CREEK’S BISSELL TRIES TO ADD TO FAMILY LEGACY
Cherry Creek’s Dade Bissell trying to add to family football legacy
Dade Bissell can’t get past the shoulder pads.
“Look how wide they are! Those shoulder pads are huge!” Bissell said as he studied a faded photo of his father. “And he had that shortcut jersey to show off his midsection. Awesome.”
The photo in question is from 1991. Dade’s dad, J.B. Bissell, is standing next to legendary Longmont High School coach Gordon Cramer. That was a golden era for the Trojans, who won three consecutive state titles from 1989-91 and put together a winning streak that eventually reached 45 games.
J.B. wore No. 44, played middle linebacker and was Longmont’s team captain. Dade wears No 44, plays inside linebacker and is the senior team captain for the top-ranked Cherry Creek Bruins (12-0), who play Pomona (8-4) on Saturday in the Class 5A state semifinals.
Like father, like son?
“We are a lot alike in a lot of ways, but Dade is a better pure football player than I was, and I’ve been telling people that forever,” said J.B., 45, who’s the current president of the boosters known as the Cherry Creek Touchdown Club.
When J.B. played high school football, he stood 6-feet, 230 pounds. His 18-year-old son stands 6-1, 220. Dade is the heart of the Bruins’ defense and good enough to have drawn interest from CSU-Pueblo, Black Hills State and Chadron State.
“Dade loves football and he’s got a great passion for the game,” Cherry Creek defensive coordinator Tom Dougherty said. “He’s just such a blue-collar guy; a lowmaintenance guy. He’s even got that old-school mullet going on. He reminds me of one of my buddies back in the day.”
Head coach Dave Logan, whose Bruins lost 24-14 to Valor Christian in last year’s state championship game, added: “Dade is as close to a throwback player as we have. He’s just a physically tough kid who’s worked hard in the weight room and has worked himself into a two-year starter and team captain.”
Dade, by the way, was named for Dade County, Fla., where his dad earned a master’s degree in journalism at the University of Miami and became a huge fan of the once-powerful Hurricanes football program.
It seems preordained that Dade would become a football player.
After high school, his dad played football at Colorado College. It was there that he met his wife, Michelle.
“I was an athletic trainer and we met on the first day of two-a-days his freshman year,” she recalled. “We were friends first and we didn’t start dating until we were seniors. Just like J.B., I’ve always loved football.”
When Dade was 5 years old, he took a bike ride around Bible Park with his mom when he witnessed an Arapahoe Youth League football game. Much to his chagrin, he had to wait another year until he was old enough to play. So began his football obsession.
“I think I can best explain Dade’s love of football this way,” said J.B., who coached his son in youth football through the eighth grade. “Since he was 6 years old, Dade’s never missed a single regular-season practice or game. Never.”
Dade’s grandmother Lynn Bissell is 80 years old, but she still attends all of his games. She was in the stands last Friday night when Cherry Creek rallied from a 20-7 deficit to beat Fairview 42-28 at the frigid Stutler Bowl.
“I actually think it’s harder on her now to watch Dade than it was to watch me,” J.B. said. “Mom looked kind of frazzled, and when she came down to the field after the game she just kind of shook her head.”
Lynn still lives in Longmont, just a block away from Everly-Montgomery Field, where the Trojans built a football dynasty nearly three decades ago. It was at his grandmother’s house where Dade watched videos of his dad playing in three state title games.
“It’s pretty cool to watch,” Dade said. “But those state championship games are all on VSC tape or whatever. That’s pretty old school.”
To which his dad laughed and said: “Dade, it’s VHS!”
Dade might not know about the wonders of the VCR, but he’s impressed by his dad’s football legacy.
“I’ve asked a lot about it. I thought it was cool,” he said. “Going undefeated is super hard, especially for that long, so I thought it was super cool.”
J.B. is careful not to sound like the character in Bruce Springsteen’s song “Glory Days,” but he wants to make sure his son understands how special this chance is.
“I’ve told Dade that this is something that nobody can take away,” J.B. said. “Winning those state titles was not the height of my life, but it was a highlight. So I have tried to impart to Dade how important it is.
“I’ve talked to his buddies, too. I say, ‘Guys, you never get this back. This is literally a once-in-alifetime shot. Because once you are done, you are done with high school football forever. Embrace it.’ ”