Remembering “Scotty”

His locker remains untouched since that fateful day last November.

Candles, a small picture, and dried flowers, have transformed the

locker into a memorial shrine. Heck, even his shoes remain locked up.

Nobody will be able to walk in the shoes of Steven “Scotty” Lang, who

collapsed during practice last November 15 and died later that day at

Orange Coast Medical Center.

But the spirit of No. 75, a big, gentle 6-foot-6, 280 giant, will live

on at Fountain Valley High. In testament to their fellow student and

comrade in the trenches, the Barons have dedicated their 2000 season in

honor of Lang.

The Barons wore helmet decals in remembrance of Lang during last

Friday’s season opener against Dana Hills. Eventually, Coach Eric Johnson

would like to see a patch put on each player’s jersey.

“We wanted to do something in honor of Scotty, and we’ll wear a patch

or something on our uniform in his honor,” Johnson said. “He was a great

kid, and we want to keep his memory alive on the field.”

Lang, Johnson said, would have started at left tackle in what would

have been his junior year.

Last November’s tragedy brought the team even closer, he said, in ways

that he never had anticipated.

Lang’s death happened near the end of Johnson’s first year as head

coach at the school.

“I think that Scotty’s passing probably made the kids think a little

deeper about a lot of things in life,” Johnson said. “The whole situation

seemed like it was surreal. We were all numb, and we coped the best way

we knew how. I’ve coached football for a long time, but nothing prepared

me for that.”