11-4-1972 Ole Miss and the 4 Second Game and My Firing Because of the Victory

I am old, this is long, and if you don't approve, stay off my lawn.

Being a poor north LA boy unable to even sniff a trip to Baton Rouge or an LSU game, radio was about our only outlet in getting to listen to LSU play.

I was working at a gasoline bulk plant in W. Monroe and we had gas pumps and gas at a somewhat discount (around 30 to 40 something cents if I recall) and I was probably making about a buck an hour. A dollar an hour was a wagon wheel for a college student in those days.

I was listening to the game and when Brad Davis caught Bert Jones' pass to tie the game I was happy as hell. When Rusty Jackson kicked the PAT I said "F___ this" and shut the station down and headed to a bar to celebrate.

The next evening when I showed up, the owner's son met me and asked if I'd closed a couple hours early and why. I couldn't lie, admitted to him that I had, so he fired me. His father, a fine old man and the owner, took up for me. He said any college kid who didn't chase pussy, drink beer, and celebrate any LSU win shouldn't be working for them anyway. He told his son that he would have shut down, too.

But the handwriting was on the wall. The owner's son was a prick, I knew he'd be gunning for me from then on, so I told him I'd planned on quitting anyway. The son was a typical mama's boy who was making his mark or at least trying to impress his dad that he was ready to take over the reins. His dad was an old WWII vet, knew of my background, and we got along good. Plus he was a die-hard LSU fan like me. The son, screw him.

So, I am possibly the only S. O. B. on earth who got fired because Bert Jones hit Brad Davis with a tying touchdown and Rusty Jackson (I think) hit the winning extra point.