Someone dreamed up getting together to drink coffee with Shreveport’s Dr. Billy Bundrick, now retired and the namesake of a couple of training rooms at Louisiana Tech, the University where he starred in football and the University he donated so much to during his career as an orthopedic surgeon. Used to it was coffee and donuts at Dr. B’s office. Some guys would drive over from Ruston, the rest from Shreveport and Bossier.

But then he retired, and now the bunch has expanded and eats out. This has gone on for a few years and now it’s become a semi-regular thing. The lastest time was last week, and the people crammed around some tables at Strawn’s Too and having much fun together were guilty of being there.

From bottom right and going counter-clockwise, you’ve got Sam “Chief” Wilkinson, Lee Hedges, Jimmy Orton, Teddy Allen (the group’s imposter, dutifully covering The Event for DW), FCA director and Tech football letterman Terry Slack, Benny Thornell, J.W. Slack (the father of the son), Dr. B, his cousin Dr. Jim Williams, and Bobby Aillet.

Most Tech fans not only know those names but have plenty of stories about each of them. Present company excluded, you could form a pretty good team — and in several different sports — with these guys.

At one point, another group of the same type characters met weekly at Southfield Grill; that group started with around 47 and is down to a handful, mortality being what it is. This is a sort of satellite group and some of these guys are members of both groups.

The important thing is they still get together when they can. There are the old stories to tell, grandchildren stories to tell, and the latest “Who’s having knee or hip replacement surgery this week?” stories to tell.

Joanne Sigler, wife of Orvis Sigler, the late and deeply respected and loved Centenary College coach and A.D., was in the room by happenstance and read the crowd her latest book, a third-poetry, third-coloring, and third-writing book for children. It was like being in grade school again, and that she would take the time says a lot about her shared feelings with these men. She signed off with a couple of kisses and this: “God bless coaches, because nobody else will.”

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