This is being written on Christmas Day. Even though it won&8217;t be published until Tuesday, I still wish everybody a Merry Christmas.

Since the next column will not be published until Jan. 3, I will wish all you readers a happy and prosperous New Year!

Through Dec. 24, six bowl games have been played. All six were $750,000 games, the lowest payout allowed by the NCAA in order for a bowl game to be certified.

Today&8217;s Insight Bowl in Phoenix, the Wednesday MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, and the Saturday Mieneke Bowl in Charlotte are the remaining $750,000 bowls this season. This year&8217;s Music City Bowl, matching Virginia and Minnesota, will pay $780,000.

I had earlier questioned whether this year&8217;s bowl games would employ play review. Initial information was that replay would not be used in any bowl games this year, but I have since noticed that is not correct.

The SEC assigned replay officials to the three bowl games SEC crews were to work, and I saw in an earlier bowl game, officiated by Conference USA officials, that replay official Jack Vaughn had to make a review ruling.

Since Conference USA officials were on the field, the game was not the USM bowl game or the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, which was officiated by SEC guys. Vaughn is from Starkville and is a former SEC and NFL official.

When Vaughn moved to the NFL, it opened up a spot at field judge, which allowed me to move to that position. I had been a referee, and that position was manned by several officials who were not only younger that I but had been officiating in the SEC longer.

The move to field judge opened up the opportunity for me to move up in the SEC rankings at my position, and I went on the have a long and exciting officiating career. Vaughn went on to a long career in the NFL, working a couple of Super Bowls, and now acts as observer for Conference USA.

Only six SEC teams qualified for bowl invitations this year, as they were the only conference teams to win the necessary six games. All six are in quality bowl games.

South Carolina will go first in the Independence Bowl Friday. The same day LSU and Miami will clash in the Peach Bowl. January 2 will have the other four SEC teams in action.

Early in the 1989 season, Alabama was scheduled to travel to Texas A&M.; Because of a pending hurricane, the Tide refused to fly into College Station so the game was postponed until the end of the season. I was assigned to officiate the game, dubbed the &8220;Hurricane Bowl.&8221;

Since I closed my on-field career that year with the Senior Bowl after the Fiesta Bowl, it meant I officiated three bowl games!

What a way to end a season, and a career. And that&8217;s official.

Al Graning is a former SEC official and former Natchez resident. Reach him at

AlanWard39157@aol.com

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