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father was buried. An outstanding high school player at Lee High in Jacksonville, Wages was a sought-after quarterback who now says that he should have enrolled at the University of Georgia, but he cast his lot with the University of Florida. Following a career with the Gators as a backup to Steve Spurrier, Wages signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent. He played five seasons in Atlanta with success as a versatile running back, but there also were a lot of ups and downs.

The downs included confirmation that he had fathered a son out of wedlock and having to serve three months in prison for cocaine possession.

Prosecutors sought to have him convicted for drug trafficking, but with Atlanta attorney, Eddie Garland, as his lawyer and homerun king, Hank Aaron, as a character witness, among other factors, he only had to serve time for possession.

He never revisited the drug scene, but, out of a job and the limelight, he became an emotional wreck with a debilitating penchant for Scotch whisky. A serendipity moment has gotten him back on the straight and narrow. He has been reunited with his seventhgrade sweetheart, Bonnie, who is divorced and living in Summerville, S. C., the birthplace of “Sweet Tea.” Harmon has settled in with her which has the makings of a fitting story line—an opportunity to enjoy “happiness ever after.”

The good news upon reflections from prayerful walks on the beach, led him to writing a book. He doesn’t hold back, disclosing everything, but “Butcher’s Boy” is a warm-hearted treatise, which reveals his flaws and shortcomings. Written with Stan Awtrey, sportswriter with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and edited by Martha Kavanaugh Hunt, Harmon confirms that he has no axe to grind with anyone, not even Van Brocklin. What the “Dutchman” did for him when his dad last saw him play warranted the ultimate in forgiveness.

That’s part of the well told Harmon Wages story, warts, and all.