"I'm here to tell you, separate was never equal."
In Crenshaw's speech, he highlights the changes society has undergone since he was in high school. He doesn't condemn Coach Rake for most of the unethical practices of the day, but he does blame the times. The past is painful for Crenchsaw, and he's trying to somehow atone for past wrongs by speaking out against them now.
"'Miss him?' Another slow sip. 'How can you not miss Rake once you’ve played for him? I see his face every day. I hear his voice. I can smell him sweating. I can feel him hitting me, with no pads on. I can imitate his growl, his grumbling, his bitching. I remember his stories, his speeches, his lessons. I remember all forty plays and all thirty-eight games when I wore the jersey. My father died four years ago and I loved him dearly, but, and this is hard to say, he had less influence on me than Eddie Rake.”'
Crenshaw's opinion of Rake is interesting because he places so much in the man's credit. To Crenshaw in his vulnerable teenage years spent more time and attention under Rake's influence than his own father's. Consequently he continues to live according to Rake's instruction since it was so formative to his sense of identity and accomplishment. He never misses Rake because he can never escape the man.
“We were invincible because we were eighteen and stupid.”
Crenshaw has removed himself sufficiently from the past to narrate it from an outside perspective. He recognizes that his worldview was incomplete when he was in high school. That's why Rake was given so much influence in his life at an early age. In his speech, Crenshaw expresses how that felt for him and his friends -- to believe they were untouchable.
“You count the years until you get a varsity jersey, then you're a hero, an idol, a cocky bastard because in this town you can do no wrong. You win and win and you're the king of your own little world, then poof, it's gone. You play your last game and everybody cries. You can't believe it's over. Then another team comes right behind you and you're forgotten.”
In retrospect, Crenshaw wishes he could warn his younger self of the fleeting nature of his dominance. The trophy was so important in high school, but it was immediately forgotten after graduation. All of those high school accomplishments seem sort of meaningless to Crenshaw today, but he remembers when they meant the world to him. His is a lesson in humility.
