The 2019 College Football Pilgrimage begins with the 2nd Leg of visiting the 10 Oldest College Football Stadiums in the USA according to a most recent 7/12/19 NCAA Ranking. Prior to this season, a different ranking had been in use. In part of the 150th Anniversary of College Football, the NCAA Ranking will now be the Official Ranking. The 1st Leg was completed during the 2018 College Football Pilgrimage (CFP). For those you are new to my website, a CFP is scheduled for about 20 days with visits to 3 or more College Football Stadiums. An Invite from GM in 2010 to Beaver Stadium on the campus of Penn State University was the catalyst for the CFPS. This is a short story format around 11,800 words.
As a graduate and former Pitt football player, watching the Panthers play at Heinz Field would wrench my insides. After tearing down Pitt Stadium in 1999, the Panthers have remained homeless for no stadium resides on campus. This travesty has put the Pitt Football Program into a ‘Quandary of Stupidity’. For in the history of NCAA Football Championships, a college football team sharing a pro stadium has not ever won a National Title. If Pitt continues marching deeper into this ‘Quandary of Stupidity’, one of two things will be the result. Pitt will become the first College Football Team to win a National Title sharing a Pro Stadium. Or, Pitt will continue selling ‘Fool’s Gold’ to their Future Gladiators, Alumni, Students, Faculty and other Pitt Fans while not ever winning a National Football Title by sharing a Pro Stadium. For the complete story, visit the Archives and in the College Football Section and/or Pittsburgh Sports Section, click on ‘Pitt Football, the Pederson Penalty’, parts One & Two.
It was during the halftime at Beaver Stadium that My Feet confessed to GM about my Revelation. The Blessings created by the electrifying atmosphere of the tailgating and the near sold-out crowd of around 106,000 fans convinced my Feet, that my days as a Pitt Fan at Heinz Field were history. GM was the 1st to be told that beginning in 2011, My Feet would now Pilgrimage to other College Football Stadiums in the USA to seek similar Blessings from Beaver Stadium. For Heinz Field resembled a Morgue. My loyalty would remain with the Pitt Panthers and My Feet would follow them on TV. However, my small financial support would be held back and so would My Feet until Pitt built a New Pitt Stadium on campus. My rationale was this. ‘Why should My Feet support Pitt University who is selling ‘Fool’s Gold’ and will not win a National Football Title while sharing a Pro Stadium? Plus, my saved financial support could be used to finance the College Football Pilgrimages. Next is a reprint of the editorial that was published in the Pittsburgh Tribune, The Beaver Valley Times and the Altoona Mirror during the Fall of 2017.
‘As a member of the 1970 Pitt football team that played in the “greatest college football game” ever at Pitt Stadium (Pitt 36, West Virginia 35), it is my duty to report from the high desert of Las Vegas, NV. that a “shroud of stupidity” covers the entire Pitt football program. This stupidity began in 1999 with the ‘Pederson Penalty’, which resulted in the destruction of Pitt Stadium.
Since 2015, plans have existed to build a new Pitt Stadium on campus (see newpittstadium.com). Until this stadium is built, the Pitt football faithful will continue to live under this shroud. In the history of NCAA football championships, not one university sharing a professional stadium has ever won a national title.
To lift this shroud and provide our Pitt football players the best chance to win a national title, I suggest holding back all financial support to the football program and instead contributing to other Pitt athletic programs with a chance to win a national title, or donating nothing at all. Sometimes it is best to hold back in order to move forward to achieve desirable results.
If Pitt football faithful choose to continue feeding this “shroud of stupidity”, the results will be no national football titles or the first university to buck the trend.
George “Feather” Feher
Henderson, NV
The writer is a native of West Aliquippa
The CFP began in 2011 and My Feet have visited numerous College Football Stadiums since. My football playing days as a Gladiator during the early 1970’s, which is known as the Dark Ages of Pitt Football, provided additional opportunities from the ground floor of other Arenas. When one closely examines the history of these Magnificent Stadium Structures, one will begin to have another view. The view of My Feet is this. Dotted throughout the USA are College Football Stadiums of many sizes. During the weekends of late summer and fall, the Celebration of Pigskin is conducted at these Shrines. Worshipers of all varieties flock to these Shrines for the Blessings of the Celebration of Pigskin.
The Mission of My Feet is to seek the Energies that have been embedded into the Stadium Structures including the combat surface by past Gladiators, Band Members, Cheer & Pep Squads, Coaches, Stadium & Field Personnel, Referees, and Worshipers during ‘Ritual Day’. For a Bonus Blessing, a repeat visit the next day with Worshipers to bask in the Energies and Beauty follows during the Celebration of Pigskin. Next is the NCAA Official Ranking of the 10 Oldest College Football Stadiums in the USA. After each name the Birthday will be listed and a completed date or future date of the CFP will be indicated.
1. Franklin Field, Penn University-1895, 2018 CFP
2. Harvard Stadium, Harvard University-1903, 2018 CFP
3. Kyle Field, Texas A&M University-1904, 2016 CFP
4. Fitton Field, Holy Cross University-1908 2020 CFP
5. Bobby Dodd Stadium, Georgia Tech University-1913, 2019 CFP
6. Davis Wade Stadium, Mississippi St. University-1914, 2019 CFP
7. Yale Bowl, Yale University-1914, 2018 CFP
8. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Mississippi University-1915, 2019 CFP
9. Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati University-1915, 2020 CFP
10. Camp Randall Stadium, Wisconsin University-1917, 2020 CFP
CFP stories for #1, #2, #3 and #7 can be found in the Archives in the Pilgrimage Section and/or College Football Section. The story for #5 is being read and stories for #6 & #8 will be posted as completed. The story format is divided into 3 sections. The first section is the Historical Viewpoint of the Stadium and the Football Program. Section two is called ‘Ritual Day’ and it is a Tour of the Stadium conducted the day before the Celebration of Pigskin. The peacefulness provides a Blessing of Tranquility. Section three is named the Celebration of Pigskin. Roaming campsites while mingling with Worshipers will be part of the Celebration. Eventually, my Feet will enter the Stadium for the Gladiator Combat Game of the Celebration of Pigskin.
The information for section one, Historical Viewpoint, will be cited from sources on the internet. Experience has taught my Feet that some Historical Shrines provide more information than others. Sections 2&3 will be reported from the experience of My Feet.
HISTORICAL VIEWPOINT
BOBBY DODD STADIUM-GRANT FIELD, GEORGIA TECH UNIVERSITY
Melissa Fralick with Marilyn Somers-gtalumni.org and Wikipedia contribute to the story. “The year was 1893. The Georgia School of Technology, as it was called then, was still in its infancy, having opened its doors just six years prior. The fledgling technological school was little more than a few buildings peppered upon what was then Atlanta’s northern edge, demarcated by its location on North Avenue. The road was not yet paved then, and often devolved into an impassable mud pit during heavy rainstorms.
Roughly 125 young men were enrolled at the school to study mechanical engineering, the only course of study available at the time. They were all local boys who lived nearby and commuted to their classes, as there were no dormitories at the school until 1896. The water supply was drawn from a well, and the school would not connect to city water lines until 1899.
Tech began its football program with several students forming a loose-knit troop of footballers called the Blacksmiths. On November 5, 1892, Tech played its first football game against Mercer University. The team lost to Mercer 12–6 in Macon, Georgia. Tech played two other games during their first season and lost both of them for a season record of 0–3.
Though primitive to our modern sensibilities, the new Georgia School of Technology, with its practical focus on engineering and manufacturing, was a potent symbol in the ideology of the New South. In the decades after the Civil War, a group of state leaders, steered by Atlanta Constitution managing editor Henry W. Grady, promoted a rosy vision of a prosperous Southern economy centered on Atlanta. This “New South,” as it was called, would focus on industrial development over the agrarian economy decimated after the Civil War.
