Most practical jokes are funny unless they happen to you. Back in the ‘60s, Gordon Wood and Morris Southall were leaving town to scout a playoff football game. The Lions had won on Friday night and their next opponent was playing a game in Wichita Falls that night. Gordon and Morris took off in their vehicle

(Morris driving, of course) about mid- afternoon and they passed Davis Morris Funeral Home and Groner Pitts was out mowing the lawn. Pitts was, and still is, the greatest ambassador Brownwood, Texas has ever had. So, the coaches pull up and honk the horn and say, “Groner, let’s go get a cup of coffee”. Groner shut down the lawn mower and walked over and jumped in the back seat and off they went. They went by numerous coffee places without stopping and finally when they got out around the airport, Groner says, “Hey, what’s up? Where are we going to get coffee”? The coaches just laughed and kept cruising down the highway. About half way to Breckenridge Groner said, “Look, I don’t know where we’re going but I’ve got to call my wife! She’ll panic”! The coaches relented and in Breckenridge they pulled over to a pay phone. Groner called home and basically told his wife he didn’t know what was going on but he was involved in something!

Eventually, the three get to the old football stadium in Wichita Falls, but its right before kickoff and they’re really pushing it timewise now. They wouldn’t have time to park and walk all the way up to the press box to scout the game. So, Morris pulled into the parking lot at the stadium and drove right up to the press box. Gordon and Morris jumped out and told Groner that they had to hurry and get upstairs but they’d leave word in the press box to let him in. They told Groner to park the car and they would meet him upstairs. So, the coaches get out and get to the press box in time. Groner gets out of the back seat, got behind the wheel, left the stadium, and headed back to Brownwood.

After the game, Gordon and Morris had no idea where Groner was. Obviously, this was way before cell phones and their friend was well on his way back to Brownwood. After the game, our coaches figured that Groner was just tired from the trip and was taking a nap in the car, waiting for them. Well, when everyone had cleared out of the parking lot, they said, “Maybe there’s something else going on”. Groner eventually made it back to Brownwood. Gordon and Morris were stranded without a vehicle in Wichita Falls. The only thing that saved them that night was that Gordon had a brother who lived in Wichita Falls.

They made a phone call from the stadium, got picked up, spent the night at his brother’s, and then left in his brother’s car the next morning to get back to Brownwood. I never did get the rest of the story, but I do know his brother’s car eventually went back to Wichita Falls.

Like I say, practical jokes are funny, even to those who have the jokes played on them. I loved this one because its the only one I remember where the practical joke was played on both ends. By the way, there were a lots of laughs in the coffee shops that next Monday morning.

Until next time, so long everybody.

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‘Out of the Box’ with Dallas Huston is published each Monday morning at BrownwoodNews.com. Dallas was the radio voice of the Brownwood Lions and Howard Payne Yellow Jackets for more than 55 years. He currently is Pastor of Center City Baptist Church and hosts a Men’s Bible Study in Brownwood on Monday evenings. Your comments are welcome at [email protected].