the_games

Andalusia seems to have always
enjoyed it's games , whether they
involved a stadium full of lights and
sounds , or a sandlot full of grass
stained kids . And the games were
not limited to team sports with
scoreboards and umpires , but
included shady tables of dominos ,
bridge clubs , late rounds of golf , and
VBS kickball .
Almost any day of the week, one could
find a backyard game of HORSE , a
Five-buckshot rush, an exhausting
afternoon of ZIP TEN , and the
occasional Birdie . We drove the lane,
drove the green and drove the ball
against T.R. Miller and Opp . We
guarded the goal , the bases , the
quarterback, and the championship
trophy .

Andalusia produced winners
on the tennis courts, the
basketball gyms , the Baseball
fields , and the football
stadium . The fans were
around for all the games ,
whether the game was church
league softball , or a Babe
Ruth World Series . Halftime of
the Dolphins game would be
spent trying to duplicate Larry
Csonka's game breaking
touchdown run , and every boy
tried to imitate Pistol Pete on
the basketball court.

While many Andalusia boys and girls excelled in
the many different games, the High School
football teams of the 1970's took center stage .
Under the leadership of Coach Don Sharpe and
his staff, Andalusia's Bulldogs began a tradition
of winning that has yet to be challenged in the
Alabama High School football record books .
The entire community , it seemed, was part of
this exciting period of undefeated seasons,
playoff games, and championship seasons.
Fridays in the Fall seemed electric , with
Booster ribbons on every lapel , the morning
Pep Rallys , the band members polishing their
brass buttons and white shoes , the players
having a team meal and last moment motivation
, and streaming carloads of fans either coming
into town or leaving town, to cheer for the next
Bulldog victory , or against it. The atmosphere
sizzled as the drumbeats called into the
stadium the Drum Major , the Color Guard ,
Flash Flags , Majorettes and Tumblers, followed

by the Band , marching single file .
The team would burst through a
giant paper banner loving prepared
by the Cheerleading Squad , for that
one impactful moment . And while
the Bulldogs got last minute
instructions from the coaches, the
cheerleaders sprayed the stands
with plastic footballs imprinted with
the year's schedule and an ad for
the Covington County Bank . The
smells of roasted peanuts and
steaming coffee and hot chocolate
filled the air . The team would
perform as we expected them to ,
with superb running backs, and
aggressive defensive schemes.

And the Bulldogs won , game after
game, season after season , with only
the occasional disappointing loss in a
Championship game . The era of Don
Sharpe's Bulldog teams will long be
remembered around this state , but
the traditions of winning teams seem
to always surround Andalusia and its
young people.

Oh , did I mention that Andalusia has hosted the World Championship Domino
Tournament for 30 years ? Thanks to Dr. Charles Tomberlin and the Andalusia
Rotary Club , Andalusia has enjoyed three decades of Domino Championships ,
complete with regular competitors from far away places , and celebrity guests , as
well as some serious local competitors .