Our team struggled that year and when we played Box Elder we got trounced. After the game however, during handshakes, some of their players handed a 20th birthday card to one of our players suggesting he'd held himself back so that he'd look better while playing (kid was the anchor of our team.) Things got pretty tense after that.

While I was trying to hold my teammate back from knocking someone out and trying to steer him toward the bus, Putnam went out of his way to try and apologize on behalf of his players. Timing was bad because everyone's blood was still pumping from the game, but it was a class act move on his part -only Box Elder to do so IIRC-from my viewpoint, and I never forgot that genuine gesture of sportsmanship.

Ran into him a few years later at a Blue/White game, spoke briefly, he recalled the incident and that there were some knuckleheads on that team. It was good to circle back. Always was a fan, he's a good man.