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In the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to speak in front of a couple different groups. It’s something I once did quite often, but the requests dwindle as one slips into retirement and away from the public’s eye. Don’t get me wrong, I get it. There’s no reason to believe most people would readily connect with certain stories or experiences. There are just too many new people who have moved to the Lowcountry since my decades of nightly appearances on television. Plus, sometimes those memories may be less impactful or not quite as humorous as they once seemed. Even so, it’s gratifying to know that you might still possess a skill set that not everybody embraces. Then again, there’s always the chance that nobody else was available. Who knew my college course on public speaking would still be paying dividends? Especially since I’m fairly certain I sold that textbook back to the bookstore as soon as the semester ended. Captive audience In mid-October, I spoke to the Sumter Touchdown Club, whose meetings take place about an hour and a half from here. There aren’t too many of these groups around anymore. Charleston native and former outstanding two-sport Citadel athlete, Lee Glaze, extended the invite. He’s a longtime resident of Sumter and also in charge of finding people to speak at the weekly breakfast gathering. This organization is thriving. Business men and women, coaches and their athletes along with a few moms and dads were there. And, of course, some guys as old as me always arrive early to drink coffee and solve the world’s problems. At the end of the year, the club hands-out $15,000 in scholarships to high school football players in the area. It was a chance to tell a few stories, elicit some laughter and talk about how football adds to the special feeling we experience in this state from Labor Day to Thanksgiving every year.
