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would own the television rights to his Sunday coach’s show. He would sell the show, produce the show and then market it. He kept the net which was somewhat innovative for the times.

Coach Howard made note of that in his speech, saying that Carlen already had two big sponsors, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Schick Razors. “They gonna call his show, ‘The Chicken Schick Show’” he exclaimed as the audience roared with laughter.

He was off the wall and had a classic feature to his personality. He could dish it out, but he could take it. He was never thin skinned, although he once threatened to sue the fledgling Athens Daily News when the late Lewis Grizzard wrote an entertaining column, poking fun of Coach Howard’s tobacco chewing enhanced dialect.

Georgia’s success in recruiting the best talent in the state of South Carolina, got under the coach’s skin, and he felt he had to defend himself. Although the legend was that he made Phi Beta Kappa as an undergraduate at Alabama where he played for the legendary Wallace Wade, his homespun humor endeared him to audiences all over the country, particularly in the Southeast.

The Atlanta Touchdown Club was a very influential club which enthusiastically supported college football. The club held a weekend extravaganza at a downtown Atlanta hotel in January each year.

They paid a nice fee, which often attracted the national coach-of-the year, but the highlight was a Saturday luncheon when Coach Howard and his friend Peahead Walker of Wake Forest (and later the Montreal Alouettes) traded barbs that had the membership and visitors rollicking with laughter.

It was a no-holdsbarred session, and one of their “victims” was often Noah Langdale, who was President of Georgia State and had played in the line at Alabama.

Coaches don’t gather in the off season socially. They don’t poke fun at each other. They don’t fraternize, and they don’t fish or play golf with one another. The big reason is that they are too busy—they simply don’t have the time. The main reason, however, is the alumni would not stand for such conduct.

You remember the story of Bear Bryant and Shug Jordan out fishing and Bryant decided to wade to shore and immediately began sinking in the water when Jordan reached out and pulled him to safety.

“Now Shug, please don’t tell Alabama fans I can’t walk on water,” Bryant said. Shug replied, “No problem, Bear if you won’t tell the Auburn fans, I kept you from drowning.”