OT - For 50+ year old SPSers - Nostalgia

[greenbean.sixpack]

In the 70s/80s, wasn't there some type of deal where you could call a certain toll number and listen to State games? I'm pretty most teams had this set up? My dad was so cheap we never used it, but I remember it being advertised.

We'd get three or four OTA college games per weekend, and the bulldogs rarely made the cut. I remember waiting until Sunday morning for the two-page spread in the CL so I could read the stories and review the stats. We didn't have home delivery, so we have to wait until after church to get the paper, that was brutal.

We are truly in the golden age of college football now, you can watch almost any game in crystal clear 4k.

 

[She Mate Me]

In the 70s/80s, wasn't there some type of deal where you could call a certain toll number and listen to State games? I'm pretty most teams had this set up? My dad was so cheap we never used it, but I remember it being advertised.

We'd get three or four OTA college games per weekend, and the bulldogs rarely made the cut. I remember waiting until Sunday morning for the two-page spread in the CL so I could read the stories and review the stats. We didn't have home delivery, so we have to wait until after church to get the paper, that was brutal.

We are truly in the golden age of college football now, you can watch almost any game in crystal clear 4k.

We lived out of state in my teen years.

Clearly remember trying to get French Camp AM radio to come in, static filled, for night games. Was often disappointed.

And I only got a box score and maybe 3 paragraphs the next morning.

I also clearly remember not knowing that State baseball swept through the Clemson regional to make the 1981 CWS for at least 3 days after it happened.

 

[The Peeper]

Clearly remember trying to get French Camp AM radio to come in, static filled, for night games. Was often disappointed.

I was the same for awhile, until I discovered magic. I was getting a new roof on my house and they were only partially done. It was about to rain one Saturday evening and I had one of those old Sony Walkman radios on trying to find 107.9 French Camp. I got up on the roof to make sure that the roofers had everything possible covered in case it did rain. On the roof with that Sony, 107.9 came in like their tower was down the street from me it was so strong. After that I would get up on the roof during every ballgame to listen to the Dawgs. All the neighbors got a big kick out of it, they would ride by night or day blowing their horns at me sitting up on the roof, drinking beer, and listening to whatever sport was in season. I guess I listened to hundreds of basketball, football, and baseball games over the years I was in that house. You haven't lived until you have to go down a ladder drunk just to go take a leak. Night games were great though, I'd just "whoop it out" and let it fly off the roof

 

[Villagedawg]

In the 70s/80s, wasn't there some type of deal where you could call a certain toll number and listen to State games? I'm pretty most teams had this set up? My dad was so cheap we never used it, but I remember it being advertised.

We'd get three or four OTA college games per weekend, and the bulldogs rarely made the cut. I remember waiting until Sunday morning for the two-page spread in the CL so I could read the stories and review the stats. We didn't have home delivery, so we have to wait until after church to get the paper, that was brutal.

We are truly in the golden age of college football now, you can watch almost any game in crystal clear 4k.

Don't remember a number, but we listened to most of the away games on radio as we weren't on TV. I had the same experience with the news paper, however, the Tupelo Daily Journal didn't have a Sunday edition. We had to go to the gas station on Sunday to pick up a Commercial Appeal. Then wait for Monday's paper on the MSU game in-depth coverage. 2 day wait. Imagine that now I'm annoyed when I don't get the score in real time!

 

[dorndawg]

In a little more recent history, I was thinking about that pay-per-view game in (I think) 2003 at Auburn. This was the only way to watch the game. Seems like the Starksville cable company was running it, it was $10 or so, and the picture quality was on par with the Zapruder film. Also, we got our *** kicked.

 

[mike tice]

I was the same for awhile, until I discovered magic. I was getting a new roof on my house and they were only partially done. It was about to rain one Saturday evening and I had one of those old Sony Walkman radios on trying to find 107.9 French Camp. I got up on the roof to make sure that the roofers had everything possible covered in case it did rain. On the roof with that Sony, 107.9 came in like their tower was down the street from me it was so strong. After that I would get up on the roof during every ballgame to listen to the Dawgs. All the neighbors got a big kick out of it, they would ride by night or day blowing their horns at me sitting up on the roof, drinking beer, and listening to whatever sport was in season. I guess I listened to hundreds of basketball, football, and baseball games over the years I was in that house. You haven't lived until you have to go wdown a ladder drunk just to go take a leak. Night games were great, I'd just "whoop it out" and let it fly off the roof

Logged in to say awesome story. I can picture it

 

[Drebin]

We lived out of state in my teen years.

