Good Mornin’! Good Mornin’!
I’ve been lucky at times. Got to run around Nashville one night with Michael Martin Murphy as he was performing with the Nashville Symphony. A friend of mine, the late Bob “Flash” Finical – he was a Marine and had a reputation touring with major musical acts and putting together their pyrotechnics – was actually his booking agent.
We hung out and I even asked Mr. “Wildfire” if he’d give me his black Stetson cowboy hat. There was no alcohol involved, just a bit of bravado but the answer was a stern “no.” A few years prior, I was at Ole Miss and as our broadcast journalism department was gearing up with equipment and lots of airtime to fill, upperclassmen like Charlie Adams and Bill Hampton came up with a lot of sports ideas. Charlie put me on the stage with Lady Rebel Head Basketball Coach Van Chancellor as host of the weekly coach’s show. I’d basically ask a question about last week’s slate of games, let the coach talk. Then ask about the next week slate of games and let the coach talk. Maybe mention a player and tell everyone goodnight! Lol…
Some of the greatest memories and times of my life were following the Top Five Ranked Lady Rebels around the country and nearly into two Final Fours.
But Charlie also had another idea that year. It was spring, the USFL was sprouting up and the Memphis Showboats were just up the road from Oxford.
We had camera equipment, press passes for the sideline and locker room and we jumped in. Walter Lewis from Alabama was the quarterback, colorful Pepper Rodgers was the coach for cotton magnate, William Dunavant’s team. Reggie White began his Hall of Fame career with the Showboats fresh from the University of Tennessee. I saw folks like Hershel Walker with the New Jersey Generals and actually got to see Marcus Dupree in action with the New Orleans Breakers. Being on the sideline of high school and SEC games, I thought I could handle the USFL.
I was wrong.
You always hear players talk about the “speed of the game” but until you see the difference between college and professional you don’t clearly understand.
In addition to every player being a speedy behemoth, you had to be ready to sprint to get the heck out of the way. Early on I saw a camera guy “take one for the team” and vowed I’d miss the shot and keep all of my body parts in working order.
Dupree sprinted to our sideline and the 6-foot, 3-inch, 229-pound running back was engulfed by an army of men. Though he was at least 20 yards away, I got on the move (going backwards) and barely missed getting flattened by the Showboat defense.
But the scariest part was the locker room. The seasoned veteran sports writers camped out by the shower area and as soon as a player left the shower as naked as God created them, the reporters pounced. I was scarred quite honestly and as Reggie White begged for a towel, I dropped the camera down and joined the choruses of “get this man a towel!”
The USFL would fold in 1986 after three eventful seasons when they decided to go head to head against the NFL upon the urging of the guy who lives in the White House these days. There was an anti-trust lawsuit that the USFL actually won. They got a dollar but that was tripled per the law. The check was never cashed and sits in a safety deposit box to this day.
If only the speed of the game included getting Reggie a towel back in the day. Just another one of life’s adventures.
