General Omar N. Bradley receiving the first Independence Bowl "Spirit of Independence" Award. The award was renamed in his honor after his death. (other winners...an impressive list)Hey y'all! Hugs, kisses, yada yada yada...
Shreveport will be in the college football spotlight, as we host the only bowl game in College football today. This will be the 34th edition of the Independence Bowl, to be played at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, LA.
I was working as a photographer for the Louisiana Tech student newspaper in 1977, and shot a fabulous picture of General Omar Bradley at the 2nd annual I-Bowl. That year, the Bowl Committee initiated an annual award, naming it "The Omar N. Bradley Spirit of Independence Award." It is always a very patriotic ceremony, and quite uplifting. In the past, men such as John Wayne, and President Reagan have received the award in Shreveport.
(I know I have a copy of it, and if I can find that picture today, I'll put it up on the computer later. He was quite frail, and in a wheel chair. But, it was cool for an 18-year-old to be that close to a legendary hero like the General).
This year, the award is being presented to The National Football Foundation. I'm sure their work is worthy of the award.
Over the years, the bowl has had it's ups and downs. Truthfully, last year I predicted the demise of the game after all we could draw was Louisiana Tech v. Northern Illinois. But, I give big old tip of the ball caps to the Bowl Committee. They were able to find a good sponsor in the AdvoCare company...and drew two teams for an SEC v. Big 12 matchup.
The game is a sell-out, which is good for the area, and for TV.
The game today features Georgia v. Texas A & M. It ought to be a good one, and worth looking at. Kickoff is set for 5 pm Eastern on ESPN II.
I'm going with the Bulldogs. The Aggies losses have been huge for the most part, but they played well against Texas, so they might be peaking. We'll see. Regardless, y'all enjoy the game. I know I will.
I had to google the NFF... but if ya had added "College Football Hall o' Fame" I wouldn't have had to. I'm all for the award that will be given this evening, being as how I only watch football on Saturdays. Yeah, I'm a bigot like that.
ReplyDeleteNice pic of Gen. Bradley. Each and every one of the five-stars from WWII are heroes of mine, with Hap Arnold first among equals (which should come as no surprise, eh?).
Buck, a "bigot?" Man, you're just somebody with good sense. I swear, a whole Sunday and Monday can pass, and I "might" catch 20 minutes...yesterday, not even that much.
ReplyDeleteHap Arnold? Not a surprise at all...I mean being named Harley & being a flyboy and all...