince people otherwise, but to be frank, it’s an argument I will never win. I cannot remember any particular instance in which sports has not been an integral aspect of my existence. I play sports, I watch sports, I study sports, and I write about sports. Not to mention my preferred television show is Sportscenter and my favored magazine is Sports Illustrated.

This past summer, however, I realized that my life is utterly soaked in the concept of sports when, well, even the simple act of having my wisdom teeth extracted was enormously sports-related.

Any average adolescent remembers the day that he had his wisdom teeth taken out. Whether it’s the pain or the swelling, most reactions were along the lines of negativity. Conversely, for me, the event will always be outlined by one overriding detail: A former NFL player was the one who took my wisdom teeth out. That’s right, my oral surgeon played for the 49ers in the 1970s.

It is only appropriate that a football legend like Ken MacAfee M.D. be the one to extract my four wisdom teeth. I can still remember sitting in the dentist chair three weeks before my scheduled extraction. MacAfee’s thunderous thumping footsteps drew closer and closer. It was hard to believe: there I was, sitting in the awkwardly tilted chair, waiting for, not just an oral surgeon, but rather an athletic star.

An athlete that did not only attend Notre Dame during his college years, but caught 128 passes for 1,759 yards and 15 touchdowns as a tight end. An athlete that was a three-time All-American and finished third in the 1977 Heisman Trophy voting, the highest ranking of collegiate football players.

As MacAfee entered through the door, it was difficult not to focus on the contrast of his towering height and the undersized room. What was unexpected was the amiable personality of this 6-foot-4-inch, 250 lb. colossal figure that, needless to say, roomed with O.J. Simpson at one point during his NFL career. The second striking question that came to mind was how did a former football star end up as an oral surgeon in Waltham, MA?

I hit the Internet instantaneously following my pre-op to get the scoop on Ken. Following his NFL career with the 49ers and Notre Dame, MacAfee achieved his dental degree at the University of Pennsylvania. His post-football life began at that point and it is only fitting that 22 years later, he was pulling out my four wisdom teeth.

In a sports world that is notorious for countless troublesome athletes, it gives a glimmer of hope to sports fans like me to see someone like MacAfee thrive in a business other than football.

On June 20, 2005, due to the sedation injected into me, I did not interact with or remember a whole lot of the College Football Hall of Famer as my teeth were yanked, although his humor before the process made the experience somewhat less excruciating.

Prior to the procedure, as the IV was about to be put into my arm, MacAfee instructed me to make a fist with my left hand in order to enlarge the vein.

“You can relax your fist now,” MacAfee said, after the IV was stuck into my arm. “That is, unless you’re going to use that left hook on me.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” I responded instantly.

I was serious.

-Eric Athas is a Collegian Columnist.

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