Way back when the earth was young, I got my first newspaper reporting gig: area sports reporter for the Ada Evening News.
I had the time of my life covering sports in an eight-county rural area and got to have to have some interesting up-close and personal experiences.
What were some of my favorite stories, you wonder? Well, I’m glad you asked, because that’s exactly what this week’s column is about.
My favorite story was on this wise: There was a high school in our area where the south end one butted up against a cattle pasture. You had the back of the end zone and the pylons, then a couple of feet of grass and then a five-wire barbed wire fence.
The school would make sure the landowner had a copy of the home schedule, and he would graciously move his herd to another pasture on game nights.
I showed up to cover a game one Friday and immediately noticed that there was a miscommunication of some sort. The farmer’s cows were lined up against the fence, chewing their cuds and watching intently as the players stretched and got loose.
I never heard if the herd was there due to the school not telling the farmer, or if the farmer just got tired of moving the cows, but it was obvious to everyone there that the cows were fated to become a part of the evening’s events.
Sure enough, the first touchdown was scored in the south end zone and, as you already guessed, the extra-point kick sailed far over the herd and landed in a fresh meadow loaf (“cow pie,” if you are from Fitzhugh).
One of the ball boys fetched the ball, wiped it on some tall grass and did the underhand throw back over the fence and all was good.
For the moment. Before long, there was another kick on that end of the field and, again, the ball went beyond the herd.
This time, the ball boy was conveniently distracted and couldn’t hear the official asking him to get the ball.
So, the official climbed the barbed fence and was headed for the ball when one of the cows took offence.
Maybe it was the striped jersey, maybe Flossie was just tired of interlopers in her pasture.
Whatever the reason, she took off after the official, ducking her horn as she would run past him.
The official must have been part rodeo clown, because he made some nifty side moves and kept his pants intact.
He never recovered the ball, but he did take advantage of a wide turn by the cow and got back through the fence.
Both sides of the stadium gave him and the cow a good round of applause.