Meanwhile, Atlanta leaders were also focused on driving economic development through a series of three events known as the Cotton States Expositions. The expositions showcased the latest developments in manufacturing, agriculture and other industries to build investment and present a modern vision of Atlanta to the world.
The largest of these expositions was in 1895, and organizers spent years preparing. A large plot of land outside the city was leveled to make way for the fairgrounds, which would later be purchased by the city and become Piedmont Park. But in 1893, it was just flat land—a perfect spot for a group of young men to play football. It was there, on these acres of level earth, that a military officer named Leonard Wood encountered a practice game of the Georgia Tech football team. Wood, an Army surgeon stationed at Fort McPherson, had ridden roughly 10 miles on horseback for a visit to the city.
Unlike most in the South, Wood well understood the game the Tech boys were playing. He himself had been a football player on Harvard’s team while in medical school. Though football was just making its way to Georgia, the sport had been popular in New England for some time. The first college football game in the U.S. is believed to be Rutgers vs. New Jersey (later Princeton) in 1869. The new sport gained popularity throughout the region in the years after, and schools like Harvard and Yale already had well-established teams by the time the first college game was played in Atlanta in 1892.
By all accounts, the Tech team Wood discovered was in pitiful shape. The scrappy group, organized just one year prior, had played only three games and lost them all. Wood offered to help coach and play with the team, providing a huge benefit to the fledgling squad. Not only did he have experience playing college football up north, but Wood was a large man for his time, and the strapping 29-year-old Army surgeon provided a significant boost to the Tech roster. He even recruited a few of his friends to join the Tech squad as well.
So how was it possible that a group of adult men could join a college football team? It’s important to note that in 1893, college football looked nothing like the highly regulated, well-oiled machine of today’s NCAA. There was very little infrastructure in the sport—no athletic conferences, no game schedules, no safety rules, no helmets and very little oversight. Faculty members, coaches and trainers frequently played for university teams.
In fact, athletics in general were far from the entertainment complex they’ve become today. Atlantans of 1893 were more likely to be interested in a glee club or mandolin performance than a college football game. But sports were gaining traction, and this new, rough game of football was attracting fans. So people paid attention when a player for the University of Georgia told a newspaper reporter that his team could beat any squad of 11 in the South. Tech accepted the challenge, and a game was scheduled for Nov. 4, 1893.
After their first riotous football match in 1893, it was a train wreck that sealed the two institutions forever as archrivals and planted the seeds of some of Georgia Tech’s most storied traditions. To tell this tale, we’ll need to go way back to the beginning: To the early days of Georgia Tech and the first football games ever played on Georgia’s red dirt.
The Georgia fans grew riotous as the Tech team dominated the field. In the second half, chaos took over the stands as Georgia fans began to throw rocks and mud onto the field. By the end of the game, the Tech team had demolished the University of Georgia team by a final tally of 28-6. Despite logging their first-ever victory, the Techs did not stick around to celebrate. They left the field right away, dodging their angry opponents so they could catch their 7 p.m. train back to Atlanta.
Once aboard and bound for home, the train was supposed to have the right-of-way to speed through railroad crossings. But many blame the train’s hasty departure for confusion on the rails and what happened next. As they neared Lawrenceville, the locomotive collided with a freight train that hadn’t seen the signal to clear the track. Two of the special train’s cars were badly damaged, as was the train’s engine. Luckily, none of the 151 passengers from Tech was seriously injured.
Alas, with their train out of order, the stranded group boarded a coal boxcar in the very same freight train they had just collided with to complete the journey back to Atlanta. Though their journey should have only taken about two hours, the beleaguered group didn’t arrive back at Union Station until after midnight. What a night it must have been for those wrecks rambling back to Tech.
Under Wood’s regime, over the span of 1892–1903, Tech only won 8 games, tied in 5, and lost 32. John Heisman was hired by Tech in 1903 for $2,250 a year and 30% of the home ticket sales”.
According to the website airbornecombatengineer, the Exposition area was also known as ‘The Flats. “Heisman’s priorities included establishing an athletic program that people would pay to see. But first he had to establish a field and put up a gate. The city of Atlanta provided convict labor to remove the rocks, stumps and brush from the flats, then put a fence around it.”
“WREK radio did some research: It is mentioned in a Georgia Tech sports context for local baseball in June and July of 1903 and in May of 1904 for a baseball game. Wikipedia claims that the site was first used for Georgia Tech Football in 1905. The website airbornecombatengineer, also states that Tanyard Creek runs up through campus and the creek and drainage had to be diverted with sewer pipes and culverts around and under the field. Coincidentally, Sanford Stadium at Georgia University is also built on an old creekbed…also named Tanyard Creek.
http://hometownnewsatlanta.com, Wikipedia and ramblinwreck.com contributes to this section. “Georgia Tech sports have been thrilling Atlantans and the student body for well over a century but the centerpiece of most of these events, Grant Field, was begun over one hundred years ago. The huge facility came to life in the first months of 1913 to provide space for track, baseball and football contests.
The area known as “Tech Flats” had been around for a while but was largely undeveloped until local businessman, John W. Grant, made Tech president, Dr. K. G. Matheson, an offer he couldn’t refuse. He provided $25,000 (approximately half a million dollars in modern funds) for an athletic stadium which local reporters said “will rival the big stadiums of California, which are famous in athletic and collegiate circles the world over. There will be nothing like it in the South. In gratitude for the gift, the Board of Trustees named the field Hugh Inman Grant Field in memory of Grant’s deceased son, who had died a few years earlier.
Work began almost immediately with the grading and leveling of the Flats and the construction of the first grandstand on the west side, which would seat 5,000. Much of the labor for this would come from Tech students. Fulton County provided $30,000 worth of work (largely by convict labor) grading the hills and filling in the valleys of the four acre “Tech Flats,” which doubled the size of the athletic fields. A quarter mile oval for track was at the North Ave. end of the area in front of the new concrete grandstand. The overall design was completed by New York landscape architect, Charles W. Leavitt, who channeled a swampy creek in the ravine to run underground.
Along with the $25,000 given by Grant, the total cost of the new tri-sports facility was expected to be $100,000. It was planned that other stupendous events would also be held here, like “sham battles,” pageants, drills and military tournaments which would be open to all the citizens of Atlanta. As spring arrived, it was said that the “Tech boys watch the work with growing interest from day to day” while the new field and grandstand was sure to provide the “greatest stimulus to athletic activity” on campus. Even before all the work was completed, the school’s baseball team was using the field to practice for their season opener in April of 1913. The original grandstand was expected to seat 5,000 on 25 concrete tiers.
The Georgia Tech Football program flourished under the coaching of John Heisman. Coach Heisman put together 16 consecutive non-losing seasons, amassed 104 wins, including three undefeated campaigns and a 32-game undefeated streak. Georgia Tech was a founding member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1895.
The original facility, roughly corresponding to the lower level of the current stadium’s west grandstands, seated 5,600. The terrain in the area slopes upward from north to south, a slope very noticeable in the background of early photos, before the slopes were covered by the large stands built over them. Due to that natural grade, much of the field itself is below street level. The concrete East Stands were completed in time for the 1924 season. A year later, the South Stands were finished, making the stadium a 30,000-seat horseshoe with an open north end.
The west stands were rebuilt and a new press box, then the largest in the South, was constructed in 1947, bringing capacity up to 40,000. The current, modern west grandstand covers the old concrete one, which is still intact underneath. The high interstitial space is currently used for storage.
