Today is Independence Day. Thank goodness it has not been changed into one more &8220;Monday Holiday&8221;. Even more than Memorial Day, today is a time to honor those valiant people who fought, sacrificed to form the greatest country on earth.

Saturday, we were privileged to be guests of Tony and Annette Byrne at their Lake St. John house for the annual blessing of the fleet and flotilla. Bobby Marks and his daughter Lisa were King and Queen of this year&8217;s festivities. Bobby and his late wife, Neet, were supposed to reign last year, but Neet&8217;s illness prevented that from happening. As most know, Neet Marks was Tony Byrne&8217;s sister.

I ran across several former Natchez-area athletes at the Saturday function. Tony Byrne&8217;s high school teammate, State Senator Bob M. Dearing, was there and, of course, Tony, who led the old Big Eight Conference in scoring in both football and basketball. Also there was Fred Foster, one of Natchez High&8217;s all-time great quarterbacks. He went on to letter in football, basketball, tennis, and track at Delta State. There were several currently active tennis players there, most prominently Debra Byrne, who has qualified with her Jackson-area team to play in the National Championships in, I believe, Charlotte. Debra&8217;s husband, Bill Byrne (a cousin of Tony Byrne) has long been a top golfer in Natchez. Debra is Tony Byrne&8217;s step-daughter. Guests Ralph LeMay and Robert Dunn are active members of Tony Byrne&8217;s regular tennis group.

I was pleased to see Claudia Hobdy, mother of Natchezians Braxton Hobdy and Linda Doughty. Claudia told me she reads this column every week!

It was mentioned to me that O. K. Ferguson might make an interesting subject for the &8220;whatever happened to?&8221; series. Since he hails from Woodville, O. K. might not be remembered by many from his high school days, but most know that he played at LSU A bruising fullback and terrific blocker, Ferguson played in the early Paul Deitzel days. Deitzel has been quoted as saying that O. K. Ferguson was one of the best players he coached. That&8217;s got to be high praise, considering that Billy Cannon and Jimmy Taylor are in that mix. Ferguson, brother of Natchezian A. J. &8220;Pap&8221; Ferguson, deserves to be in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. I would hope playing for LSU hasn&8217;t cost him support.

I have finally gotten some detail on the 2006 college football rules changes. As earlier stated, the kicking tee used for kickoffs can elevate the lowest point of the ball no more than one inch from the ground. They have also changed the rule about starting the clock. When the ball is kicked the clock will start. If a team which is trailing by just a few points is to receive a kickoff with just a few seconds left it is likely the clock would expire before the receiving team would have a chance to fair catch or even down the ball, eliminating any chance for a last-gasp Hail Mary. I would think, though, that most teams would squib kick under those circumstances. Anyway, more will come when I get the interpretations sections.

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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