Archive for August, 2010

Working hard and hardly working…

Friday, August 27th, 2010

981258-R1-20-20ARecently, my brother Mike and I were presented the Hometown Award from the Hico (Texas) Civic Club. The plague reads “To Jim Ferguson In recognition of your investment of time and talent to fulfill your dreams for the betterment of Hico ISD and Hico.”

I don’t know why I got my name on plaque. It’s my brother Mike who had the idea and does all the work. I just raise the money by harrassing my friends like Dave Linne at Conagra, Roger Goodell at the NFL, Ken Dice at Nike and Scott Helbing, formerly of ATT.

Yes, it was my big brother Mike who came to me with the idea of bringing the best six-man football teams in the state together for a day-long “extravaganza”. Then, he asked, “can you find us a sponsor?” In Mike Ferguson lingo that keans, “Find a sponsor!” Which I did. The first sponsor was Dr. Pepper, then ATT, then Nike and now Rotel/Velvetta. Funny thing is, I’ll be doggoned if the thing didn’t take off. Tomorrow, thousands of people will travel to Hico, Texas for the Hico Six-Man Super Saturday. Or as Texas Monthly magazine calls it, “the biggest day for the smallest schools in Texas.” Not only will there be five, count’em five games, of six-man football which can only be described as a bunch of red ants running around trying to tackling whichever ant has the piece of bologna sandwich, but also in attendance will be an Elvis impersonator, Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, former Cowboy great Walt Garrison, and on and on. A good time will be had by all.

Join us. Or log on our website at www.hicosupesix.com and listen to all the action from Tiger Stadium via the internet.

It’s Party Time…

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Our biggest fear...no one shows up!

Our biggest fear...no one shows up!

Years ago I decided to throw a party. I invited all my friends. I spent a bunch of money on food and beverages. Then, a funny thing happened…no one, and I do mean NO ONE, showed up. 50 people took the time to RSVP, but no one took the time to show up. I will never forgot sitting in front of TV eating a bucket of guacamole, three pounds of shrimp and a few dozen hotdogs…alone. I cursed my friends until I finally OD’d on homemade ice cream and almost died…

For the past seven years, my brother Mike and I have staged an event called the Hico Six-Man Super Saturday. Ten of the best six-man high school footballs travel to our hometown of Hico for a day-long celebration of football. The teams travel from as far away at Follett and as near as Walnut Springs to participate. From what the coaches say, it has become a very big deal to be invited to the Hico Six-Man Super Saturday. Ten teams, five games, one field. The first game kicks off at 10 a.m., the last one around 7 p.m. We have great national sponsors like Rotel/Velveeta, the NFL, Nike, the Dallas Cowboys, Xenith Helmets, as well lots of local sponsors. Over 200 volunteers put on their “7th Man” shirts and pitch in to work. Talk about a team effort. It is a huge undertaking.

We have over 4,000 show up for it. But that doesn’t stop us from worrying…what if no one comes this year!

So each year we try to add a new wrinkle. First, it was celebrities. So we asked three former NFL stars to join us, Jack Pardee, Walt Garrison, Burton Lawless. They did. And they’ve been donating their time ever since. They love coming and we love having them. The celebrities begat the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Our friend Stephen Jones sends two unsuspecting cheergals down where they are mobbed by adoring fans! One year, the Air Force delivered the game ball in a helicopter! We set up games for the kids. Local cattleman Barry Christiann even slaughters a couple of his prize-winning Angus steers so that we can serve the best burgers you’ll ever taste. This year, my partner Jake Schroepfer came up with another idea…bring in a JumboTron TV. So we are. The good folks at GoVision will be bringing down the World’s Largest Portable Big Screen HD TV….33′ long by 18 feet high. I can’t wait!

(Check out our Facebook page Hico Six-Man Super Saturday or log onto www.hicosupersix.com, to learn more about the event.)

So if you are thinking about a road trip this weekend, drive down to Hico and spend the day at the Hico Six-Man Super Saturday.

The more the merrier!