Clearly remember trying to get French Camp AM radio to come in, static filled, for night games. Was often disappointed.

And I only got a box score and maybe 3 paragraphs the next morning.

I also clearly remember not knowing that State baseball swept through the Clemson regional to make the 1981 CWS for at least 3 days after it happened.

Now you know what it's like to try to find the game on TV in Noxapater.

 

[RockyDog]

I’m 49 so I can understand. I wasn’t a huge follower back in the early 80s but I rmember the mid to late &0s where us and OM were lucky to get the TBS game once a year for a thrashing against Georgia, Bama, LSU or Florida where we were usually outgained by 300 yards or more.

Hell I remember listening to games like Auburn or Arkansas during the Jackie and Croom eras that were never televised.

I know we have a lot of bitching about 11am games but those with selective memory forget that most of our games back then were non-televised 1:30 kickoffs.

 

[PK Dawg]

Now here is a thread for boner pills!

 

[The Cooterpoot]

I listened on AM radio. Don't know about a toll number but he'll, Capt. Crunch had one back in the 70s, so I guess Larry Templeton might have in the 80s.

 

[thatsbaseball]

I'm not sure that in the late 70's early 80's our baseball radio network wasn't quite a bit larger than our football network.

 

[Dawg1976]

I don't remember a toll number. Of course I'm a geezer so my memory is meh.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

I grew up in Memphis, luckily 56WHBQ carried State football games. I can remember tiger fans going to the State Memphis game and listening to Jack on their transistor radios.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Well at least you could always get the State - LSU games on WWL. **

 

[horshack.sixpack]

In the 70s/80s, wasn't there some type of deal where you could call a certain toll number and listen to State games? I'm pretty most teams had this set up? My dad was so cheap we never used it, but I remember it being advertised.

We'd get three or four OTA college games per weekend, and the bulldogs rarely made the cut. I remember waiting until Sunday morning for the two-page spread in the CL so I could read the stories and review the stats. We didn't have home delivery, so we have to wait until after church to get the paper, that was brutal.

We are truly in the golden age of college football now, you can watch almost any game in crystal clear 4k.

I really miss picking up a Sunday paper and reading the sports coverage. @Rick Cleveland was a huge part of that. I don't feel old/set in my ways too often, but man I miss holding an actual paper. I especially miss the feeling I had anticipating the coverage after a big win.

 

[Drebin]

I grew up in Memphis, luckily 56WHBQ carried State football games. I can remember tiger fans going to the State Memphis game and listening to Jack on their transistor radios.

I remember listening to Jack when Artie Cosby kicked a 51 yarder to beat Memphis State on my old transistor. I was pissed because my dad had to work and we couldn't go to that game.

 

[Drebin]

I really miss picking up a Sunday paper and reading the sports coverage. @Rick Cleveland was a huge part of that. I don't feel old/set in my ways too often, but man I miss holding an actual paper. I especially miss the feeling I had anticipating the coverage after a big win.

This was something that the younger generation will never understand or get to enjoy.

I used to love going out to breakfast and getting a newspaper. Just reading the sports section cover to cover, looking at the box scores/stats, etc. It was a simpler time. Now all that stuff is on your phone but it's not the same.

 

[Dawgbite]

When I was in highschool I worked afternoon s at the local paper. We only printed twice per week and it was mostly stuff that had came out in bigger daily papers a few days ago or highschool stuff. The print shop manager was deaf and dumb but I was his gopher on print days. I learned so much from him and he never spoke a word yet he was constantly teaching. There is something about the smell of newsprint and fresh ink.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

Our local station started covering the games in the 80s. In fact, I was lucky enough to be the guy at the radio station engineering the game for broadcast so I got to listen to every game weekly. Sitting there every week also made me learn to love the job that Jack Crystal did. I had started working as a play-by-play announcer for some high school sports games by that time, and I was impressed with the job he did. What was funny was the studio right next door was broadcasting the Ole Miss games. I told them I would rather do the State games, so they put me on that broadcast. I have to admit that most of the time the games were boring because we usually didn't play that well, but I couldn't turn it off even though it's pretty sure there was nobody still listening.

