Editor's Note:  This is the eighth piece in a series of stories shared by Gorillas to Gorillas as we all embark upon this new "season" in our lives. These certainly are unprecedented times, for young and old alike. Our hope is for Gorilla student-athletes, past and present, coaches and members of Gorilla Nation to read these pieces, awaken their Gorilla memories and then compose their own story to share with us. There is strength in numbers.
 
So the thoughts of being a Gorilla and the present day are book-ended by tragedies of a different sort.

The day I stepped on campus for my recruiting visit is remembered for something completely different. It was April 19, 1995. The visit was going fine. I'd met Coach Jewett and I was getting a tour of the new Overman Student Center. And we walked right down into the basement of the student union as word was coming out about the Oklahoma City bombing. Wow! That will change the life of a 17-year-old really quick!

That wasn't the reason I didn't go to Pitt State straight out of high school. I simply wasn't ready yet and Hutchinson Community College gave me the time to grow as an athlete and save some money for the transfer in two years. By the time I came for another visit two years later, I was ready. It was Pittsburg State or Emporia State. Not a hard decision at all. I felt the camaraderie on my visit to Pitt, staying the entire weekend and soaking up the campus life. I had a three-hour tour at Emporia and went back to class at Hutch.

I showed up for practice in August 1997 and we had seven men on the cross country team. Seven, and one was a guy who ran the 400. We looked like the first day of Spring Training in "Major League." But man did we gel quickly.

That first year was rough. I remember Coach Jewett taking us on a weekly workout in Mulberry that included half-mile hill repeats, anywhere from four to eight. I was a 5k/10k guy, so you know how many I had. Coach told us we would thank him at the end of the season for that workout. We didn't believe him. And then after a very poor showing at MIAA, we went to Kenosha, Wisconsin for the Great Lakes Regional. Tim Puetz and I grinned as we stared at that hill at the start knowing we had run it dozens of times that season.  We did nothing but pick people off on the second loop, me pointing and going left while Tim went right. We finished seventh of eight teams at MIAA, but eighth of about 30 teams at Regionals. The gelling had begun and our eyes were already on a chance for Nationals in 1998.

Then of course I almost destroyed my ankle after the indoor intrasquad meet. Amanda Davied may miss the Weede bleachers, but I sure don't!!

My senior year the cross country team did go to the national meet, for the first time in seven years, and knew it was a game changer.  No we never won conference in cross country or track, but that was OK.  We knew we were setting the next generation up for success. 

But it wasn't just cross country and track. Pitt State Athletics was a tight bunch. I remember several nights going straight from practice to a ball game. The cross country and track teams ruled the student section. Nobody wanted to sit by us because most of us hadn't showered yet.

I stayed around almost another decade, helping out as a graduate assistant and working for the Morning Sun.  Minus two years gone for deployments, there weren't many days I wasn't in the Weede for something, usually interviewing a coach as I covered just about every sport.

One of my most proud moments as an alum came in May 2005.  I logged onto my computer in our company area in Iraq and checked The Morning Sun website.  On the front page was a picture of Jeff Unruh celebrating after anchoring the men's 4 x 400 to victory, giving the Gorillas just enough points for the men's outdoor title! There is nothing more exciting than when the title comes down to the final event!

I've still stayed around, helping out at meets when I can, going to football games during the football team's national title run in 2011, listening to the roars back and forth during the NCAA Division II Indoor National Meet and the Women's Regional Basketball Tournament in the same building in 2016! Man, I love the Plaster Center! A very small part of you says, "I wish we had that when I was here." But the proud Gorilla in you says, "That's awesome! These kids deserve this!"

And now here we are. I feel for these kids, many who weren't even born when I graduated. They lost their season, and maybe their career, over something they can't control. At least in my case I knew my career was ending that last time I lined up for the 5000 meters on Mother's Day Weekend in 1999.

But if I know one thing about this generation, they're resilient. They may not be practicing together in person, but they're practicing together all right. Thank God for technology. When these tough youngsters report back to campus, it will probably be like they never left. Like myself, when they report back to practice, it will be likely seeing an old friend. I've been blessed by my membership in the Gorilla Athletics fraternity, and I look forward to seeing your successes in the future – on the court, the gridiron and the track; or in the war rooms of corporations or Iraq (hopefully not the latter). Stay safe out there.

Peter Euler
 
Peter Euler was a six-time All-MIAA performer for the Pittsburg State cross country and track & field teams from 1997-99. After finishing his athletic career, he enrolled in the Pitt State ROTC program while working on a master's degree. He is currently a Major in the Kansas Army National Guard. He has worked full-time for the KSARNG for 10 years. He currently lives and works in his hometown of Leavenworth, Kan.
 
Please share your own personal stories/thoughts via email to dwilkes@pittstate.edu. We want to share them! (PSU Athletics reserves the right to edit content for space and appropriateness. We cannot promise to publish every submission, but we will do our best.) Thanks Gorilla Nation!

Through the Eyes of a Gorilla Archives
Vol. I - Dan Wilkes, Associate AD/Communications (Apr. 3)
Vol. II - Levi Wyrick, Football/Track & Field Athlete (Apr. 7)
Vol. III - Amanda Davied, Women's Basketball Coach (Apr. 10)
Vol. IV - Chris Hanna, PSU Alum/Football Athlete (Apr. 13)
Vol. V - Jeff Moreland, PSU Alum/Football Athlete (Apr. 15)
Vol. VI - Emily Hanenberg, Volleyball Athlete (Apr. 17)
Vol. VII - Ashley Balazs, Softball Coach (Apr. 20)