I suppose everyone has a particular "claim to fame" event in their lives. For me, one of those memorable events took place while playing baseball in college. I attended a small college in west Alabama on a work/ study program. Scholarships for baseball players were very limited back then, so, many of my teammates were also included in this (almost a scholarship, but not quite) work/study program.
We were very good athletes. Most of us attended small rural high schools from across the country and were simply unnoticed by the larger universities. We could flat play some baseball as could most of the smaller schools throughout the south. Each year our schedule included a few games against a few larger universities. I'm sure we were considered as easy wins for them, but, we could hang with them and often come out on top. This particular season we were scheduled to play a doubleheader in Tuscaloosa against the University of Alabama.
The day arrived and early that Saturday morning, we boarded the old rickety bus and made the two hour drive to Tuscaloosa. To a bunch of old country boys who had never been anywhere much, it seemed like a huge metropolis. There were gigantic buildings everywhere and students moving from place to place like ants on an ant hill. The bleachers were already nearly full and the Alabama players were on the field loosening up for the game. Somebody said "We don't need to pick no fight today...we outnumbered bad!". He was right, there must have been 80 or more of them dressed out that day.
The Crimson Tide couldn't roll us that day. We took both games of the doubleheader and I had a good day both in the field and at the plate. The one good thing about playing a large university was that win or lose, you were going to get fed. After the games we were led to the athletic dorm's cafeteria. Now, this was no ordinary cafeteria. They fed their athletes here and they fed them well! There were big steaks, chicken, ham, potatoes, all sorts of vegetables and any non-alcoholic beverage known to man. The desserts were cakes, pies, and ice cream...everything geared toward building bodies bigger and stronger. We loaded our trays and sat down at a few tables to eat when someone said "looky yonder!". As soon as I looked up and saw this man in coach's attire and wearing a houndstooth hat, I knew it was the Bear himself. That's right...Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant was right in front of us!
As he took off his hat, someone stopped him a moment for a brief word, then he came straightway to our tables and congratulated us for playing so well. He then moved around the tables shaking our hands and asking if the food was good etc.. When he got to me, he took my hand and said, "You had a good day today didn't ye?". I said "Yes sir. Thank you sir.". I thought then and still think today, this was a good man. I mean, here's one of the best football coaches that ever lived, yet he wasn't full of himself or unreachable to us. He had watched us play and simply admired our effort and ability.
I will never forget that handshake. His hand seemed huge. My hand is by no means small and it seemed that his enveloped mine completely. I am sure that Coach Bryant quickly forgot us, but you can bet that we never forgot how he treated us. So there you have it, one of my "claims to fame". I shook hands with the great Bear Bryant. I won't be forgetting that!
