Memories of Michael Andrew Hufford

Big Springs

November 7, 2019

Way, way back a group of us went up to Hat Creek for a fishing trip. Hard to remember who wall was there - me, Mike, dad, Nate, and some others. We were fishing off of Clint's Bridge and I dropped my line into the water and let it go under the bridge out of view. The bridge was probably about 8-10 feet above the water. Of course I hooked a "monster" and was trying to decide how to get it up onto the bridge. There was no access to the water on either side of the bridge. I told Mike I was just going to pull it up and hope the line didn't break. Mike looked over the side and apparently saw what I had hooked. He looked at me and said, "No you're not", very much like Chief Brody when he said, "We're gonna need a bigger boat." Mike then just jumped over the bridge, and I lost view of him. He started yelling to throw down one of our creels. I looked over the bridge and saw Mike, in the freezing water, pinning the German Brown Trout I hooked to the bottom of the creek. He found a shallow area that was about 3-4 inches deep and was holding it down. He wrestled it into the creel and we pulled him out of the water. Celebratory beers followed. Who else would do that?

March 21, 2019

I am posting this on behalf of my sister Connie, aka “The AC”

I remember when Bob and Annie moved their family up to Pleasanton California. They all had to be in Pleasanton but Michael wanted to stay in Orange to participate in the All Star Game for Little League. He stayed with Grandma Mickey and after the games were over I took him to the airport to fly to Oakland.

The team had given him a new bat as a going away present and he was so proud of it. I recall him carrying his bat through the airport (pre 9/11) and when he was ready to board the plane the flight attendant reached out to take it from him. He was barely taller than the bat but he was not about to let it go. The flight attendant explained that she would put it in a safe place on board the plane and he eventually let her take it.

I can still see his face as he resisted her. He had worked hard for that bat and wasn’t about to give it up without a fight.

1991

March 16, 2019

In December 1991 I came home from Okinawa, Japan, for a few weeks of leave while I was in the Marines. I had to fly home on a military flight and was in uniform. When I got off the plane at LAX I was immediately flanked by Mike and Gary Otley. They were both wearing Raiders jerseys and Gary had a boom box, carried on his shoulder, with Tower of Power playing full blast. Seeing them was an awesome sight for me and quite a sight for everyone else in the airport. From there we go to a Los Angeles Raiders game at the coliseum. At that game I bought three inflatible plastic Raiders helmets and we wore them for the entire game. Then we wore them for the entire drive back up to P-town. The we checked the durability of the helmets by tackling and head butting each other. I don't know what those football players are complaining about!! Little did I know the helmets would be worn by world famous Liquid Courage for various gigs. Here is Liquid Courage wearing one of the helmets.

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