The original all-steel 4,105-seat North stands were erected in 1958 increasing the seating to 44,105.
A second deck was added to the East side in 1962, increasing the stadium capacity to 53,300.
The facility was expanded again in 1967, when the West Stands were double decked to bring capacity to its high of 58,121. That project also included new press and photo levels, including an elevator.
New scoreboards were added prior to the 1982 season. Following the 1985 season, the historic South Stands, which formed the familiar U-shape on North Avenue, were razed. In their place is the William C. Wardlaw Center, a multi-purpose facility for Georgia Tech’s athletic and academic departments that was opened for the 1988 season replacing the facilities in the old Heisman Gym. Seating capacity was reduced to 46,000.
Georgia Tech’s football facility was known as Grant Field until April of 1988, when the Georgia State Board of Regents voted to add the name Bobby Dodd Stadium in honor of the legendary great Tech coach Robert Lee Dodd (the Gray Fox), who guided the Rambling Wreck to its most illustrious football era. A member of the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame, Dodd compiled a 165-64-8 record from 1945-66, and tutored 21 all-Americas as he led Tech to 13 bowl trips during his 22-year stay as head coach. Bobby Dodd for the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, is one of only three people (along with Amos Alonzo Stagg and Bowden Wyatt) to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as both a player at Tennessee University and a coach.
In addition to his winning record, Dodd is also recognized for inventing the “belly series,” a play in which the quarterback places the football at the running back’s abdomen and, depending on the defense, either gives the ball to the running back or keeps it. Dodd served as Tech’s director of athletics from 1951-76 and then worked as a consultant for the alumni association until his death in 1988 for a 57-year association with the Institute. The name change was the first for the facility since it was named Hugh Inman Grant Field in 1914 after a gift from John W. Grant, a member of the Tech Board of Trustees and a well-known Atlanta merchant.
A major renovation of the stadium was completed prior to the 1992 season with the construction of the Bill Moore Student Success Center behind the West Stands, as well as the addition of 32 executive suites and the renovation of the President’s Box and press level. This project also included the Roy Richards Festival under the West Stands.
Natural grass returned to Grant Field in 1995 after 24 seasons with artificial turf. The field was originally surfaced with Astroturf in 1971 and resurfaced in 1979, and then artificial All-Pro Turf was installed in 1988. In the 1990s, 32 new suites and a press box were built and the Astroturf was removed and replaced with natural grass.
Perhaps the biggest and most expansive renovation to Bobby Dodd Stadium came prior to the 2003 season. Georgia Tech decided to renovate and expand the stadium to seat 55,000 at a cost of $75 million. Following the 2001 season, a major expansion and renovation project was started, which was done in two phases in order to play the 2002 season in the stadium. Construction began immediately following the 2001 season, with the first phase completed for the 2002 season, when capacity was 43,719. The first phase saw the completion of the lower bowl seating in the South, East and North areas of the stadium.
For the 2002 season, seating was returned to the South end in front of the Wardlaw Center, and the original North stands and lower east bleachers were rebuilt and bowled in. The east stands now included 20 new executive suites. After the 2002 season, the expansion was completed by adding a massive free standing upper deck in the north end zone seating 15,000, which included 10 luxury suites as well as the Howard Ector Letterwinners Lounge. The complex also features the 7,000-square foot Kim King Football Locker Room, a 3,300-square foot players’ lounge, the Jones Media Room, and football coaches’ offices that overlook Grant Field.
The lower East seating area was rebuilt, and the new structure features 20 executive suites as well as 2,040 chair-backed club seats between the 25-yard lines and the Heisman Club Room, a private air-conditioned lounge for those patrons. The popular upper East stands remain in place with cosmetic improvements. This addition of a north end zone upper deck brought Bobby Dodd Stadium to its current capacity. The new stadium was rededicated during the 2003 home season opener versus the Auburn Tigers on September 2, 2003.
In the summer of 2009, Bobby Dodd Stadium underwent a number of changes. First, the scoreboard was renovated and after completion, is now twice as big as the old scoreboard. Also, ribbon boards were installed in front of the Wardlaw Center, as well as along the sides of the stadium. Another change was the improvement of the sound system in the stadium”.
www.bizjournals.com Feb 2018 writes, “Georgia Tech’s iconic football stadium is slated for improvements aimed at improving the fan experience. Planned enhancements at Bobby Dodd Stadium announced by the university’s athletics department Wednesday include additional premium seating areas, improvements to existing premium seating, enhanced general seating options, improved audio, improved cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity and expanded tailgate offerings.
The enhancements are due to be completed in time for the 2023 season. Meanwhile, other game-day improvements being implemented in time for this year’s football season include additional concessions areas, water-bottle filling stations throughout the stadium and improved directional signage”.
RITUAL DAY: FRIDAY, 11/1/19
After driving a couple of hours in a steady rain pour from Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday 10/31/19, My Feet have set up a major campsite in Lithia Springs, Georgia, about 15 miles west of Atlanta, the site of Bobby Dodd Stadium Grant Field. The sky is clear with temperatures projected to hit 60 degrees, after a low in the high 30’s. Fall has recently landed in the Atlanta area for the 2019 College Football Pilgrimage. Supplying the directions will be the GPS. Assisting with the photos will be ‘Helen’ my Camera, a 2010 Christmas Gift from My Late Mother. Many thoughts entertained the IMAGINATION of My Feet during the drive to Bobby Dodd Stadium. Some included Angels. Angels appear in the shapes of Humans and go out of their way and provide TIME to assist My Feet.
My Feet are always GRATEFUL for the assistance that these Angels supply. Examples include, Image Takers, Directions, ‘Special Blessings & Gifts’, and TIME. Hopefully, these Angels will assist with My Feet for My 2 Vixen Angels of INSANITY were recently removed from My Feet’s Case. The Backdoor Messages that were sent to My Feet were not crystal clear, but they point to similar results. Multiple possibilities exist including, was the removal involuntarily or voluntarily? Angel Passion, Batgirl Chaffee was the first Vixen Angel of INSANITY to be removed from My Feet’s Case some TIME back. Her new assignment was either the result of a ‘Higher Power’, her boy-toy, My Case is closed, Angel Passion Chaffee requested a Transfer, and/or Angel Compassion removed Angel Compassion.
Angel Compassion was the most recent removal from My Feet’s Case. Her Backdoor Messages differ from Angel Passion but end in the same results. Recently, My Feet sent Angel Compassion a Birthday Gift to her Heavenly Address. After some TIME, the Birthday Gift was returned from the Heavenly Address to My Feet and marked, ‘Return to Sender’. As with Vixen Angel Passion , Vixen Angel Compassion and her new assignment was either the result of a ‘Higher Power’, her fiance, My Case is closed, and/or Vixen Angel Compassion requested a Transfer.
Vixen Angel Compassion has many names including Queen Voodoo Vixen (QVV). Vixen Angel Passion also uses many aliases with Queen Vampyre Sonata (QVS) among them. QVV has been a steady Angel starting with the 2014 College Football Pilgrimage. For the 2016 CFP, QVV joined Forces with QVS. Their main duties were many, in addition to being ‘Officials’. Vixen Angel Compassion as God Is My Judge was the Replay Official for My Feet. Steady tabs on My Feet were kept with her cellphone. When the actions of My Feet stepped over the boundary line, QVV would respond accordingly.
