Chandler Basha coach Tim McBurney prides himself on molding teams with toughness, but even he has his vices.
As the monsoon exploded in the East Valley and wreaked havoc on Friday night’s football, lightning, and a reminder, flashed before him.
A big proponent of the monsoon season - “I get sick of blue skies everyday. Give me a storm anyday” - McBurney’s adoration for the climate change almost got too close for comfort.
McBurney was coaching at Tempe High in the early 1980s. On a late August evening, the Buffaloes were having an intra-squad scrimmage while a storm was brewing nearby.
The team played on, until a bolt of lightning struck one of the light poles at the stadium.
A videotape was set up on the sidelines to film blocking schemes and techniques. Instead, it showed a white flash, 30-odd guys diving to the ground with the smell of burned hair surrounding them. The Bufffaloes sprinted indoors and no one was injured.
“I’ve never messed with it again,” he said. “I’ll never question that judgement call.”
