I was bumper bowling the other night. And I was not bumper bowling too well I might add. 75, 71, 299. I figured it was time for Karaoke.
Karaoke=Phil Collins. OK? If you don’t know what to sing, sing some Phil Collins.
Based on my own advice, I made my first song of the night a Phil Collins song. I sang my song out to the people of America. I sang them a song that was meaningful and tender and emotive and also about SMU Football. I transformed “Against All Odds,” Phil Collins’ third best ballad, into an interpretive homage to the Mustangs.
But we got Chad Morris now, and we’re gonna win first place
There’s nothing left here to remind me,
of June Jones’ disgrace.
Chad’s the handsomest coach in the AAC
Next To Bob Diaco of the UConn Huskies
The crowd of seven people at the bowling alley karaoke bar gave me a standing ovation. As I drove home to watch the week’s worth of Price is Right I had on Tivo, I got thinking about the article I wrote last week which included a touching tribute to Rod Roddy.
Sir Rod Roddy is my all time favorite TCU alumnus. They are our rival, but I have to admit my fealty to The Price is Right’s public address announcer. Rod Roddy is as impressive an alumnus as any of those that SMU can claim. And we have a lot of great ones: Aaron Spelling, Powers Boothe, Kathy Bates, Jim Irsay, Lamar Hunt, and Laura Bush, just to name a few.
Baylor, our other ancient rival, has produced many fine alumni as well. Trumpeter Phil Driscoll, Hee Haw regular Grady Nutt, Big Brother contestant Jennifer Vasquez, and former Texas Governor “Sul” Ross.
I knew all about the many fine folks that attended Baylor and TCU, but I was quite ignorant about all of the illustrious alumni who attended our new rival schools in the AAC.
I researched this very question for my column this week and now have the correct answers in hand. Plenty of interesting people went to the other AAC football schools.
The University of Central Florida produced former Florida Golden Gloves champion and several-hit wonder Terrence Trent D’Arby. His “Wishing Well” is a karaoke favorite of mine and he also ranks number one on my list of guys who were going to be the next Prince.
The University of Cincinnati produced Oscar Robertson, the greatest basketball player of all time not named Bevo Francis. Additionally, Oscar Robertson had a brief career as a Motown-style vocalist, which produced the should-have-been-a-big-hit single, “The Big O.”
UConn produced three-point shooting king Ray Allen and folk singer Judy Collins.
Redskins legend Gus Frerrotte went to Tulsa. Gus sure knew how to celebrate a touchdown. He was also a pretty decent quarterback, but people forget that.
East Carolina produced Vince McMahon, the man who has provided me with more hours of entertainment than anyone this side of Bob Barker and Rod Roddy.
I loved the XFL by the way. I thought it made football a lot more Xtreme than it had been before. The XFL was more extreme than Mountain Dew, realer than Real Deal Holyfield, funnier than Rhoda, and all the kids loved it. Just because they hate everything I love, all the networks got together in a big conspiracy against Vince and the XFL.
The voters of Connecticut concocted a somewhat similar conspiracy in 2010 and 2012. They got together, millions of them, and conspired against Vince’s wife, ECU alumna Linda McMahon, in two straight senate races. I say Linda for Vice President in 2016. She would work well on a Trump ticket. I know the McMahons and Trumps have had their differences in the past, but I bet they can work it out for the good of our nation.
The University of Houston is no slouch when it comes to alumni either. They molded Anthony Young, whose 27 consecutive losses for the Mets in 1992 and 1993 are the most in Major League Baseball history.
The University of Memphis produced actor, Senator, reverse mortgage peddler, and slipshod presidential candidate Fred Thompson.
The University of South Florida’s notable alumni include poker legend Dan Bilzerian, Lobo singer Roland Kent La Voie, former Google CFO George Reyes, and Philadelphia Soul co-owner Craig Spencer.
Temple’s alumni include sportswriter Howard Bryant, who is one of my personal favorites, as well as Sports Center anchor Kevin Negandhi, whom I like very much as well.
Tulane, unfortunately, has never produced any alumni of note.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