Vixen Angel Compassion formed a DUET Partnership with Vixen Angel Passion for the 2016 CFP. Vixen Angel Passion was selected by QVV to assist with My Feet as the ‘Fabled Cello of the American West’. The primary duty of Queen Vampyre Sonata would be the Ref for My Feet. When the actions of My Feet stepped over the boundary line, Queen Vampyre Sonata the Ref could respond accordingly and/or confer with Queen Voodoo Vixen the Replay Official. Since Vixen Angel Passion is a World Class Cellist and Vixen Angel Compassion is a Potential World Class Writer, TIME and Forces will decide the future Road Not Taken for the DUET.
As the Gray Rental Chariot (GRC) approached Atlanta, the traffic of Chariots increased dramatically. Eventually, the slow pace led to the exit for Bobby Dodd Stadium. It was around mid-day when the GRC found a parking spot across the street from the Stadium. After completing the prep tasks, the view from the top of the parking stalls provided a glimpse of the 5th Oldest College Football Stadium in the USA. My IMAGINATION took over and soared back to the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. Instead of all of the buildings and trees surrounding the Shrine, this was bare land filled with some trees and plenty of rocks. The slope of the terrain had created a creek bed that had to be diverted in order to lay the playing field before constructing the stands.
My Feet were in position for the next 1st pics of Bobby Dodd Stadium from across the street. An Angel HELPED with one.
Georgia Tech Alumni Hall was next to the parking stalls. A few discoveries were made including that Homecoming was planned as a Blessing for My Feet. Though My Feet were not alumni from Georgia Tech, the Ramblin’ Reck was welcoming My Feet Home.
After a quick tour and an exchange of pleasantries with the Reception Team for a planned event, My Feet walked across the street for a better view of the Shrine. Signs provided the way.
Next two pics show Bobby Dodd Stadium and Grant Field from behind bars. An Angel took one.
After finagling Helen through the bars, the next pics were taken.
A Monument marked the spot during the Walk, and a Selfie from a different barred area was taken.
It was in the area that My Feet noticed an unlocked gate. An unlocked gate now signals an invitation to enter unlike the 2015 CFP Ritual Walk at LSU Tiger Stadium, aka, Death Valley. A gate was wide open, but My Feet did not enter for verbal permission was not granted. When the same Gift was presented at Kyle Field during Thanksgiving Wednesday Ritual Walk for the 2016 CFP, My Feet entered and was rewarded with pics from the surface of Kyle Field. Behind the unlocked gates were two females. After an exchange of Pleadings, the lead Angel permitted entrance into the Stadium for the next pics. Angel Layla took a pic. She politely turned down the offer for her pic, so My GRATITUDE was left behind for the Blessings.
A War Memorial marked the path and pic of Homecoming preparations.
The higher elevation offered a view of Atlanta and with the HELP of the 3 Compadres, My Feet found their way into another pic.
The 3 Compadres were touring Georgia Tech and in a quick moment much information was exchanged. Names were written down and Universities though verbally given were not. The one name Nick and Texas A&M formed a connection in My IMAGINATION. During the 2016 CFP at Kyle Field on Thanksgiving Day, My Feet met two other Nicks. Thanksgiving Day is near the date that Our Son, Brother, and Friend Nicholas George Feher physically left our planet at the age of 18 in 2007. It was Nick Feher’s ‘Competitive Spirit’ that led to his early departure. He left our planet ‘Competing’. When meeting the 2 Nicks at Kyle Field, My IMAGINATION took it as a sign that Nick was sending My Feet a Welcome Embrace for Kyle Field.
When our brief moment ended, the 3 Compadres went their way. Texas A&M Nick left his email address for a future contact. While continuing the Ritual Walk, My Feet agreed that Nick was sending another Welcome Embrace but now to Bobby Dodd Stadium and to email Texas A&M Nick for more information about the 3 Compadres. While composing this segment, Texas A&M Nick replied to my email.
“Yes! Cole goes to the University of Alabama, Ric went to Missouri, and I went to Texas A&M University. Ric and I are Catholic missionaries with the organization FOCUS (the fellowship of catholic university students). The Fellowship of Catholic University Students is a Catholic collegiate outreach whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the gospel with college and university students, inspiring and equipping them for a lifetime of Christ-centered evangelization, discipleship and friendships in which they lead others to do the same.
Ric is assigned to serve at Georgia Tech, and I am assigned to the University of Alabama. Cole is one of the students I work with at Alabama.
Cole and I were visiting Ric on Alabama’s fall break. Ric and I became friends through FOCUS at our summer training this summer. Ric was showing us around the campus and introducing us to some of the students he works with through the Catholic Center.
Let me know if you have any other questions!” (END of EMAIL)
After receiving the email from Texas A&M Nick, it confirmed the IMAGINATION of My Feet, Nick did send a Welcome Embrace for My Feet at Bobby Dodd Stadium Grant Field.
The path around the Shrine provided the next 4 pics.
As Ritual Day continued, the personal encounters with others had been minimal. Solitude was my companion.
It was at the next gate that another personal encounter would occur.
His name was Chris and he was The Guardian of the Gate. As one of the Managers for the Security Firm for Bobby Dodd Stadium Grant Field, he was very friendly. However, his friendliness did not prevent him from doing his job as The Guardian. Access into the stadium was not permitted, unless paperwork said otherwise. The 2019 CFP was discussed along with other Dreams. There are several legends pertaining to the name Chris, which is derived from Christopher. While talking with Chris, memories of childhood Catholicism entered the IMAGINATION of My Feet, along with name of Saint Christopher.
One story has Christopher helping others to cross a dangerous river where many perished during the crossing. One day a child appeared and asked for help to cross when the river was high with swelling floodwaters. Christopher, while attempting the crossing, discovered that the child to be far heavier than he looked. After making it to the other side, he told the child, “You were so heavy! It was as if I carried the whole world across the river!” And the child replied with a SMILE “You didn’t carry the world, but the maker of it,” and revealed himself to be Christ in disguise. Thus, the name Christophoros, or “bearer of Christ”. The common reference was born to Christopher as the “patron saint of travelers”.
While doing Security Services for 3 years with the same company, Chris has been assisting travelers during many sporting and non-sporting events in the Atlanta area. Georgia Tech events led the way. Chris also shared his Dreams with My Feet, for he too dabbled in writing, when not protecting others. He has assisted in Play Scripts and has also contributed with his friend Elijah R. Freeman for a series of top sellers about urban violence in Clayton County, Georgia. The series is named ‘Triggadale’. ‘Shots Fired’ was the first, followed by ‘Huncho’s Way’. Number three is scheduled to be released in the near future. A separate book, ‘To Live With No One To Love’ has also been published.
Chris wished My Feet a ‘Safe Pilgrimage’ and said that around the corner others may be able to HELP arrange for My Feet to step on Grant Field inside Bobby Dodd Stadium. A slope down the driveway paved the path to around the corner. My Feet caught sight of a tunnel leading to Grant Field with no Security standing guard. But first, My Feet stopped to pay homage to Bobby Dodd and to ask for his HELP so that My Feet could step on Grant Field.
As the tunnel grew larger, Grant Field was in view along with the Georgia Tech Police Officer who stepped out from between the parked vehicles. The Police Officer asked of my business. My Feet briefly explained the 2019 CFP and requested permission to walk through the tunnel to take a couple of pics. The Police Officer explained that the Stadium was on Lock Down for the Game of Combat on Saturday for the Celebration of Pigskin. His duty, along with his Partner, the Police Officer Dog was to closely examine the credentials of the traffic in and out of the Stadium tunnel.
He declared that if it was any other day, access for My Feet to step on Grant Field would be granted. However, permission would be denied today for the lack of credentials. He informed My Feet about the Memorial Plaques that dotted the stairs from whence My Feet had the encounter with St. Chris. Before walking away, My THANKS were given and permission was sought to take a pic through the tunnel opening.
