(07-21-2021 07:29 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  

(07-21-2021 07:16 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(07-21-2021 06:37 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Legendary FSU coach Bobby Bowden, 91 has terminal illness: ‘I am at peace’

Quote: "I've always tried to serve God's purpose for my life, on and off the field, and I am prepared for what is to come," Bowden said in a statement shared with the Democrat. "My wife Ann and our family have been life's greatest blessing.

"I am at peace."

--Bobby Bowden

Bowden is one of the most successful college football coaches ever. He has an unofficial overall record of 357-124-4 in 40 years at West Virginia and Florida State and ranks as the second-winningest coach at the top level of college football behind Penn State's Joe Paterno.

Bowden's teams won two national championships and played in a bowl game in all but three seasons.

Perhaps even more impressive, he built the FSU program literally from scratch.

Exactly Right, Walt, he sure did. Times were of course a lot different back then, and people forget how bad and how much of an afterthought FSU was for years, but I always loved Bowden's play them anytime, anywhere as often as possible attitude towards what were then the big boys. And then he started beating them (which you kind of have to do too, because just playing them is obviously not close to enough, but it is a start). To do that, you have to be a pretty good to great coach, and as #s and several have posted in the past numerous times, you have to do something contrarian and think outside the box in who you recruit and the system you put them in.

Rice's parameters have for decades screamed that it should only pursue significantly contrarian approaches on the fields and courts, so that it might have a chance to succeed and collect several signature wins to help it improve its lot (Appy State, Boise State, TCU, etc...) yet we continue to hire 'safe" coaches and invest next to nothing compared to not only our current "peers" but compared to where we should have remained peers. I guess this post could also go in the "New Realignment Thread" rather than the Death thread. Then again, our athletic program has been on death watch for many decades now, so it also seems appropriate here.

Spare me...

How “contrarian” were Bowden’s recruiting practices, really (other than to academic standards, I mean)?

Even the NCAA vacated some of his wins for cheating.

Ex-Texans assistant Greg Knapp, 58 dies after being struck by car while riding bike

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg died Friday (July 23). His move from Harvard to UT-Austin in 1982 -- following his wife, who'd become a law prof there two years earlier -- let to the creation of one of the world's most influential theoretical physics research groups.

Weinberg was also outspoken in his support of Israel and opposition to religion.

Here's UT's announcement:
https://news.utexas.edu/2021/07/24/ut-au...-weinberg/

If the paywall doesn't stop you, the New York Times' obituary is much more informative: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/scien...at-88.html

And here's a link to a memorial essay by one of my favorite science writers, (former science editor at the Dallas Morning News and former editor of Science News) Tom Siegfried: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/stev...dard-model

Dusty Hill, bassist for ZZ Top, 72.

Damn.

Wasn't the mom of one of the ZZ Top band members an employee in the Rice Athletic Department? I think it was Frank Beard's mom (and she might have been Augie Erfurth's secretary?)?

Lorraine Gibbons was Billy Gibbons's mom.

(07-28-2021 02:11 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  Dusty Hill, bassist for ZZ Top, 72.

Damn.

that does stink. Was playin' some the other day: RIP, bro.

Artist: ZZ Top
Album: Tres Hombres
Song: "LaGrange"
July 26, 1973 London Records

Not dead, but sounds like he's not in good shape:

Bryan Cranston asks for ‘prayers’ for Bob Odenkirk, 58 after on-set collapse
Bob Odenkirk collapsed on the set of his show, “Better Call Saul,” Tuesday night

(07-28-2021 04:06 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Lorraine Gibbons was Billy Gibbons's mom.

Wasn’t Lorraine one of the college secretaries? I remember Billy and a couple of buddies of his coming down on a Saturday afternoon and jamming in the WillRice quad, around 71 or 72.

(07-28-2021 06:13 PM)Ricefootballnet Wrote:  

(07-28-2021 04:06 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Lorraine Gibbons was Billy Gibbons's mom.

Wasn’t Lorraine one of the college secretaries? I remember Billy and a couple of buddies of his coming down on a Saturday afternoon and jamming in the WillRice quad, around 71 or 72.

She very well may have been. I think later she was Fred's secretary IIRC.

