The letter from Brett Favre arrived a few weeks ago at Rodney Allison’s home in Lubbock, Texas. Favre wanted Allison to make his way northeast to Canton, Ohio, this summer for the legendary quarterback’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Supremely touched by the invitation, Allison – who was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach when Favre played at Southern Miss before eventually becoming the head coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (2003 to 2008) – planned to attend before family matters nixed his trip.
So on Saturday night, Allison was sitting in his favorite chair inside his west Texas den with his wife and mother, watching his most famous pupil from 1,387 miles away when a remarkable thing happened.
Close to 20 minutes into his 36-minute acceptance speech, Favre said: “For those of you who don’t know, I was offered one scholarship, and that was Southern Miss. And I was happy to take it, and I was determined to prove them right. Jim Carmody, Curley Hallman, Jack White, Rodney Allison, Jeff Bower, Steven Maples were coaches that made an impact on my college life.”
Back in Lubbock, Allison felt his chest swell with pride.