As My Feet fumbled with Helen inside the clear Clemson stadium bag, the Police Officer said, since it’s not too busy right now, what if I escort your Feet onto the Field. My THANKS were quickly returned to the Police Officer for his generous offer of assistance. While walking through the tunnel, memories of the ‘Tunnel Walk’ at the Yale Bowl during the 2018 CFP swayed within My IMAGINATION. The same excitement and signs of ‘Goose Flesh’ began to appear. The only thing missing was ‘Angel Mike’ from the ESPN crew pumping up My Feet with his words of Historic and ‘Goose Flesh’. Though the Bobby Dodd Tunnel was shorter, the Emanation at the end almost matched the Awe of the Yale Bowl. Though Grant Field was older than the Yale Bowl, Yale and other Ivy League schools gave Birth to College Football.
Realizing that TIME was short the next pics were taken on Grant’s Field.
My THANKS were extended to this Police Officer who was now identified as Jason for his Kindness as we began the walk back through the Tunnel. He mentioned not to say anything about his actions to anyone and then proceeded to take a detour through closed gates. Once inside, Jason explained that not many have ventured underneath the Stadium to view the Original Concrete Stands that are now covered by the existing stands. Officer Jason gave permission for the next pics.
During the Ritual Walk back through the Tunnel, My Feet told brief tales from other College Football Pilgrimages. On the other side, My Feet extended their Hand as an offer of THANKS to Officer Jason for creating Memories for the 2019 CFP. With the ENERGY of Grant Field in Bobby Dodd Stadium now permanently embedded into My Feet, Officer Jason offered ‘Safe Journeys’. While walking past Bobby Dodd’s Statue, My THANKS were passed on to him along with a nod to St. Chris. For St. Chris was right. Others around the corner might HELP and HELP they did. My Feet also followed the request of Officer Jason. I did not tell anyone about his ‘Random Act of Kindness’. For My Feet are telling Everyone reading this story.
Plaques along the stairs tell the story of Bobby Dodd Stadium, Grant Field.
More pics announcing Homecoming for My Feet.
A closer look at the J.C. “Bud” Shaw Sports Complex
The Plaza is located around the corner.
A view of the East Stands from both directions.
Another gate on the East Stands welcomed My Feet inside.
More pics from inside Bobby Dodd Stadium from the East Stands.
Empty East side Concourse pics of Bobby Dodd Stadium
The last gate during the Ritual Walk.
My Feet finally made its way back to the GRC. The ENERGY from Bobby Dodd Stadium, Grant Field was packed away into the Memories of My Feet. Though the Chariot traffic was at a snail’s pace leaving, it provided TIME for My Feet to bask in all of the Blessings & Gifts provided by the Ritual Walk. Eventually, the traffic lessened and the Chariot trip back to the main campsite was completed ‘Safely’. In about 18 hours, the GRC would be called upon again for another trip to Bobby Dodd Stadium Grant Field for the ‘Celebration of Pigskin’.
CELEBRATION OF PIGSKIN: SATURDAY, 11/2/19
Usually for the Celebration of Pigskin, arrival TIME is based on the size of the anticipated crowd and the Stadium. Noon/11 am kick-off for the Gladiator Combat Game for the Celebration of Pigskin, arrival is scheduled about 3 Hours before kick-off. For today’s Combat Game, plans to leave the main campsite were penciled in around 11:00 am for a 4 pm kick-off. The GRC was loaded and set out as planned.
Thoughts of Ritual Day and the Celebration of Pigskin were ride passengers. A Dream Checklist is always attempted for the College Football Pilgrimage. Number one is ‘Have Fun’. A sign hung in my classroom and weight room years ago. It read, “FUN IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT”. So if FUN is not a Gift, My Feet only have themselves to blame. There are plenty of others on the Dream Checklist. For Ritual Day, there are two. Get pics inside the Shrine from the stands and from near or on the Combat Surface with My Feet in the Images. Two Dreams were checked off. For the Celebration of Pigskin, two others make the Dream Checklist. Snag an Image of a ‘Local Beauty’ and Images of the Cheer Squad and/or Dance Team with My Feet in the Images.
The Chariot traffic was not as congested and better TIME was made to Bobby Dodd Stadium. Though some of the nearby lots had early campsites set up, parking was by permit only. One lot was a paid lot, but had not opened for business for it was about 3 ½ hours before Homecoming kick-off. A short drive around the left corner created an opening on the street as a parked Chariot was leaving. After a quick U turn, the slot became the campsite for Bobby Dodd Stadium. Best parts, it was close to the Shrine and it was free.
When the final preparations were completed, My Feet set sights for Tech Greens. Tech Greens was a nearby spot for others to set up campsites for the Celebration of Pigskin. This would be the starting point. Bobby Dodd Stadium is a City Stadium and with all City Stadiums, parking for large scale campsites is very limited. From the info shared with My Feet during the Ritual Walk, Tech Greens was located nearby. As My Feet turned the corner right, another male figure walked nearby. Immediately, My Feet sought directions to Tech Greens.
In a friendly tone of voice, the large male figure replied, I am heading that way and that he would lead. I THANKED him for his HELP and off we strolled together. The terrain around the Shine is made up of slopes and valleys. A decent pace was set and after a short distance, a Gift was waiting on the ground for My Feet. It was a Small Stuffed Creature with a key ring attached. After picking it up and dusting it off, my eyes scanned the walkway and the original owner could not be spotted. I told the large male figure that it must a Gift for my 2019 CFP. Since it was from Georgia Tech University, it was named, ‘Ramblin Reck’ and placed in the clear Clemson stadium bag.
The walk to Tech Greens was advertised to be about 15 minutes. Much was shared during the walk, with My Feet doing most of the barkin. When the moment appears with interested ears, stories of previous Pilgrimages flow like a draft from a keg of beer. When the glass is empty, another draft is poured. Eventually, My Feet made it to Tech Greens. The stop provided the opportunity to gather some info from the large male figure and to THANK him for his TIME and for letting my Barkin to enter his ears.
Mihai was his name and he said that my Barkin was very interesting and that he enjoyed our moment. Mihai was a double Graduate of Georgia Tech. After arriving with his 1996 Immigration Lottery Winning parents from Romania 23 years ago, Mihai grabbed the ‘Brass Ring’ many years past as a youngster and has since been PLAYIN HIS DREAMS. He designed his DREAMS at a young age and was GRATEFUL for the opportunities in the USA. Through his Desire and Hard Work, Mihai applied and was accepted into the Top Engineering School in the USA.
My Feet confessed to Mihai that they walked among the Brightest Minds during the 2018 CFP and absorbed some of the fumes that were created from the Brightest Minds. Since Georgia Tech was the top Engineering University in the country, the fumes from their Brightest Minds should equal to those of the Ivy League for My Feet to feast on. Mihai laughed at the thought. He said that he came for Homecoming to meet up with the friendships that were created at Georgia Tech. In the spring of 2018, Mihai earned a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering and completed his Master’s Degree in Structural Engineering in the Spring of 2019. He currently resides in South Florida while utilizing his Structural Engineering Degree.
Tech Greens at three hours before kick-off was just starting to wake-up. It was decided to stand on the corner and wait for the Energies to appear. For the consumption of Energies is among the Dream Checklist. The sun provided some warmth on the breezy fall afternoon. After a short TIME, the first Pitt Energies arrived wearing Pitt Gear. After a quick Hail to Pitt shout out from My Feet, the Energies in Pitt Gear stopped for a moment to chat. Their names were Bruce and Dianne. Bruce was originally from Bradford, Pa, with Dianne a native of Greenville, South Carolina.
