Joe21
03-27-2009, 01:24 PM
The person that coined the phrase, "time is fleeting" must have had me in mind. I can remember some events vividly but can't remember the exact time they occured, so must resort to placing it in a time frame. This story is one of those that occured in a time frame, probably sometime n the last half of the '60's. To be more specific and avoid confusion as well as some barbs thrown in my direction, that's the 1960's, not the 1860's.
One of my good friends left Clemson to become Sports Publicity Director at Furman University in Greenville. In my younger days a Sports Publicity Director was often referred to as a "Tub-thumper". When |I congratulated my friend on becoming a "Tub-thumper" he looked at me in amazement and asked me what it meant. I knew immediately we were in a different era. Furman was not emphasizing their footbll program at that time and their won/loss record was ample proof. Fan support was on a par with the university's support. Had it not been for family and friends of the players, there would have been few fans in the stands. Getting a seat on the 50 yard line was no problem. Bob King was the coach and did a remarkable job with the the limited resources at his disposal, both facility and talent wise. Bob always wore a big smile and I never heard him utter one word of discouragement. I suppose that was the only way he could survive that ordeal. He was the kind of person it was a joy to be around.
My friend called one day in late summer and asked if I would be interested in coming over to the Furman games and keep the stats. He had checked both the Clemson and Furman schedules and there were no conflicts. In addition, I would be paid the astounding sum of $10. per game plus all of the sandwiches and soda pop I could consume. And the clincher, I would have a press pass which would allow me to park close by. The deal was so sweet I couldn't refuse. We did have a lot of fun at the old Sirrine Stadium that year.
The next year when he presented the same deal, I was beginning to suspect he couldnt't find anyone cheaper. A check of both teams schedules indicated a couple of conflicts so I declined his offer. We did come up with the grand idea of issuing press passes to me and four of my friends. I was the beat writer for the non-existing Six
Mile Sentinel. That press pass now resides among the "stuff" in the basement storage room here at the house.
That press pass allowed us to park near the press box, sit in the press box and enjoy the sandwiches and soda pop avalable to the "press corp".
Dang !!! I must be getting old. Just realized that was 40 years ago.
Oh, the perfidy of it all !!!!! :) :) :) :)
One of my good friends left Clemson to become Sports Publicity Director at Furman University in Greenville. In my younger days a Sports Publicity Director was often referred to as a "Tub-thumper". When |I congratulated my friend on becoming a "Tub-thumper" he looked at me in amazement and asked me what it meant. I knew immediately we were in a different era. Furman was not emphasizing their footbll program at that time and their won/loss record was ample proof. Fan support was on a par with the university's support. Had it not been for family and friends of the players, there would have been few fans in the stands. Getting a seat on the 50 yard line was no problem. Bob King was the coach and did a remarkable job with the the limited resources at his disposal, both facility and talent wise. Bob always wore a big smile and I never heard him utter one word of discouragement. I suppose that was the only way he could survive that ordeal. He was the kind of person it was a joy to be around.
My friend called one day in late summer and asked if I would be interested in coming over to the Furman games and keep the stats. He had checked both the Clemson and Furman schedules and there were no conflicts. In addition, I would be paid the astounding sum of $10. per game plus all of the sandwiches and soda pop I could consume. And the clincher, I would have a press pass which would allow me to park close by. The deal was so sweet I couldn't refuse. We did have a lot of fun at the old Sirrine Stadium that year.
The next year when he presented the same deal, I was beginning to suspect he couldnt't find anyone cheaper. A check of both teams schedules indicated a couple of conflicts so I declined his offer. We did come up with the grand idea of issuing press passes to me and four of my friends. I was the beat writer for the non-existing Six
Mile Sentinel. That press pass now resides among the "stuff" in the basement storage room here at the house.
That press pass allowed us to park near the press box, sit in the press box and enjoy the sandwiches and soda pop avalable to the "press corp".
Dang !!! I must be getting old. Just realized that was 40 years ago.
Oh, the perfidy of it all !!!!! :) :) :) :)