Columbine High Tragedy Hits Home

Jon Dubravac lives a five-minute drive from Columbine High, almost went to school there and used to play pickup basketball games there in the summer.

Lovell Houston used to live 15 minutes away and knew Dave Sanders, the teacher who was among the 15 killed during the April 20 shootings in Littleton, Colo.

The tragedy that shocked the nation, and comes to the forefront again today when classes are held at Columbine for the first time since the rampage by two students, has impacted the UCLA football team as well.

Dubravac, a sophomore receiver, and Houston, a redshirt freshman defensive back, may be in Los Angeles with the Bruins, but they’re also very much at home in Denver.

Both are less than a year out of high school. Dubravac would have attended Columbine had he not gone to a private school.

Both Houston, at Jefferson High, and Dubravac, at Mullen High, faced Columbine several times in different sports. And both either knew current students or had friends with younger siblings who were still at Columbine on that fateful day--the brother of one of Dubravac’s friends was 10 feet away as the memorable scene unfolded involving another student flopping himself out of a window.

Houston, also a track star in the area, got to know Sanders through that sport. The two would chat when they crossed paths at meets. Dubravac was at Columbine enough in the summers that he and Sanders used to exchange waves.

The tragedy has remained with them even though they are back in Los Angeles after summer vacation in Colorado. Houston said he regularly thinks and prays for the victims and their families. Dubravac said he also keeps Columbine in mind and would like to support victims’ families by wearing a commemorative sticker or patch on his helmet or uniform, much like pro teams in Denver have done, although NCAA rules prohibit such alterations.

Said Houston: “I think it’s more of a personal thing for me.I can keep them in my mind and keep them in my spirits even if I’m not wearing something.

“I’ll keep them in my heart. That way, they will always stay with me.”