After graduating from Pitt in 1970, Bruce headed south to the confines of Greenville, South Carolina in 1971. Dianne graduated from Greenville Tech and both met in 1982 and were married in 1983. Bruce refers his marriage to a Southern Belle as one might say in Savannah, Dianne married ‘Worse Than a Damned Yankee’.
Pitt Football, the Destruction of Pitt Stadium and the 2019 CFP was among the topics that were dished on this cool fall afternoon. Bruce confessed that he was in attendance for the ‘Greatest College Football Game’ at Pitt Stadium in 1970 that My Feet played in. He claimed to remember the ‘Jarring Fumble Causing Tackle’ that My Feet made in the final 35 seconds that HELPED preserve the victory in a final score of Pitt 36-West Virginia 35. John Stevens, a teammate from Sharon, Pa recovered the fumble to seal the ‘Greatest Game’.
When our moment was finished, Bruce, Dianne and My Feet exchanged words of Healthy Journeys. Bruce and Dianne were searching for the Pitt Campsite, while My Feet were heading into the UNKNOWN. While walking through the campus, My Feet led the way in search of campsites. It was the smoke and the smells emanating from a nearby campsite that drew My Feet for a closer look. It was a ‘Big Rig’ designed for the ‘Serious Campsites’. Big Rigs are very popular at most Shrines for the Celebration of Pigskin, especially those with very large lots. Though this lot was small, the Big Rig had nestled itself a space.
After My Feet asked for the owner, David appeared. My Feet spoke in high admiration for his Big Rig and told him about previous Pilgrimages and other Big Rigs. It was obvious that a ‘Creator’s Touch’ was applied to this Big Rig. Creator David then began to weave his tale. There were rumors in 2005 that in the deep woods near Roswell Georgia, birthplace of Creator David, a Big Rig laid in ruins of the muddy lands in the Georgia Woods. This rumor sent Creator David out on a search for the Big Rig, for in his DNA was a Passion for Cooking. The owner of the land guided Creator David to the location of the Big Rig.
With Go Kart worn, flat tires supporting the Big Rig, most of the frame was sunk in the Georgia mud. Grown brush and vines encompassed the Big Rig. What others may have classified as a disaster, Creator David envisioned Potential. The negotiations went quickly. For $100, the owner would sell it and place it on his Buddy’s trailer that Creator David towed with his pickup. A counter offer was proposed by Creator David for the amount of $80 that rested in his pocket. The owner agreed and the TIME consuming digging out started. All of the vines and shrubs had to be removed first. Then the Georgia Mud had to be cleared away from the Go Kart flat tires and frame. When all was readied, the previous owner used his John Deere tractor and lifted the Big Rig from its hideout and placed it on the trailer.
Creator David over a period of years customized his ‘Work of Art’. Some of the Art included the axles with standard trailer tires in 2006 and the custom designed ‘Smoke Stacks’ were built shortly afterwards. Stainless steel doors replaced the steel doors in 2008. And the rear of the Big Rig has gone through a couple of renovations including extending and framing a door around the rear wood stacker. During the 2008-09 season, the Big Rig was christened with a name, “Smoke ‘Em if ya got ‘Em”.
For the past 33 seasons for the Celebration of Pigskin, David and his family has owned season tickets for the Gladiator Combat Games at Bobby Dodd Stadium. With an Undergraduate Degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia among his ‘Cooking Utensils’, Creator David is earning his MBA from Georgia Tech. His plans are to venture lightly again into his Passion of Smoked Foods. Back in the days, Creator David once catered to small groups seeking the pleasures of Smoked Goods. Now back in the area, his Dreams of Passion are tugging at his apron. THANKS to Neil in the previous pic, who son was a Gladiator at Georgia Tech, with a Smoked Peanut in my Hand, I was a Virgin no-longer in the World of Smoked Peanuts.
With the Celebration of Pigskin growing shorter, My Feet returned to Tech Greens to seek the Energies. More smaller campsites popped out during the walk. The crowd had increased on Tech Greens. A Combat Game Agenda was called for to plan the rest of the Celebration of Pigskin. While standing on another corner, a Threesome was walking in my direction. After waving them down, it was discovered that the 3some was actually the Welcoming Committee. My Feet explained their purpose and sought the Combat Game Agenda. Next is the 3some.
TRAVIS-MEGAN-REMI
Travis on the left was an alumni, class of 2014 with a Degree in Aerospace. Megan, center, was also an alumni, class of 2015 with a Degree in Business. Though her maturity as a ‘Genius’ was deceiving, Remi on the right was still Playin her options for her choice of a University. The 3some was very informative and detailed in explaining the Agenda. My THANKS were exchanged during departure for the 3some had others to Welcome. Einstein was spotted giving a lecture on Tech Greens on the subject of Energy. During the photo opp, My Feet agreed with his and others assessment of Energy; ‘Once Energy is Created, It Cannot Be Destroyed’. It is the Stored Energy of the Stadiums plus the Energy & Beauty of the Celebration of Pigskin that attracts My Feet to experience the Blessings & Gifts.
Earlier, Bruce and Dianne had mentioned a Pitt Campsite. Before leaving Tech Greens around 100 minutes before kick-off the next pics were taken. A section of the Georgia Tech Marching Band stopped to play a tune.
With My Feet leading the way, a Pitt Campsite sign was visible. One sign led to another sign, which eventually led to the Pitt Campsite. Mixed thoughts entertained My Feet. The opportunity to tell others about the ‘Stupidity of Pitt Football’ had presented itself. However, TIME was now a factor. Standing guard at the entrance of the Pitt Campsite were 2 Bouncers checking ID’s and tickets. The 2 Bouncers said that in order for My Feet to enter the Pitt Campsite to feast on their food and drinks, a $30 entry fee was required. While conversing with the Male Bouncer about My Feet’s football playing days at Pitt, and the 2019 CFP, he recognized the Aliquippa Gear and said he was from Beaver Pa, about 10 miles from Aliquippa. With much still yet to do, his offer was declined for the value of return would not match the $30. Next are the 2 Bouncers. Devin is left & Lindsay is right
DEVIN & LINDSAY
After taking the pic, My Feet THANKED the 2 Bouncers for the moment and said that they would hang around the perimeter. Though a number of Pitt Faithful walked by, the Aliquippa Gear was not noticed. Without warning, the Pitt Cheer Squad came hustling out of the Pitt Campsite as if on a mission. Orders were being shouted out to grab their gear across the street to head to the Stadium. The Hustle prevented requesting a pic to check off the Dream Checklist with the Pitt Cheer Squad. Instead, My Feet snagged a pic with the Pitt Panther.
GA TECH 2019 HOMECOMING
Sensing the moment completed, My Feet followed the Pitt Cheer Squad in hopes of a pic. At the intersection for the Ramblin’ Reck, Cheer & Band Parade, the Pitt Cheer Squad walked away from the Stadium. My Feet remained to gather more info about the Parade that was first spoken by the 3some. A female graduate with her young son explained the starting and ending points for the Parade and that it would be starting about one hour before kick-off. Since the sun provided more warmth, across the street is where My Feet set up at the starting point. In a short moment, a group of Tech students wearing identical jackets were grouping in the shade across the street. My Feet sensed a photo opp for the group and sought the male handing out the required wristbands.
During the ongoing chaos, a moment with the Wristband Man was created. His name was Brendan and the group also had a name. It was called, The Ramblin’ Reck Club The speed of information given about this Historic Club, prevented My Feet from writing it down. A visit to reckclub.org provides the following excerpts. “Starting as early as 1929, coach William Alexander, the legendary head coach of the Yellow Jacket Football Team and NCAA Hall of Fame member, began to publicly lament the lack of spirit and regard for Tech displayed by most of the student body.
