Sports Columnist

It’s homecoming at Troy State University!

If there’s a better time of the year to make the claim that you’re a Trojan

it’s on Troy State Appreciation Day.

It is the time of the year when the Troy community gets a chance to show off in front of thousands of visitors from all over the country.

The annual 125 unit TSU Appreciation Day Parade showcases our community in traditional fashion.

Of course, George D. "Good Deal" O’Neal and his committee do an excellent job of putting on the parade. The parade is sponsored by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce. You can bet the parade will start right at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.

Thousands of alumni and friends will head back to campus after the parade to join with their friends for a wonderful time of fun and fellowship. The kickoff for the TSU-Southern Utah game is at 2 p.m.

I appreciate all the cards and letters I received after my entertaining article in last week’s Messenger. I didn’t realize how many people from far away places read my column. I’m very humbled!

All I did was say Troy State can play with Auburn and Alabama and people of the Auburn persuasion got real excited about it. And why not? Troy State recruits its football players from America’s "hot bed" for college talent, the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. What better place to find talent? Just like Auburn, Alabama, Florida, FSU, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Southern Mississippi and Middle Tennessee, each team can sign just 25 players a year.

They say there’s enough quality players in Florida alone to fill the rosters of every team in the SEC and then some. Troy State has 29 players from Florida, 27 from Georgia, 12 from Mississippi, and 53 from Alabama. With 25 allowed on scholarship per year Troy State is going to get enough quality players to compete in Division 1-A. It’s called parity and Troy State’s victory over Mississippi State is a prime example of it.

Yes! I am a great cheerleader for TSU, but at the same time I know a quality football player when I see one. Troy State’s got a lot of quality football players, just ask the dozens of pro scouts that come to see TSU practice each year.

Yes! Troy State has a great football tradition just like Alabama and Auburn. The only difference is that we don’t play in front of 80,000 at every home game to produce revenue for our facilities.

TSU has never claimed to be another Alabama or Auburn, but we will be another Southern Miss and that’s not bad.