Ron Popeil, Infomercial King, Dead at 86

And I still flash back to this Weird Al original when I hear Ron Popeil.

(07-28-2021 03:45 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Wasn't the mom of one of the ZZ Top band members an employee in the Rice Athletic Department? I think it was Frank Beard's mom (and she might have been Augie Erfurth's secretary?)?

(07-28-2021 04:06 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Lorraine Gibbons was Billy Gibbons's mom.

(07-28-2021 06:13 PM)Ricefootballnet Wrote:  Wasn’t Lorraine one of the college secretaries? I remember Billy and a couple of buddies of his coming down on a Saturday afternoon and jamming in the WillRice quad, around 71 or 72.

There was a long Houston Chronicle feature article about Lorraine ... written by Bruce Westbrook (and distributed as an AP story, here on Oct. 19, 1986, in the Kerrville Times: https://www.newspapers.com/image/18944424/ ).

It started: "She's a rock 'n' roll momma, and she couldn't be prouder."

It mentioned that she was the administrative assistant to Augie Erfurth and also "a member of the governing council of the Shepherd School of Music."

Bruce Westbrook/Houston Chronicle Wrote:She started working at Rice 17 years ago -- the same time ZZ Top was formed.

"I think the young people of this country are great," she said. "and I thought the best way to find out about them and to see what's going on is to be where they are." When Rice students learn who she is, they call her "Mrs. ZZ".

(07-28-2021 06:50 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(07-28-2021 03:45 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Wasn't the mom of one of the ZZ Top band members an employee in the Rice Athletic Department? I think it was Frank Beard's mom (and she might have been Augie Erfurth's secretary?)?

(07-28-2021 04:06 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Lorraine Gibbons was Billy Gibbons's mom.

(07-28-2021 06:13 PM)Ricefootballnet Wrote:  Wasn’t Lorraine one of the college secretaries? I remember Billy and a couple of buddies of his coming down on a Saturday afternoon and jamming in the WillRice quad, around 71 or 72.

There was a long Houston Chronicle feature article about Lorraine ... written by Bruce Westbrook (and distributed as an AP story, here on Oct. 19, 1986, in the Kerrville Times: https://www.newspapers.com/image/18944424/ ).

It started: "She's a rock 'n' roll momma, and she couldn't be prouder."

It mentioned that she was the administrative assistant to Augie Erfurth and also "a member of the governing council of the Shepherd School of Music."

Bruce Westbrook/Houston Chronicle Wrote:She started working at Rice 17 years ago -- the same time ZZ Top was formed.

"I think the young people of this country are great," she said. "and I thought the best way to find out about them and to see what's going on is to be where they are." When Rice students learn who she is, they call her "Mrs. ZZ".

Lorraine and two other college secretaries owned a bar in the village called Chugger's -- the site later became The Gingerman.

My freshman/sophomore year I haunted the place. And, got to see a set by 'the Top' as a 'private party only' dry run for their big tours in 83-84.

They closed the place early, and ushered most of the patrons out. I had been told to be there by one of the owners, so me and a date stayed around as some dudes set up a sound stage in the place.

I didnt know exactly what was going on, but then the Top walked in and jammed the roof off the place. No more than 50-60 people in the place to see it. One of the absolute best memories of my college years.

Had tickets to see them scheduled in the Forum a week later, but, after the Chugger's party, it didnt even come close to that experience. In fact, I cant think of another live music experience (except for seeing Buffett at Sloppy Joe's bar in Key West) that even comes close.

I have this vague memory of hearing that ZZ Top playing in Hamman Hall in the early 70's. Anybody remember?

Aw, man! Ron died.
But Wait! There's More!



Ronald Martin Popeil (May 3, 1935 – July 28, 2021), was an American inventor and marketing personality, and founder of the direct response marketing company Ronco. He made appearances in infomercials for the Showtime Rotisserie and coined the phrase "Set it, and forget it!" as well as popularizing the phrase, "But wait, there's more!" on television as early as the mid-1950s.

