It was one of the best opening college football weekends ever in Oxford and Hattiesburg as Ole Miss and Southern Mississippi launched their new campaigns under new coaches, Houston Nutt and Larry Fedora. Derek Dooley also had a hot time in Ruston as Louisiana Tech shocked Mississippi State.
The Grove was never fuller as picnickers flooded one of College Football's all-time great pre-game palaces. Chancellor Robert Khayat gathered with ole teammates which included All-Americans Charlie Flowers and Billy Ray Adams, Kent Jr. Lovelace, Bobby Ray Franklin, Warren (Beaux) Ball, Warner Alford, Dr. Shed Hill Robertson, Ray Brown and lovely wives and daughters.
Beaux and Beatrice, who live in New Orleans, were concerned about their home in the threatened storm as were Lovelace and Brown about their Gulf Coast residences. Ed Wilburn Hooker, who majored in poker at Ole Miss, recalled the day he was riding with Beaux in their senior year and Beaux pointed at a stately building and said to Ed Wiburn what was the name of the structure and Ed said "It is the Library.,"
The night before I was in Hattiesburg for the P. W. Underwood Roast. I had been invited to be a Roaster and came well prepared only to be told that only to be told that the only Roasters would be former Underwood coaches. I purchased my ticket earlier and it was for a good cause, a scholarship in honor of Underwood. What is my history with Underwood? All I did was recruit him for Coach Pie Vann when I was the Athletic Publicity Director.
I had told Pie that there was a big lineman who attended Mississippi State who was with the Army at Ft. Jackson and had not gotten along with Coach Slick Morton and might not want to return to State. Pie told me to make the contact which I did. Ordinarily you take a prospect to the Library, which I didn't.
After showing Underwood around the campus I parked the car and we got out of the car and sat on a bench by a tall tree where every coed which had to pass to get to the Grill. I told Underwood that I knew he was a good football player and if he came to Southern he would get the publicity because I handled the publicity. I also told him that all of the coeds were attracted to football players and he asked me where did he sign?
I later nick-named him The Undertaker and added that he had a Coffin just your size on the gridiron. It caught on.
] Back to Ole Miss I encountered Liberty Bowl Executive Director Steve Ehrthart and we talked about the passing of founder Bud Dudley and Percy Jr. Roberts, Captain of the 195l Memphis State Tigers and one of the founders of the Highland Hundred Tiger Booster Club. Both passed away in recent weeks. Percy and Bud were both members of the All-American Football Foundation Board of Directors. Percy was also the Godfather of my daughter Joanna. I miss them both and treasured their friendship.
The Liberty Bowl pits a SEC team against a Conference USA team. Wouldn't it be something if the Liberty Bowl sought to pit Ole Miss against Southern Mississippi?
----30------
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
M Club Reunion Enjoyed
The Glory Years Boys gathered for their annul reunion during the University of Mississippi"M" Club weekend in Oxford and it was a pleasure to be included inasmsuch as I covered those great championship teams as Sports Editor-Columnist of the late Jackson State Times which was purchased from the opposition by the competing newspaper combine and closed.
The late Herman Sidney (Eagle) Day preferred to keep the 1954-57 teams separate from the l958-l962 teams so there were two separate parties. Reverend Paige Cothren, All-America kicking star, was the master of ceremonies and paid tribute to Herman Sidney. who died earlier this year along with Bobby Fisher, Lea Pasley, Ed Beatty, Gayle (Tar Baby) Bowman, and coach Ray Poole, Cothren's uncle.
Poole, a field goal star with the New York Giants (Charlie Conerly was his holder) taught his nephew how to kick extra points and field goals, creating another offensive weapon for Johnny Vaught"s Rebels.
Speaking of Vaught, the master innovator, manager Sprout Simpson confessed that the "Go To Hell" Ole Miss sign on the University stadium football carpet was not done by a Mississippi State group of students prior to the traditional Turkey Day weekend but ordered by Vaught himself.
Vaught told his charges that the Rebels should rise to the occasion and gun down their arch rivals by coming in to Hemingway Stadium in the dark of night and leave such a message on the turf.
Prior to an LSU game a plane flew over the Red and Blue field and dropped pink panties on the field, laying the blame on Pepsodent Paul Dietzel and his Bayou Bengal Tigers. Manager Simpson said that John Howard Vaught had a Red and Blue pilot perform this trick.
At this year's M Club reunion another great golf tournament was held with such links warriors as Richard (Possum) Price, Kent Jr. Lovelace, Ralph (Catfish) Smith, Billy Ray Adams, Charlie Flowers, Warner Alford, Art Doty, Dr. Mike Dennis, Dr. Louis Guy, Paul Dongieux, Archie Manning, Jack Cavan, Ed (Sloppy) Horner, Lee Garner, Otho Kortz, and Modest John Dottley among the group.
The Rebs lost another great one in Oscar (Buck) Buchanan when the Memphis Redhead passed away. Buck was a top high school coach before joining the Memphis State staff. He called everyone Coach so he did not have to worry about a fellow's name. His teammate Bobby Wilson died a few weeks earlier as noted in this column.
We missed Chancellor Robert Khayat who always enjoys the M Club Reunion. Billy Kinard, Vaughn (Buddy) Alliston, Eddie Crawford, Cotton Bowl teammates with Eagle Day, were all there and Billy Brewer, a member of the Ole Miss Centennial team as a defensive back, dropped by to say hello. It was good to see Ken Kirk, a star center, whose son passed away duiring the past year and Jimmy Lear and Farley Salmon, star field generals of the 1954 and 1948 Rebs, always enjoy seeing each other. Lear reminds Salmon to take care of himself because he does not want to be Ole Miss' oldest living quarterback.
Ray (Buck) Howell, who caught the first TD pass over Dick Nolan in the Maryland game, was there as were Bobby Franklin, who prolonged his NFL career as the holder for ace kicker Groza in Cleveland, Billy (Momma) Hitt, Tim Ellis, Bobby Crespino, retired banker Chico Taylor, All-American Marvin Terrell and ace chefs, All-American Allen Brown and Red Owens, who prepared the best barbecue I have seen in some time.
All in all, it was a weekend to remember. Let the 2008 College Football Season begin.
----30------
The late Herman Sidney (Eagle) Day preferred to keep the 1954-57 teams separate from the l958-l962 teams so there were two separate parties. Reverend Paige Cothren, All-America kicking star, was the master of ceremonies and paid tribute to Herman Sidney. who died earlier this year along with Bobby Fisher, Lea Pasley, Ed Beatty, Gayle (Tar Baby) Bowman, and coach Ray Poole, Cothren's uncle.
Poole, a field goal star with the New York Giants (Charlie Conerly was his holder) taught his nephew how to kick extra points and field goals, creating another offensive weapon for Johnny Vaught"s Rebels.
Speaking of Vaught, the master innovator, manager Sprout Simpson confessed that the "Go To Hell" Ole Miss sign on the University stadium football carpet was not done by a Mississippi State group of students prior to the traditional Turkey Day weekend but ordered by Vaught himself.
Vaught told his charges that the Rebels should rise to the occasion and gun down their arch rivals by coming in to Hemingway Stadium in the dark of night and leave such a message on the turf.
Prior to an LSU game a plane flew over the Red and Blue field and dropped pink panties on the field, laying the blame on Pepsodent Paul Dietzel and his Bayou Bengal Tigers. Manager Simpson said that John Howard Vaught had a Red and Blue pilot perform this trick.
At this year's M Club reunion another great golf tournament was held with such links warriors as Richard (Possum) Price, Kent Jr. Lovelace, Ralph (Catfish) Smith, Billy Ray Adams, Charlie Flowers, Warner Alford, Art Doty, Dr. Mike Dennis, Dr. Louis Guy, Paul Dongieux, Archie Manning, Jack Cavan, Ed (Sloppy) Horner, Lee Garner, Otho Kortz, and Modest John Dottley among the group.
The Rebs lost another great one in Oscar (Buck) Buchanan when the Memphis Redhead passed away. Buck was a top high school coach before joining the Memphis State staff. He called everyone Coach so he did not have to worry about a fellow's name. His teammate Bobby Wilson died a few weeks earlier as noted in this column.
We missed Chancellor Robert Khayat who always enjoys the M Club Reunion. Billy Kinard, Vaughn (Buddy) Alliston, Eddie Crawford, Cotton Bowl teammates with Eagle Day, were all there and Billy Brewer, a member of the Ole Miss Centennial team as a defensive back, dropped by to say hello. It was good to see Ken Kirk, a star center, whose son passed away duiring the past year and Jimmy Lear and Farley Salmon, star field generals of the 1954 and 1948 Rebs, always enjoy seeing each other. Lear reminds Salmon to take care of himself because he does not want to be Ole Miss' oldest living quarterback.
Ray (Buck) Howell, who caught the first TD pass over Dick Nolan in the Maryland game, was there as were Bobby Franklin, who prolonged his NFL career as the holder for ace kicker Groza in Cleveland, Billy (Momma) Hitt, Tim Ellis, Bobby Crespino, retired banker Chico Taylor, All-American Marvin Terrell and ace chefs, All-American Allen Brown and Red Owens, who prepared the best barbecue I have seen in some time.
All in all, it was a weekend to remember. Let the 2008 College Football Season begin.
----30------
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)