John Snipes

[devilirium]

I had theprivilege of delivering a eulogy for him yesterday. I knew The Heel Raiser for over 20 yrs. As UNC fans go, he was passionate but never petty. His dad, who had soldpeanuts at '42 Rose Bowl, was on his way to Duke before Frank Porter Graham got to him. I wish people would've known him--he was a character--a groomsman in my wedding, andalways the first to call me to offer congrats if Duke pulled one out over UNC. He never called if UNC won, but we had fun at one another's expense. I'm grateful to have known him and to have shared some stories about him in the N&O and the Chapelboro sites. This is one Devil that misses him like hell.

[devilirium]

Lastly, I wanted to thank DBR for taking the time to honor him. Not an easy thing to do given his allegiances.

[MartyClark]

Sorry for your loss. He sounds like a guy with whom you could enjoy an adult beverage. Best wishes.

[PaIronDuke]

Lastly, I wanted to thank DBR for taking the time to honor him. Not an easy thing to do given his allegiances.

I know we enjoy taking periodic pot-shots at our Columbia-blue rivals (they're such a visible, easy target these days......), but the affectionate nature of the relationship between Devilirium and Mr. Snipes illustrates the best nature of these probably-more-than-one-in-Dukedom friendships.

In a world sometimes seemingly gone haywire, reference to this example of enduring affection and fun is very heartening.............

[devilirium]

Some great followup remarks. A couple of quick notes on John.

He came over to Duke a few times with The Heel Raiser and was met with a good deal of good natured ribbing--which he loved. Normally, he came incognito, though. In one particular instance, I met him at Wade when Duke nearly beat Miami (I think they had 13 players out). John was as vocal for us as any good Duke fan would be. I can remember asking him if he wanted to go down and sit on the bleachers and he said, "Charles, I hope that Duke never loses the wall in Wade. So many times I've been to other facilities and you cannot linger in the tunnel. I understand that design has a lot to with that, but I love the fact that I can lean on the wall and take in the game". So we lingered on the wall for the game, and I noticed when UNC would play us in Wade that he would stay on the wall for the duration.

Another separate story had to do with his Santa appearances. When I visited with him in 2010, he was just at the point where fatigue really didn't bother him (or if it did then he hid it well). His appearances in Chapel Hill and other places gave him a lot of credibility. Coach Smith's family had asked him to Dean's house, and he gladly accepted. But appearing before his idol didn't necessitate that he just fawn over Michelangelo. As John told me, he dressed up and came over and Dean good naturedly played the part of a kid sitting on Santa Snipes' knee. John asked him "Coach Smith, I haven't seen you in awhile. Have you been good?". Dean ignored or didn't haer the last part and said, "Yes, it's been awhile Santa, but I think that I spotted you in a mall the last time we spoke". John told me that he looked at Dean and said, "Coach, I don't do malls anymore". Not a gut busting remark, but one that was playful. All parties seemed to receive it well.

But that was John, he was not a afraid to tweak even the people that he admired. Not to sound maudlin, but I'll miss that more than anything.