Popeil is noted for marketing and in some cases inventing a wide variety of products. Among the better known and more successful are the Chop-O-Matic hand food processor ("Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to show you the greatest kitchen appliance ever made ... All your onions chopped to perfection without shedding a single tear."), the Dial-O-Matic successor to the Veg-O-Matic ("Slice a tomato so thin it only has one side."), and the Ronco Pocket Fisherman. Popeil is also well known for his housewares inventions like his Giant Dehydrator and Beef Jerky Machine, his Electric Pasta Maker and his Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ. His Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ sold over eight million units in the US alone, helping Ronco's housewares sales exceed $1 billion in profits. After retiring, Popeil continued to invent products including the 5in1 Turkey Fryer & Food Cooking System which he had been developing for over ten years.

After returning from college, Popeil continued to work and learn from his father, who was also an inventor and salesman of numerous kitchen-related gadgets such as the Chop-O-Matic and the Veg-O-Matic to major department stores. The Chop-O-Matic retailed for $3.98 and sold over two million units. It indirectly spurred Ron Popeil's move into television, as it was so efficient at chopping vegetables it was impractical for salesmen to carry all they needed for their pitches. The solution was to tape the demonstration.

Popeil initially operated as a distributor of his father's kitchen products and later formed his own company, Ronco, in 1964. He continued as a distributor for his father and added additional products from other manufacturers. Ron Popeil and his father became competitors in the 1970s for the same retail store business.

Popeil received the Ig Nobel Prize in Consumer Engineering in 1993. The awards committee described him as the "incessant inventor and perpetual pitchman of late night television" and awarded the prize in recognition of his "redefining the industrial revolution" with his devices. He was a past member of the board of directors Mirage Resorts where he served for 22 years under Steve Wynn as well as a past member of the board of directors of MGM Hotels for seven years under Kirk Kerkorian. He became the recipient of the Electronic Retail Association's Lifetime Achievement award in 2001 and he is listed in the Direct Response Hall of Fame.

Parodies of Popeil's infomercials were done on the comedy show Saturday Night Live by Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy and the "Veg-O-Matic" may have provided comedian Gallagher inspiration for the "Sledge-O-Matic" routine since the 1980s. The animated series "VeggieTales" once featured a parody of the "Veg-O-Matic" dubbed as the "Forgive-O-Matic".

Following in the footsteps of his father, Popeil went on to create products himself including the Mr. Microphone (the first Karaoke machine), the Popeil Pocket Fisherman, the Buttoneer, the Smokeless Ashtray, Popeil’s Electric Food Dehydrator, the Inside-the-Egg Scrambler, GLH-9 (Great Looking Hair Formula #9) Hair in a Can Spray, the Rhinestone Stud Setter (later called the Bedazzler), the Cap Snaffler, the Popeil Automatic Pasta Maker and the Ronco Electric Food Dehydrator.

The entrepreneur was said to have made a fortune estimated at $200 million in his career and had droves of fans who called themselves “the Rontourage.” He also set a QVC record in 2000 selling over $1 million worth of his Showtime Rotisseries — or approximately 150 units each minute — during a one-hour live segment.

His products can be seen in the Smithsonian Museum today.

Chris Wall died. A truly iconic songwriter, and a fiercely independent label owner and producer later on.

https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/texas...-has-died/

Been a rough year for Texas based music.

(07-31-2021 07:14 AM)tanqtonic Wrote:  Chris Wall died. A truly iconic songwriter, and a fiercely independent label owner and producer later on.

https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/texas...-has-died/

Been a rough year for Texas based music.

I love Trashy Women (the song, I mean)

(07-31-2021 09:46 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(07-31-2021 07:14 AM)tanqtonic Wrote:  Chris Wall died. A truly iconic songwriter, and a fiercely independent label owner and producer later on.

https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/texas...-has-died/

Been a rough year for Texas based music.

I love Trashy Women (the song, I mean)

Which was rendered famously by Jerry Jeff Walker -- also RIP in the last year.

Both were pals with Billy Joe Shaver -- died the same week as Jerry Jeff.

Was at a place last night watching a friend sing, and poignantly on the wall behind the bar was a row of autograph pictures taken in the establishment, and all of the above were in a single pic there.

J.R. Richard, 71, one of the greatest pitchers I ever saw.

J R Richard, apparently from Covid