Last time I was in Texas it was to attend the Six-Man football championship games at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene. I had been looking forward to this all season because not only would I get to see some six-man football, but I would get to spend some time with my dear friend and six-man confederate Don Hardin. We spent all day together, which started off with a bite to eat at Whataburger around 10am just down the road from Shotwell Stadium...I want to say here that Don knew just about everyone, and if he didn't know them he soon would, as this story will prove...Well as we sat there and visited and as we conversed Don eyed every person who walked in the door and wonder out loud if they were going to the games later...and he asked every person as they sat down if they were and if they told him no he politely suggested that they should stop in and watch the best six-man teams in the state play. Well sure enough some folks wearing Follett T-shirts came in and old Don mosied on over to them and visited with them a while talking about their team and their feelings about how the State games would go...Don is about the only person I have ever known that the term "mosied" truly applied to...Well after we visited with the fine folks from Follett we made our way out the door and to our car to head on over to the stadium, but not without someone stopping Don and asking him how he felt the games would go...turned out the guy was the coach from Lohn, TX.
We arrived at the stadium well before kickoff and we noticed a man out side the stadium holding up a sign that had a name boldly written on it. Don said something to me like, "I think I know the name on that sign he's got" so again Don mosied on over to speak with the man. Turned out he was a six-man fan from Strawn, TX (if I remember correctly) and as he was introducing himself Don realized the two had met before at a game in the past, and sure enough the man remembered, saying something like "O ya your Don Hardin the six-man writer guy". Well this man from Strawn was wanting to meet up with someone from Richland Springs, TX whom he had talked to but never met in person so he had come to the game with this sign which had the guy from RS's name on it...Don reads the sign...(I think the name written on it was Otis) and Don says "I know who that is and I think I have his phone number." Don pulls out his phone and calls a number saved in it and sure enough he has this man Otis' phone number. Don tells Otis this man from Strawn was there hoping to meet up with him and to look for a sign with his name on it "Yap he's carrying around a sign with your name on it in big letters, he'll be on the home field side, you can't miss him." Then Don and I made our way into the stadium to claim our places in the press box...
That's a true story and only part of a wonderful day I spent with the one and only Don Hardin...he went out of his way to be a friend to a stranger, was known and respected by people all over the State of Texas, and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Forever a gentleman and a scholar, their will never be another Don Hardin...I am heart broken now...our ambassador...and friend...is gone.
