By Jay Coulter
jccoulter@gmail.com
I attended a cool event over the weekend in Columbus, Georgia. Each year the ministries of former Auburn All-American Joe Cribbs, Alabama great Jeremiah Castille and former Georgia All-American David Pollack put on a celebrity golf tournament at the local country club.
It’s an opportunity to raise money for each of the foundations and for fans it’s a chance to meet and talk with some of the greats from the three schools. Those representing Auburn included Cribbs, Aundray Bruce, Trey Gainous, Gerald Robinson, Pat Dye, Brandon Cox, Frank Sanders, Terry Henley, Smokey Hodge, Rob Pate, Stan White and Jeff Burger to name just a few.
The Alabama and Georgia contingent included Roger Shultz (from Biggest Loser fame), Nick Saban, Antonio Langham, Barry Krauss, Kevin Butler, D.J. Shockley and Robert Edwards.
A couple of observations: Bruce looks like he could still line up anywhere in the NFL and play. The guy is huge and built like a truck.
He had the coolest line of the night. We are going through the buffet line and someone asked him what he was doing these days. He answered that he was playing golf and fishing. To which the person said, "You have to do more than that." Bruce responded, "Actually I don’t." Pretty funny stuff. Must be nice.
I had a chance to speak with Shultz and he joked that everywhere he goes people always look at what he’s eating. Let me tell you – television doesn’t do that guy justice. He is flat skinny. You’d never guess he weighed 363 pounds a year ago. To look at him now, it’s hard to believe that he ever played on the offensive line in the SEC.
I also had a nice conversation with Gainous. He looks like a skinny sociology professor - with great hands I might add. He’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.
Attending events like this where you have former players from different schools, you realize how fans take the rivalries much more seriously than the players. These guys genuinely like each other and have a healthy respect for one another.
With that said, I still can't wait to get a piece of Georgia in November. I hate Georgia.