 

[Bulldog45]

Well at least you could always get the State - LSU games on WWL. **

I remember listening to the State games while sitting on a creek bank fishing. Then after the sun went down I could pick up WWL on the old stereo in the living room and listen to some of the LSU games

 

[She Mate Me]

This was something that the younger generation will never understand or get to enjoy.

I used to love going out to breakfast and getting a newspaper. Just reading the sports section cover to cover, looking at the box scores/stats, etc. It was a simpler time. Now all that stuff is on your phone but it's not the same.

I definitely have fond memories and a lot of nostalgia about the old sports sections. And I really miss the quality of the writing in those days (Rick especially, and still today).

But I'll admit I'm addicted to the massive amounts of info that today's technology puts right in our hand all day long. It's truly incredible. Especially if you can ignore a large portion of the Internet that is just people feeding their ego.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

This was something that the younger generation will never understand or get to enjoy.

I used to love going out to breakfast and getting a newspaper. Just reading the sports section cover to cover, looking at the box scores/stats, etc. It was a simpler time. Now all that stuff is on your phone but it's not the same.

I remember getting the CA and having the full front page when Bob Tyler and Dave Marler took TN down in Memphis. My folks would send me the sports section every week during my freshman year.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

So no one remembers the toll number? Did i just dream that up? I think was meant for out of state or traveling fans who couldn't get the game on the radio. I'm guessing it was the precursor to pay-per-view?

Maybe @Rick Cleveland will chime in.

 

[knock him out john]

So no one remembers the toll number? Did i just dream that up? I think was meant for out of state or traveling fans who couldn't get the game on the radio. I'm guessing it was the precursor to pay-per-view?

Maybe @Rick Cleveland will chime in.

somehow we got a phone connection in Dallas in the early 80's. Not sure how we got it but the game was on speakerphone so we all could listen.

 

[maroonmadman]

Before cable TV came to town I'd listen to Jack and usually it was kinda static and weak. Now you may ask, "What does cable TV have to do with listening to Jack?" Easy answer. After cable TV came to my hometown, in the late 60's, that meant our TV antenna was no longer needed so I hooked it up to my AM/FM tube type Zenith radio. Jack came in clear as a bell after that.

 

[LOTRGOTDAWGFAN]

In the 70s/80s, wasn't there some type of deal where you could call a certain toll number and listen to State games? I'm pretty most teams had this set up? My dad was so cheap we never used it, but I remember it being advertised.

We'd get three or four OTA college games per weekend, and the bulldogs rarely made the cut. I remember waiting until Sunday morning for the two-page spread in the CL so I could read the stories and review the stats. We didn't have home delivery, so we have to wait until after church to get the paper, that was brutal.

We are truly in the golden age of college football now, you can watch almost any game in crystal clear 4k.

my father retired from the army in the late 70s and we relocated back to rural mississippi. he was an early days SIGINTer, and could find ways to pick up tv broadcasts or radio broadcasts for Mississippi State games with the sort of "jiggle the handle" method on the antennas outside. A rare skill in those days, other than the 3 public channels, he also found other cool channels we could watch before cable showed up.

 

[mcdawg22]

I was an altar boy that normally worked Saturday Mass. Our priests kind of adopted State as their favorite team. We had a radio in the back so when Communion was done and we took the stuff to the back we’d try and catch a score if State was playing . When we’d come back out we’d relay the score to the priest. I gave more bad news doing that, than I ever did in confession. Funny enough. One of our priests Fr Hurley, ended up being the team Priest for State.

 

[60sdog]

In the 70s/80s, wasn't there some type of deal where you could call a certain toll number and listen to State games? I'm pretty most teams had this set up? My dad was so cheap we never used it, but I remember it being advertised.

We'd get three or four OTA college games per weekend, and the bulldogs rarely made the cut. I remember waiting until Sunday morning for the two-page spread in the CL so I could read the stories and review the stats. We didn't have home delivery, so we have to wait until after church to get the paper, that was brutal.

We are truly in the golden age of college football now, you can watch almost any game in crystal clear 4k.

You are probably thinking of the old 800-toll-free number that the university maintained (before cell phones). A few Alums (including me) knew the number and would call and ask the operator who answered what the score of a game was. They would usually be listening and would always provide the score. This occurred especially during baseball season, when many of the games were not broadcast on the statewide network.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

I'm not familiar with a number to call.
Fortunately, it was always available to me on a nearby radio, or in Vegas. Football anyway., and basketball. Some baseball.
Seldom on TV, except once in awhile.
I have to give ESPN credit, they did change the TV game.
Raycom Sports, etc.

