The graphics above marks the end of the road for this book, and right now, the challenge is sorting through all of the details that matter and then putting them in chronological order. We left off with the mention of Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Dispatch and the role he played in my life.
My run there ended after just three stories, but it still was full of memories and guidance, and it led me down the street to the ” local ” newspaper, St Charles Journal. I worked with Carla Milburn for what felt like years, and at times, it included covering something that I was a part of. I can tell you that high school golf was receiving great coverage.
Jim Thomas shared two thoughts with me about what it would take to become an ” actual ” sports writer. Getting a college education and learning how to write ” mean “. If a player underperformed, you have to be able to call them out about it.
I said that when you’re writing about high school and college ( back then, college was still non-revenue) , I don’t think you have to do that. But he was a smart man and someone I followed throughout his career, one that flourished.
The song 🎵 for this part of life was from Jimmy Buffett singing about You’ll never work in dis business again.
There were some moments during the 1980s that stuck out and will play a much bigger role in the seventh and final book but I will sneak in a few that bring back smiles.
After my enlistment in the Navy was cut short due to them finding out about the severity of my injuries, I left San Diego and flew cross country to the campus of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. I was lost about what to do or where to go, and Joe Pittman was kind enough to offer up his sofa in his dorm room.
We went to the Blue – White basketball game, which was a blast for someone who didn’t experience things like that in life up to that point. After the game, we headed back to the dorm, and I noticed that two of the players were there as well. Sam Perkins was hard to miss because he was 6’9, and his wing span made him look even taller.
The other player was ripped but not as tall, and he had just played his very first game as a Tar Heel. Later that season, he hit a pretty big shot to beat Georgetown in the National Championship game before going on to become the greatest basketball player, like ever!
Yes, I had the dumb luck to be a witness to the first game in the career of Michael Jordan and then headed back across campus with him, all without knowing. A few years later, the Chicago Bulls played an exhibition game at the Arena in St. Louis during his rookie season, and I scored two tickets. I invited this player this young lady from the Church softball team that I coached to attend with me.
I guess that things worked out for both Mike and myself because as I type this out, my date that night is still sleeping in the next room, forty plus years later.
Another key date to the decade took place in December of 1989. The manager of the Domino’s Pizza in St. Peters was a good friend and a boss, Mark Brace. The two of us had started taking trips to various sporting events, and I mentioned that I had never been to a college Bowl game.
Duke University was always the school of choice but not for the bandwagon of fans that came decades later because of Men’s Basketball. My Dad’s family remained in the Buggs Island Lake area and there, when you were fighting to stay alive you went to Duke University Medical Center.
Mark and I jumped into our GMC Jimmy and bolted down to Birmingham. Alabama for the All-American Bowl between Duke and Texas Tech. Attending that game led to thirty-five years of chasing Bowl games, both Duke and otherwise. The picture above is one of the four books that I’ve created that has already been published.
Our coach, Steve Spurrier, left after that loss and headed down to the University of Florida. The Ole Ball Coach and his visor did okay as well. While I knew that Duke wasn’t very good in football, at the time, I certainly didn’t know that it was the first Bowl game they played in during my 26 years of life.
The 80s also included my retirement from coaching, having coached one season, won the Church League Championship, and then married my second best player. No reason to try and top that !
