Drink beer. Smoke weed. Chase women. Repeat (as often as desired and reverse order if deemed necessary).

That pretty much wraps up January 1974-July 1975 in the county seat of Pike County Alabama, Troy. Thank you for coming out tonight ! It was great being with y’all ! Tip your waitresses and drive safely !

Sandwiched somewhere in those epic months were some Speech & Theater, Journalism and Political Science classes.The operative word in that sentence was SOME.

And, in all seriousness, I met some of the most wonderful & important people in my life at Troy and I also continued some relationships I had previously made. I was fortunate enough to meet many of these good folks as a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha – Troy University fraternity. ZAX my dear brothers. And to our little sisters… I love you one and all.

Now on to a couple of highlights/lowlights of those crazy days down in Southeast Alabama.

Throughout this entire time there were a handful of us that considered ourselves “experts” in the area of picking the outcome of sporting events
as a means of profit. We had varying degrees of success in these endeavors. There was also a great lack of success in more than a few instances.

One such instance occurred in September of 1974. Those involved took a three game “tease” on college football that weekend.

At that time a “tease” involved taking three games and adding 10 points points to the “line” on the teams of your choice.

The University of Tennessee came to play at newly renamed Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time on that particular Saturday. I guaranteed my cohorts that the Auburn Tigers would be a “lock.” They were a four point underdog to the Vols and I was exceedingly confident that my Tigers would cover the spread. In said “tease” we could have Auburn PLUS FOURTEEN POINTS !!!

Not only did Auburn “cover”, they won the game 21-0 (a reverse of the score from a year ago in Knoxville) and we were on our way to a big payday. So we all thought.

I cannot recall the second portion of that “tease” but it also covered quite nicely. All that had to happen now was for Michigan State to not lose to UCLA by more than FORTY POINTS and we could collect our payday. Final score… UCLA 56 Michigan State 14… UH OH !!!

To make a long story short, we experts “doubled up” on Monday Night Football two days later. We took the Philadelphia Eagles PLUS a few points versus the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys were and excellent team that year and the Eagles… not so much. We took the Eagles because some “expert” told us that the home team ALWAYS covers on MNF.

WRONG !!! Dallas won going away and we owed several hundred dollars to a couple of bookies from Wilcox County Alabama. We scraped up some of the money but never could get it all paid. And, thus, we were blackballed by said bookies. Luckily, one of the bookies found Jesus and we wiggled off that hook somehow.

The second and last incident I will regale you with is the Beer Drinking Contest at the Theta Chi house During Greek Week at good old TSU in the spring of 1975.

As you might have guessed, yours truly was nominated, along with another fraternity brother (Greg White), to represent Lambda Chi Alpha at this great event which kicked off Greek Week. Whichever team drank the most beer in ONE hour would be declared the winner. WINNER ? Funny term for the idiots that came out on top.

I hate to report that LXA did not win the contest but my brother and I consumed thirty beers, 17 contributed to the “cause” by Bird, between regurgitating, during the allotted time. Then all contestants had to go upstairs and perform a series of tests like walking a chalk line and reciting the Greek alphabet.

I’m very happy that there is no evidence of those series of “tests.” If it were today I trust it would have gone viral and we would live forever in infamy. Whew ! (Alpha Beta Gamma Delta…)

Many other feats of similar “genius” were attempted, with varying degrees of success, by me and my compadres form the winter of ’74 through the summer of ’75. All I can say is that I am joyful that we all survived.

And now I will attempt to “tag” as many of these people as I can remember from that, oh too short, time at T-ROY. If I somehow miss you just scold me gently and I will add your name to the list from those nineteen months…

Joe C Williams Mike Jellison Ed Starkie Woods Culpepper Tom Mathews Roland “Little Man” Bounds (Karen Sanders Bounds) Karen Trimble Mary McCall Jan Taylor Goings Marshall Sanders Steven Straughn Jeff Annis Sr. Giovanni Doglione Ted Hicks Keith Harvey Ken Talley Chris Kaufman Jim Williford Jim Parks Dorothy Goodwin Cindy Godwin Spencer Ruth Yancey Diane Howell Adena Moree William Lane Rick Ryals Bob Powell Timothy Martin Hendrickson Larimore Henley Greg Vann Joel Wayne Williams Jo Norman Barrett Cathy Culbertson Howard Tony Martin Douglas A. Nelson Doc Averette Kathy Henry Sullivan Kathryn Mowrey Armstrong Deborah Crew King Deborah Hicks Belle Nichols Walker Meg Tatom May Danny Canning Elaine Holladay Rebecca Persons Wells Paul Richardson Debbie Gabel Floyd Lee Argo Rawlinson Susan Hardman Susan Spink Susie Shoman Suzie Dover Barr Anita Bazzell Allman Leslie Hayes Decker Mitzi Yarbrough Lisa Clayton Beth Abbott Lum Randy McRae Andrew Harrison Kay Walther Kay Simmons Meriwether John Kay & Steppenwolf Donna L. Reynolds Mary Swindle Massey Mary R. Hasselwander Tricia Guy Starkie Marci Wall DockeryCaroline McManus Jones Barbara Findley Harrington Kerrie Hoffner Ellen McGowin Canada Charles R. Driggars Charles Adams Douglas Lavender Gary Miller Carlos Romero Ronald Lee Wheeler Al Crawford Michael Doyle Jim McClellan Tom Sims Tammy Tase White Paula Stokes Paula Latham Hutt Hiram Davis

A couple of y’all came after July 31,1975 and I tagged you anyway ’cause I love and remember you as well. For August 1,1975 was the day that rose from a culmination of events in my life that led me say YES to Jesus Christ. I alluded to that day in my first blog entitled May Day. There will be much much more about the following days, months and years in future blogs.