It has become the apt question in the 13 years since Sept. 11, 2001.

Where were you?

As Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer recalled his 9/11 experience at his weekly press conference on Thursday, he took long pauses in between words and phrases. It wasn’t for a lack of memory, but another flash of Shafer’s patriotism and emotional connection to the United States military.

“Well it was horrible, first and foremost. It was horrible,” Shafer said. “Let us never forget what happened. You know, it was horrible.”

Shafer was the defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois at the time and was living with his wife Missy, and two kids, Wolfgang and Elsa, in DeKalb, Illinois. On the morning of the fatal tragedy, Shafer was watching film, the old-fashioned way, and CNN was on the television. Every time he clicked the tape out to put in another, images of what was happening in New York and Washington D.C. appeared on the screen.

“What the heck’s going on here?” he recalls thinking.

Five minutes later the second of the World Trade Center towers was hit and Joe Novak — Northern Illinois’ head coach from 1996-2007 — told Shafer and the other coaches to call their families and make sure everyone was OK.

Shafer left the film room and went home to be with Missy, Wolfgang and Elsa for the rest of that day, and has seen a changed country ever since.

“Ever since then, we’ve looked at life in these states so different, every one one of us,” Shafer said. “… It’s just profound. We look at life differently now. As parents, you get older and look at it and it’s crazy.

“Before 9/11 and after 9/11.”

Published on September 11, 2014 at 12:26 pm

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse