Whenever the National Football League Super Bowl arrives, I remember when I wasn’t far from that initial game while performing my Naval Reserve duty. Reservists do two weeks of active duty each year. I was performing my press relation duties ( PAO, public affairs officer ) at the San Diego Naval base. That was my first, and only, command of the small ( four people ) PAO office near the harbor. Friday afternoon and the
Category: Football
Side Lines
Been watching a bunch of football on the tube. ‘Tis the season. Started with the spring practice game. And will last through most of January. I’ve made a little money watching from that press box atop the stadium. My resume includes part-time newspaper sports writer and host of a Friday night high school TV scores show. Once ’emceed’ a Monday morning gridiron show. Proud I got this far before writing my first cliche. Got to
Acceptance
In the 1970s we spent three years in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. And dedicated three football seasons driving to nearby Durham so our son could play on a pee-wee football team. There was a reason Kelson wanted to play football in nearby Durham. Little Elks played tackle football. In Chapel Hill where his Dad taught and completed a Ph.D, they played flag ball. And Kelson had learned to tackle in Texas. After three years in
My Bevo
Missed a chance to get my picture taken with today’s Bevo, the University of Texas Longhorn mascot. The Silver Spurs, students dressed like cowboys who run Bevo onto the football field, emailed me a charitable chance. But today’s cow with long curved horns just not my Bevo. In 1948, a new Bevo and I were initiated into the Silver Spurs. Back then a running track surrounded the football field and a mere 40,000 fans roared. Bevo snorted
Ethel Merman
The Elam’s son played quarterback. The Kelly’s son was the fullback. We were near New York City because our boys were playing in the Thanksgiving week Thomas Edison Bowl. You probably never heard of that November Bowl game matching pee-wee football players, top age limit 13 years. We hadn’t either until our Durham, North Carolina Elks were invited to play in East Orange, New Jersey. The Carolina boys were quartered in the homes of their
‘Frightening’
If you studied your Colonial history, you’ve read about a Plymouth Rock outside Boston. Not far south of South Bend, home of the Notre Dame ‘Fighting Irish,’ there’s a Plymouth Indiana. I scoffed when I drove by the high school football stadium that labels itself ‘Home of the Plymouth Rockies.’ Didn’t sound like a ferocious name. My Abilene high school chose a belligerent mascot, the Eagle. Of course, we weren’t original. And I have no
Tailgate Party
A recent tailgating invitation from the editor of the Texas Exes Alcalde magazine noted that space for tailgating was available in the parking lot. The email reminded me of my first tailgate party. As the new broadcast and film chairman at University of North Carolina, I was invited to tailgate with one of my new colleagues. The University of North Carolina was playing Texas Tech. We didn’t like when they came to my home town
A Fine Coach
He was a fine coach, although I don’t think he ever played football. Mr. Jeffries was a fresh graduate out of a nearby Abilene college. He studied to become a teacher, and Mr. Jeffries taught us well in the fifth grade. I still remember he told us to ask for a free Texas road map at a Hamlin service station, draw lines as he suggested, and make cards for Texas industries. The classroom game was