GA TECH 2019 HOMECOMING
What Coach Alex realized was needed was a group of student leaders, organized to promote school spirit, enthusiasm for the Tech athletic teams, and Tech traditions and history among the student body. In 1930, Alexander approached Professor Fred Wenn, a great friend to the student body, about organizing and founding such a club. Wenn, for whom the present Student Center is named, agreed to take up the task. He set about creating the organization that was founded that same year as the Yellow Jacket Club. The Yellow Jacket Club was to be renamed in 1945 as the Ramblin’ Reck Club, as it is known today. In 1956, four years after Tech admitted its first two women students, the Reck Club became the first non-religious organization on campus to become coed by electing Paula Stevenson to the club. In those early years the club was responsible for the establishment and enforcement of the “RAT Rules,” the rules concerning the dress and behavior of Tech Freshmen.
The most important part of the Club’s responsibilities came about in 1961 when Dean James Dull obtained for the Institute the 1930 Ford Model A Sports Coupe which became known as the Ramblin’ Reck. In 1967, Dull gave the symbol to the Ramblin’ Reck Club to keep for the Institute as representatives of the student body. Since that time, the physical, financial and mechanical care and maintenance for the Ramblin’ Reck has become the sole responsibility of the Ramblin’ Reck Club, from whose ranks the Reck Driver is elected each year. We take pride both in maintaining the physical integrity of the beautiful car through regular maintenance and washings, as well as making the Reck as tangible to campus as possible. We strive to have the Reck out on campus as often as possible, whether it is to support student organizations, to ‘aaogah’ at students on the way to class, to take pictures, to cheer on Georgia Tech athletics, or even to take students back home after a late night of studying.
In addition to our duties involving the Reck, Ramblin’ Reck Club also strives to promote, facilitate, and preserve the traditions that our illustrious Institute is built upon. In fact, Ramblin’ Reck Club is responsible for overseeing several Georgia Tech traditions. We take interest in helping promote and preserve any other traditions we can, even through presentations and trivia. We are constantly seeking to provide students the education and opportunities to connect with Georgia Tech’s rich history. With only 50 members, if there is a way to boost spirit and morale around campus, Ramblin’ Reck Club is ready and willing to help!” The Ramblin’ Reck Club agreed to the next pic.
After the Pre-Parade Traditional Shots of Red Bull, the Ramblin’ Reck made an appearance to lead the Parade.
The Moment signaled a pic of My Feet with the Ramblin’ Reck at Ga Tech 2019 Homecoming
GA TECH 2019 HOMECOMING
Though there was no Georgia Tech Cheer or Dance Squads in the area, My Feet netted a pic with ‘Buzz’ the Tech Mascot.
GA TECH 2019 HOMECOMING
NEXT ARE PICS OF THE PARADE
THE PARADE ENDED AT THE STEPS NEAR THE STATUE OF BOBBY DODD WITH A SERENADE FROM THE GEORGIA TECH MARCHING BAND.
PICS OF THE CROWD ENTERING FOR THE GLADIATOR COMBAT GAME.
While walking to my entry gate, the 3some was spotted and greetings were exchanged again. The ‘Security Procedures’ for Bobby Dodd Stadium rivaled those of Airport Security except for the removal of shoes. Once past the Security Checkpoint, a 1st pic as a ticketed patron outside the Shrine was on the Dream Checklist. Since the surroundings were not too crowded, My Feet studied the patrons for an Image Taker. Walking up with a male wearing a Michigan hat was a female wearing a Pitt Nursing T Shirt. Since Nurses swear an oath to HELP Others, My Feet reached out for her HELP. After a quick explanation of the Nurse’s Oath, this Angel wearing a Pitt Nursing T Shirt agreed to be the Image Taker. Her male companion was not a Michigan Grad or student. He liked Michigan University and the hat. She declined to be photographed, but My THANKS were sent her way.
Last minute business was conducted before entering the Shrine from the concourse. Concourse pics were not taken for there was not much to be photographed. In some Strange Arrangement, the portal to my seat was the same portal that Welcomed My Feet on Ritual Day. First 3 pics inside Bobby Dodd Stadium Grant Field as a Patron.
While gazing in Admiration for the 5th Oldest College Football Stadium in the USA on this cool, sun filled, fall, late afternoon, the Energies of the Shrine were pumped up for Homecoming. Though the Pitt Gladiators of Pitt were a healthy 7+ point favorite, the Homecoming crowd was anticipating a Homecoming Effort by the Gladiators of Georgia Tech. The moment arranged the meeting with John & Sandy. During the moment, My Feet swapped tales of the 2019 CFP.
John & Sandy confessed that their daughter attends Mississippi State and plans have been made for them to attend the same Celebration of Pigskin as My Feet on November 16, 2019. Tentatively, plans were exchanged to meet at the Mississippi State Celebration of Pigskin. My card was given along with the words, ‘It would be an honor to meet with you again. If the meeting does take place, it would be the first TIME that My Feet would have met the Feet of Others, twice on the same Pilgrimage, but in two different locations’. John agreed to take the 1st pics of My Feet inside the Shrine. Next is a pic of John & Sandy.
FIRST PICS OF FOX FEATHER AS A PATRON IN BOBBY DODD STADIUM GRANT FIELD
When the moment ended with John & Sandy, My Feet found its assigned seat on the 3rd row, 5th seat. A male teenager assisted with the next pic of Fox Feather near his seat.
The National Anthem was a ‘Special Gift’. As a member the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Cecil Welch offered his talents to play as a Solo Trumpeter. The ‘Special’ part was the relationship that Cecil had with Henry Mancini. Henry Mancini is an acclaimed Composer, Director, Musical Genius, Oscar and Grammy Winner. Plus, Henry Mancini is from my hometown of West Aliquippa. Cecil raised the ‘Goose Flesh’ on My Feet with his rendition.
GA TECH 2019 HOMECOMING
Gainesville Times reports, ‘For 18 years, recording artist Cecil Welch toured with the Henry Mancini Orchestra as the solo trumpet player. Mancini, a four-time Academy Award winner and 20 Grammys, is best known for his television and film scores such as “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “The Pink Panther,” and “10.” Welch worked with Mancini while performing around the globe, recording movie soundtracks and becoming one of the great pop and jazz trumpet players of this generation’.
The Celebration of Pigskin continued with the Georgia Tech Marching Band performing on one section of Grant Field, while members of the Ramblin’ Reck, and Tech Cheer Squad performed near the end zone. The Energy increased in Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Then the Chute was formed to lead out the Gladiators of Georgia Tech University.
When the Pre-Festivities concluded, the opening kick-off followed.
Early scenes of the Georgia Tech Alumni and Current Cheer Squad performing stunts.
The area of my seat was among the ‘Trouble Makers’. Apparently it was the only small section near the field that stands the entire Combat Game. This Standing Tradition created ‘Trouble’ for those with tickets behind the ‘Trouble Makers’, especially those who do not prefer to stand. My Feet were stationed on the last line for Standing. It became obvious that others directly behind the ‘Trouble Makers’ were not satisfied Patrons, which resulted in verbal disagreements being exchanged between the two parties. When the negotiations were completed, the Trouble Makers held to their standards. Next are pics of the Trouble Makers and Negotiations.
MORE PICS OF THE CELEBRATION OF PIGSKIN
HOMECOMING CROWD AT BOBBY DODD STADIUM
During halftime of the Combat Battle, the Georgia Tech Band entertained. It was during that moment, that a signal arrived from behind My Feet. The signal appeared to be coming from one of the Negotiators for the Others in the dispute with the Trouble Makers. It was a question, ‘Are you from Aliquippa’? It was completed with a statement, ‘I saw your Aliquippa Hat and needed to ask’. My Feet replied, that they were originally from Aliquippa Pa, but now were stationed in Henderson, NV. The Negotiator said she was from Mars Pa, which altered the course of our conversation. With her glass emptied, a draft called 2019 CFP was poured from My Keg to refill her glass. After taking a small sip, she signaled for 2 others to join in.
