By ED BAKER

Remember the days of the dedicated football player. The guy that would “Give it all for the Gipper?” or ask the coach to put him in?

For the most part those days are forever gone, but one such youth still exists in DeKalb County.

Chuck Nichols, a senior at Druid Hills High, was virtually unnoticed in his plight to return to prep football.

Nichols has seen his share of operating tables, scars and bad times. In three years he spent 10 hours on operating tables — all of which required delicate and serious surgery.

In the 10th grade Nichols broke his knee in a B-team football game and required two pins to be inserted in his right leg. In the 11th grade his luck failed once again.

Nichols family, vacationing in Pensacola, Fla., were involved in an expressway collision in which Chuck was hurled from the car, luckily landing in a sand pile. He suffered a broken thigh and needed a 16-inch rod inserted so that he could walk.

After eight weeks in a Pensacola hospital, Chuck joined his severely injured mother, who were allowed to return to Atlanta to recuperate.

Chuck, a better than average student, was confined to a wheelchair and with the assistance of the Bell System, had his classes piped in through a complex intercom system so he wouldn’t fall behind.

“Everything was going great. I was feeling better and my leg felt stronger until I tried to answer the telephone while the wheels on my chair locked. I thought I could walk a foot to pick up the phone, but was I wrong,” Nichols said.

The two-foot walk was a mistake, as Nichols’ leg collapsed, necessitating another operation. This time two holes were drilled in his leg and pins inserted.

“I felt I was doomed. Nothing seemed to be going right. If it wasn’t my knee, it was my thigh, if it wasn’t my thigh it was my knee.”

The shy, blood-headed youth didn’t give up. He said he had something to prove to himself. His friends thought he would prove his insanity, and his parents did too.

“I wanted to play football and that was that. I talked with my doctor and he said it was all right, as long as all I did was kick. I spoke with Coach Rakestraw and he was glad to have me since last year’s kicker graduated,” Nichols said.

“Nichols could do it, and wasn’t even concerned about getting hurt again. I did realize if I did get hurt I might not ever be able to walk again. It’s just something I had to prove.”

And that he did. Nichols had little chance to show his ability and desire, for the Red Devils made no field goal attempts for the season, but he kicked nine of 10 extra points.

“We just went a field goal kicking team once in practice. I kicked a 48-yard field goal and in a B-team game I kicked a 38-yarder. The most important thing however, it wasn’t a waste, I proved something to myself.”

“I’m not through yet. I intend on playing baseball again in the spring, and would really like to go to Auburn and try out as a placekicker. It might sound outlandish, but I want to give it a shot.”

And who’s to say he can’t do it?