Really sad to hear Sammy Schafer will not be able to again play basketball for Air Force.
In the dark days of 2008-2009, when the Falcons had tumbled to the very bottom of college basketball, Schafer served as a towering, encouraging beacon of light. He was a ridiculously skinny, always hustling freshman center. He stood 6-foot-11 and weighed 201 pounds (at best) but he understood the game and he was alone on that team in his understanding of the Princeton offense.
His potential was obvious. So was his contagious spirit. His teammates moped around, but Schafer played as if he were attending a wild, happy party. He shook his fists and shouted with joy after blocking shots and slapped his teammates on the back. Those teammates resembled mourners at a funeral.
But Sammy always – always – was having a good time, even in defeat.
“Basketball to me is first of all a game, and I’m going out to have fun. I’m out there to learn about life and to enjoy it,” Sammy told me after an especially ugly defeat to Vegas during his freshman season.
He would have added bulk and eventually become a force in the middle. His big brother, Ray, had been skinny but had transformed to mighty. Ray, then playing pro ball in Japan, weighed 250 pounds. Sammy was headed to the same destination. He might have become an all-Mountain West performer kind of player by his senior season.
Schafer suffered a concussion early in his sophomore season and later struggled with post-concussion troubles. He’s still struggling. He talked with The Gazette’s Frank Schwab this week and said he won’t be able to return to the academy or to the basketball team.
He had a special spirit. His optimism was unconquerable. He was a symbol of better days ahead even while the Falcons were getting massacred night after night.
Those better days have arrived, but he’s not here to enjoy them.
And that’s sad.
Deeply sad.
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David, one thing we will always agree upon is that Sammy was and IS the kind of kid we want to have at the Academy and as a leader in our Air Force. I feel so bad for Sammy and will continue to have him in my thoughts and prayers….a good kid and I’m sure a better friend to anyone that might have the fortune to meet him. Take Care Sammy, your friends out here are thinking of you! (and indeed, in his three games at the beginning of the season prior to his concussion he was shooting 47% FG, 40% 3pt and in only 66minutes had 13 rebounds…he would have been a force and would have been a senior this season!) Rick ’77
Wellwritten David.
All the best to you Sammy. You were and are a special young man, I well remember what one of your stated ambitions was in life, “to be President of the United States”. Don’t give up that ambition! I also well remember what you said at a Friends of Air Force Basketball (FOAFBB) meeting your first year when you and all your fellow freshmen basketball players were asked why you came to the AFA. You said “because I heard it was a big party school and thh women are hot!”. Another quoteable Sammy Schafer classic! Take care young man and God Bless! We thank you for your contributions to the AFA abd wish you well.
Good Luck Sammy. I hope that your body heals and you go on to do great things.
These stories often go untold, and its sad. Thanks Dave for the reporting. As the son of an Academy grad (’70), I consistently root for Academy sports and it seems like Sammy embodies the Air Force spirit. My prayers go out to him.