 

[Yeti]

Some how we got it a a bar in Houston on a speaker the alums would meet and listen to Jack. “And he can not go” “ pass too tall” “met there by a mass of humanity “. “Tackle made by the ever present …”. Man I miss the radio and Jack. . I miss the paper too. Many days my legs went numb reading it in the Lu. I could smell ink print and nearly crap my pants

 

[Dawgpile]

In my mind's eye can see my great-grandmother sitting in the kitchen listening to Jack call the games. Mid-1970's thereabouts. Jack gave her a shout-out once, and she was totally thrilled.

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

When I was in highschool I worked afternoon s at the local paper. We only printed twice per week and it was mostly stuff that had came out in bigger daily papers a few days ago or highschool stuff. The print shop manager was deaf and dumb but I was his gopher on print days. I learned so much from him and he never spoke a word yet he was constantly teaching. There is something about the smell of newsprint and fresh ink.

Anything print is 1000x better than digital media

 

[theoriginalSALTYdog]

In the 70s/80s, wasn't there some type of deal where you could call a certain toll number and listen to State games? I'm pretty most teams had this set up? My dad was so cheap we never used it, but I remember it being advertised.

We'd get three or four OTA college games per weekend, and the bulldogs rarely made the cut. I remember waiting until Sunday morning for the two-page spread in the CL so I could read the stories and review the stats. We didn't have home delivery, so we have to wait until after church to get the paper, that was brutal.

We are truly in the golden age of college football now, you can watch almost any game in crystal clear 4k.

I remember most of our media formats for all MSU sports and that's the first I've heard of a toll free number to listen to games. Now, there were various versions of call in shows, etc. and I can remember that back to at least Emory Bellard but I don't recall a number to listen to the games themselves.

 

[GloryDawg]

I don't remember that, but I do remember Jitney Jungle giving two Miss State football tickets away if you bought 100.00 in groceries. These were for Jackson games. I would imagine many of those tickets were used for the 1980 Bama game.

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

When we played Arkansas in 97, and had a chance take the lead in West race, my buddy Thunderclap called from Europe. I was listening on the radio and put the phone next to it so he could listen to us choke it away.

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

I’m younger than most in this thread, only started following as a kid in the late 90’s. But I have some memories of riding home in the car after games listening to Jackie Sherrill‘s postgame radio shows with Jack. At that time, fans could actually call into the postgame show and ask Jackie a question, right there live on the air. It’s crazy to think of a coach doing that nowadays

The most specific memory I have is after the 2001 BYU game, which was the one played after the Egg Bowl because of 9/11 postponements and probably the worst officiated game ever at DWS. Jackie goes on the air with Jack and is blasting the officials, rightfully so. They start taking calls and I will never forget that a BYU fan (or possibly an Ole Miss fan) called in and asked Jackie, “Coach, would you like some cheese with your whine?” Jack abruptly got mad and hung up on the guy.

I was mad about the game but I remember that particular moment was a little bit funny. First time I had ever heard that expression so it stuck with me I guess.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

I remember most of our media formats for all MSU sports and that's the first I've heard of a toll free number to listen to games. Now, there were various versions of call in shows, etc. and I can remember that back to at least Emory Bellard but I don't recall a number to listen to the games themselves.

This was a toll number like a phone sex line, you had to pay to call in. I think it was like pay-per-view, you pay x dollars and get to listen to the game. No idea how it worked though, as my old man rarely left the Quad Cities of Carroll, Winona, Grenada and Greenwood.

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

Not sure about the 70s and 80s, but definitely in the early 90's I know. I used the service a lot for several years. But I don't remember the number.

I'd still rather listen to the MSU broadcast on the radio, particularly for day games.
I don't have the time to sit in front of a television and listen to the espn folks.
If I do sit to watch a game --usually at night, I watch with the sound down and listen to Neil and Matt.

 

[Willow Grove Dawg]

somehow we got a phone connection in Dallas in the early 80's. Not sure how we got it but the game was on speakerphone so we all could listen.

I remember calling a 17ing 900 number multiple times on National Signing Day to updates on the signees, but I was always close enough to Mississippi to at least be able to listen to Jackson.