Tribute to Steve Bumm

By Mike Gibson
This Saturday, Temple will play Kent State at Lincoln Financial Field.
Like so many other Saturdays, I will be looking over my shoulder, anticipating Steve Bumm tapping me on the shoulder to talk some Temple football. Steve always flew up from Fort Myers, Fla., for the Temple games or at least a couple of Temple games every year.
Most of the time we'd talk about the old days, the way things were when Temple won all the time, seemingly, and bemoan the more current era where the opposite was true.
Steve was always the greatest guy to talk to because he was at Temple before me and could connect the dots when we compared, say, Temple quarterbacks of the 70s with Temple quarterbacks of the 60s.
Or the 80s.
Or the 90s.
We saw most all of them.
My favorite was Tim Riordan for his toughness, smarts and leadership.
His was Marty Ginestra for many of the same qualities.
I was looking for Steve Bumm on the Saturday of the Louisville game, but he wasn't there. I knew he died almost a year ago, but old habits are hard to break. The link in this paragraph is recommended reading from the Ft. Myers' paper.
I will be looking for him again on Saturday at the Temple game and he won't be there but it will feel like he's there every time I make the walk from the tailgate into the stadium or walk around the ramps or stop to watch a TV behind the concession stands, places Steve and I used to talk.
And maybe he is. At least in spirit.