Introductions were ordered and the talks continued. The three were sisters. They had been to Bobby Dodd Stadium previously to see the Pitt Gladiators. Originally, the Sisters 3 were natives from Uniontown Pa, but TIME & Forces moved them apart. The Sisters 3 were named Carol, Debi, and Bonni, who played the role of the Negotiator. Debi sat in the middle, which may have indicated that she was a middle child or not. She was the Quite One of the Sisters 3. Carol was proudly wearing her Pitt Gear and delivered an interesting tale. After reading the Editorial on the Stupidity of Pitt Football, the Pitt Girl confessed the following.
CAROL-DEBI-BONNI
Carol attended Pitt the same years as did My Feet and graduated in 1973. My Feet, because of a ‘Blown-Out Knee’ at Pitt Stadium in 1972, graduated in 1974. The Pitt Girl earned a Graduate Degree in 1976. During her tenure at Pitt, Carol took a liken to the Gladiators and the Celebration of Pigskin. For her 19th Birthday, the Pitt Girl attended a Gladiator Combat Game at Pitt Stadium. It was Homecoming with a larger than normal crowd. The opponents were the Gladiators of West Virginia. It was 1970. The Battle was rehashed by My Feet and the Pitt Girl remembered the scenes including the Jarring Fumble Causing Tackle by My Feet that sealed the Greatest College Football Game ever played in Pitt Stadium.
For her 19th Birthday, The Pitt Girl received as a Gift, the Greatest College Football Game to be played in Pitt Stadium. As a long-time Pitt football season ticket holder, the Pitt Girl yearns for the Days of Football on the campus of Pitt. She sadly agreed that Heinz Field and the bus ride by Pitt students to the Morgue from Pitt’s campus does not foster the Energy found in other Stadiums on campuses. On a Brighter Note, the Pitt Girl sang that she worked for the Architect Firm responsible for the New Pitt Stadium. Occasionally, the sounds from the Past & Present Pitt Football Faithful echo among the Hills of Oakland for a New Pitt Stadium. TIME & Forces will tell that story.
It is normal operating procedures to not report much about the Gladiator Combat Game. The Gladiators played with High Energies and put on a Great Show. For the most part, the Gladiator Combat Game remained close. Pics of the Game.
As the clock was removing TIME, 2 of the Dream Checklist for the Celebration of Pigskin had yet to be checked-off. With the Tech Cheer Squad located nearby, an opportunity would wait until the end of the Game. Though a wall separated the stands, there were options. A ‘Local Beauty’ snapshot was also unchecked. It is always left to TIME & Forces to arrange the snapshot or not of the Cheer/Dance Squads and a ‘Local Beauty’. For some Shrines did not provide the moment.
Earlier, at the start of the Game, a male Patron with a female Patron had the seats to the left of My Feet. Pleasantries were exchanged along with info about the 2019 CFP. During the excitement, High 5’s were exchanged with the Couple. As the Game played on, small talk with the male Patron became less. However, the Energy of the female Patron began to rise. The Georgia Tech Faithful regardless of the score, create high Levels of Energy during the Combat Game. Adding to the Energy was the female Patron, who was also a ‘Local Beauty’. After removing her sunglasses and exposing her Miniature Universes with colors of blue & green disguised as eyes, My Feet set their sights for a possible ‘Local Beauty’ snapshot.
Plato describes ‘Beauty’ as being in the eyes of the beholder. The Spirits of Bobby Dodd Stadium Grant Field weaved some Magic during the end of the 3rd quarter. The male Patron along with another male Patron decided to visit the concessions leaving a ‘Local Beauty’ defenseless. After weighing out the options, My Feet decided to slide closer to the side of a ‘Local Beauty’. Since TIME was a factor, My Feet explained their purpose with the line, ‘Does your boyfriend have to approve you having your picture taken’? The ‘Local Beauty’ replied that he did not. Then My Feet asked, ‘Does your husband have to approve’? She said no, because she was not married. More details were shared by My Feet about the ‘Local Beauty’ pic for the story.
The ‘Local Beauty’ then asked what makes her qualify for the snapshot. My Feet then responded, that it was a Fan of Energy and Beauty. Since, the female Patron exhibited High Levels of both, she qualified as a ‘Local Beauty’. After THANKING My Feet for the Truths, and playfully slapping My Feet, a ‘Local Beauty’ agreed to take a snapshot. While arranging the pic, the ‘Local Beauty’ confessed that the male Patron was not her boy-toy, but just a toy that she had recently been dating. After the snapshot was taken by Helen, the ‘Local Beauty’ said her name was Rachel. Rachel was a 2012 Business Grad of Georgia Tech and was currently utilizing her degree in Atlanta.
With the moment shortening, My Feet confessed to Rachel that her Energy & Beauty was ‘Top Shelf’. When informed that our pic would land in a future book, Rachel laughed and playfully slapped My Feet again. Helen, My Camera, usually agrees with My Feet’s assessment of Energy & Beauty. Helen, did her ‘Very Best’ to capture the ‘Top Shelf’ Energy & Beauty of Rachel, the ‘Local Beauty’. But, the Senses of My Feet feasted on the ‘Local Beauty’ named Rachel and her ‘Top Shelf’ Energy & Beauty’.
Only one Dream remained on the Dream Checklist and it would wait until the end of the Combat Game. More pics as Buzz directs the Band and the unfurling of the Georgia Tech Colors.
TIME & Forces arranged the next 2 pics.
The Georgia Tech Faithful continue to practice many Traditions including that of being a Fraternity Pledge. Jake is Pledging to bring as many reusable cups from Bobby Dodd Stadium back to his Fraternity.
My Feet stayed to the very end basking in the remnants of the Created Energy of Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Tech Band and a large section of the student section remained to entertain the closing of the Celebration of Pigskin. A male Patron remarked that this ‘Closing Number’ is performed at all major athletic events.
While walking back to my campsite, My Feet had an encounter with a familiar face. It was St. Chris dressed in his Security Garb doing his gig in Helping Others. After a brief exchange of friendliness, My Feet said to St. Chris, ‘You were right, HELP was waiting just around the corner’. St. Chris laughed and with a SMILE Blessed My Feet with Safe & Healthy Journeys. The GRC was waiting and the ride back to the major campsite was filled with many passengers disguised as Blessings and Gifts from the Celebration of Pigskin at Bobby Dodd Stadium Grant Field. Two of the passengers triggered memories from the 2016 CFP during a Celebration of Pigskin at Darryl Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on the campus of Texas University.
It was there that My Feet had a moment with 3 Fans of the West Virginia University Gladiators. They said the same confession as did the 2 Pitt Fans, Worse Than a Damn Yankee and the Pitt Girl. The 3 Fans of West Virginia saw My Feet PLAYIN MY DREAMS during the Greatest College Football Game in 1970 inside Pitt Stadium. Even though Backdoor Messages indicate that My 2 Vixen Angels of INSANITY, Angel Compassion and Angel Passion have been removed from My Case, some Traditions remain. If your Road Not Taken spots My 2 Vixen Angels of INSANITY, please tell them that the following Tokens from Bobby Dodd Stadium Grant Field are available for pickup at The Dream Home Oasis.
The 2nd Leg of the 2019 College Football Pilgrimage will now move to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on the campus of the University of Mississippi.
Fox Feather
