It was 15 minutes before I was set to speak in front of 100-plus people at the Southwest Georgia Auburn Alumni Chapter on Thursday, and my mind was drawing a blank. What in the world was I going to talk about? What did these people want to know? And had I had too many transfusions on the course beforehand?
So, in a panic, I texted a good friend for help. His response was as blunt as they come: "Dude, why in the world do you think you are there? They want Hugh Freeze stories."
That helped in every possible way.
To say I was shocked to get invited to play in the golf scramble and be one of the "celebrity guests" is an understatement. But, if you know me, I'm not going to turn down a free round of golf, especially if it involves being around Auburn fans and being able to turn it into a story. That's what dreams are made of right there.
It turned out to be better than I ever thought. Paired with Marcus Carter, his son Lewis, who will be a freshman at Auburn this fall, and Ben Bendinger, we immediately hit it off, talking trash by the fourth hole despite being teammates. Marcus hit a lousy shot? "Great shot," someone would utter. Well, something of that nature. To keep this PG-rated, I will leave out 90 percent of what was said, all in good fun, of course.
The transfusions mentioned above, these being canned ones named Durty Gurl, flowed too smoothly while our putting struggled mightily. But that's another story.
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The amount of excitement surrounding Auburn football right now is palpable. After two seasons in which interest in the Tigers dwindled by even the most fanatic fans, the enthusiasm is back. It was apparent from the beginning of the party after the golf. Decked out in orange and blue, people arrived with smiles on their faces, ready to talk about what Freeze and the staff have done to reinvigorate a program and team they love so much.
There's not much I enjoy more than attending these types of events. While I don't have all the answers, it is a blast hearing each and every story of Auburn people who have been around and experienced what makes the Plains so great. I listened to enough Pat Dye stories, many thanks to my gracious hosts, to fill a book, each one funnier than the last.
The people of Ever To Conquer, who play such a huge role in athletics and academics at Auburn, could not have been more welcoming and hospitable. I need to pay them back tenfold.
Of course, my presence wasn't as significant as that of Wesley "Crime Dawg" McGriff, who did what he does best: make every person feel like they are the only one in the room, taking pictures and sharing tales with the rabid fans. If you ever get to spend five minutes with the man, you will realize why he is such a great recruiter.
But even he couldn't outshine the real star of the night. As soon as Aubie showed up, it was over. Most mascots are meant for kids. Aubie is meant for all age ranges, as you can see for yourself when adults line up to get a picture with the lovable, furry tiger. I wonder how his golf swing is, though.
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Our group played okay, finishing seven under on the day, but we knew we had no shot of winning. That was fine, as we enjoyed the heck out of the day. I didn't win a prize but earned three new friends, which I consider even better. (Yes, I would say that even if I had won something.)
No one won the Ford truck they were giving away for a hole-in-one on a par 3, and I understood why after playing it. It was a brute of a hole, about 180 yards to the pin, not exactly easy for amateur golfers like myself. I pulled my tee shot so badly it might have landed in another zip code. No worries. I don't need a truck anyway.
We finished up and headed to the clubhouse (read: bar) for some beverages while waiting for the rest of the groups to get done. This was when I realized, "Oh crap, I have to give a speech."
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I'm not the best at public speaking because I rarely do it, but I have been told it went well. That may be people being nice, but if my goal was to not embarrass myself and the AuburnSports.com staff, I achieved that.
It might have helped that I started with a story mocking myself. It's a pretty easy thing to do. So, with that in mind, I told about how one morning in March of 2020, while visiting Freeze in Lynchburg, he asked me to go with him to a men's group where he was speaking. No problem there, but then I was alerted that the group met at 6:30 a.m. I am not exactly a morning person, but I woke up and went.
Freeze's speech, per usual, was terrific, and all was great ... until the prayer. Readers, this is when I closed my eyes maybe a little too hard, fell asleep and was punched under the table by Auburn's coach.
"You're snoring," he so eloquently put it.
So, with the crowd somewhat interested, I dove into how Auburn has the right man at the right time for the job. I mentioned how this entire staff is on the same page and has the same mission: to make Auburn elite again.
The mention of Freeze and all the coaches wanting to come to Auburn to take on and beat those bad guys from Tuscaloosa and Athens got the biggest cheer and applause. I was pulling a George Constanza and going out on a high note.
That's when Crime Dawg quickly put me in my place by spending the first two minutes of his time speaking to mock me. Touche, I thought. The crowd seemed to love every minute of that.
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Overall, it was a great two days in Albany, Ga., spending time with people who do so much for Auburn behind the scenes that it is frankly incredible. They love Auburn and work tirelessly to continue to make it a better place through the alumni chapter and Ever To Conquer. It was an honor to be invited to come, spend time with everyone and, yes, talk to them about their new coach. It's one of the best parts of a job that I love and enjoy so much.
So for all those alumni chapters out there thinking of having a decent golfer and mediocre speaker come to their scrambles, my schedule is wide open. Just have some transfusions cold when I arrive.
(Special thanks to the Southwest Georgia Auburn Alumni Chapter, Hank Jester, Stephanie Hawke, Marcus Carter, Lewis Carter and Ben Bendinger for the incredible experience. And to those who aren't named, your hospitality was more than I could have ever expected, and I appreciate it more than you know.)
