The year was about ‘65. It was early in my Howard Payne basketball career. Now, as a little background in the event, it was a little different than it is today. Howard Payne had a great basketball team. I had the privilege of kicking off the broadcast schedule for the Yellow Jackets. It came as a big deal to me. I was on the Brownwood Lions crew, so I was known. But It was a big deal to be doing Howard Payne football and basketball, but basketball in particular. I mean they were a juggernaut.
So I get ready to go to Georgetown and the thing of it is that you had to ask for permission. Let me see if I can remember how we did this because it was so different than it is today. Back then, you might get a permission letter that you send and ask permission to do that game before time. That’s all it amounts to. But this Athletic Director – I’m glad I don’t remember his name – but they had an Athletic Director there and so I go and set up for the broadcast. We did it on a game by game basis. We ask for the permission, and nobody but nobody didn’t give permission. We order the line and get it in Georgetown, Texas at Southwestern University. Walter Banks and I go down there. They told me, “We called today and the Athletic Director was out of town but they said no problem.” I’m by myself, except for Walter, and there’s about ten Howard Payne fans there. When I get to Georgetown I ask for the AD and they said, “He’s not here yet.” I said, “Well, where will we set up?” They said, “Anywhere you want”. I got the equipment set up and it’s about thirty or forty minutes before the broadcast.
In comes the Athletic Director. He said, “Hi, I’m so and so, the AD here at Southwestern.” He said, “I understand you didn’t get permission.” I said, “Well, you weren’t around.” He said, “Well, you should have called yesterday I was around”. Well, the conversation is kind of short. I got the feeling he wasn’t going to allow us to broadcast. I said, “Well, I’d like to broadcast..” He said, “No, I don’t think so.” I said, “What do you mean?”
He said, “I don’t think we’re going to have a game broadcast here tonight.” I said, “Are you nuts? Are you crazy?” Stuff like that didn’t set very well with him. He told me in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t going to happen. I said, “Are you kidding me?” He said, “No.” Well, one of these guys at the gym who had made the trip called Howard Payne, the Vice President or President or somebody. They got him on the phone and he couldn’t get it done. Lo and behold, to make a long story short, he did not allow us to go on the air. I sat there and watched the ballgame. I was devastated because I figured I did something wrong. I got a call the next day to let me know I didn’t do anything wrong.
This man must have been on the brink or something, but within three months or whatever he resigned, old age. They got a new one in there and one of the first things they did was to call me and say, “You are welcome at Southwestern University anytime.” That shows you what has happened and how much progress has been made. It’s ridiculous sounding now, but it was a true event back then. If they didn’t like you, they didn’t like the color of your clothes, they could use any excuse they wanted to and say, “You’re not doing the game.”
Until next time, so long everybody.
***
‘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].