Delta State University's Night of Champions: Featuring Archie Manning and Langston Rogers

[Music] only because it's a Night of Champions am I able to play the old missong Archie Manning to coach Mike henerson without getting some demits here good morning sir how are you hey good morning Paul doing fine thank you where were you when you first heard that song that song has been around for a while yeah I was uh uh in high school idolizing Archie Manning wanting to be the quarterback that he was and probably every young boy's dream at that time um I I think I was already in radio and and played that in a disc jockey at that time as a is a a novice and I thought well this this is a dumb Song and all of a sudden uh I just saw the title of it and I said okay this is going to be this is going to be a big hit and it's lived on for a long long time man it was I think it was on ESPN for a long time this was before ESPN was ESPN and it's all such a great part of the legend and the lore of Archie Manning and what the impact he had upon the state and and college football at that time all right as director of Athletics Delta State University Night of Champions is happening the one and only Archie Manny is going to be there but other there some other homeboys also Langston Rogers and uh talk about that yeah well Langston is very much beloved here in Cleveland and the Mississippi Delta and the Delta State Community but not only here also in Oxford and Old Miss and uh he was our sports information director here for quite some time went to Delta State then went on to Old Miss where he served as sports information director there and he was in that capacity at the time that Eli was playing there so Langston just has that great connection with our University with the university Mississippi and with the Manning family and uh so it was it was a natural combination for us to bring those two together because of their friendship for many years it's going to be on August I have no idea what that is somebody else on the microphone here somewhere August the 1st at 700 p.m. tickets are on sale now you still have some open we do we do our our ticket sales have been great and we feel great about our event but we do have some opportunities for people we've uh you know uh reached our expectations in regard to sponsorships and uh but we do have some individual tickets left and uh we think it's going to be a great night we think it'll be a great night for our University but it's going to be a great night for people who uh have that finess for those twoo and want to hear their stories not sure if Archie's still doing a lot of uh a lot of meat and greets anymore but it'll be interesting to see him and and you you are right it's just so much of a legacy uh you talk about high school I remember in high school sneaking away and we had some uh guys who had graduated they were in Delta State so we we kind of skipped Shaw High School went up and spent the day at Delta State a lot of time and we went to the basketball court to play basketball uh and it was a guy there I I'll tell you who We snuck away with I I guess we're clear now but a guy by the name of Stan sandron Stan and I and and I think Pat Warren was in there Pat's brother played a Delta State his name was dump Warren uh played on the football team so we'd sneak away and we go play and on the court was a guy who was playing was Jack Gregory so some great names from Delta State back in those days yeah they are Stan sandron I know knew him well he was our play-by-play announcer the voice of the Statesman when I actually was playing here and going through college you mentioned uh coach Warren coach Warren was my down the street neighbor for many years and I was just blessed to to know him and uh his wisdom graduated with his brother though he was he was a good guy and of course Jack Gregory is one of our greatest claims to fame here and kind of carried the flag for many years de State football football in the NFL those some great guys got into politics a little bit too later later on in his life as you well know but uh the um is this going to be food and greeting and things such as that tell me a little bit about what's going to happen during this uh Night of Champions yeah great full night we start at 5:30 with a VIP meet and greet donors of certain levels contributors of certain levels will have the opportunity to have a meet and greet picture taking session with h Archie Manning and Langston Rogers that will uh occur in the Kent wide Atrium here on our campus and then uh between 6:30 and 7 we will move to the Coliseum to sillers Coliseum where our program will begin our program will feature uh first of all a dinner a meal uh our caterer for that in is Elizabeth High School uh pretty famous uh throughout the state and nationally and so we will have the dinner and our program the program will feature uh what we're calling a casual conversation between Langston and Archie where they talk about their time together they're going to talk about football of course they're going to talk about their families and they're going to talk about their careers and and just life lessons that I think would be very very valuable too in and around the entire event we will have a auction we it's already online it went online a week ago uh you anyone interested in looking at some of the memorabilia and various things we have trips various things of that type can go to our athletic website which is Ghost statesman.com and that that auction is underway right now and it'll culminate of course uh at our program that night and we feel like there' be some opportunities for some question and answer with Archie and Langston but it's just a a night that has a lot of different dimensions to it of private meetings a general program a good dinner and an auction that has some significant memorability to it yeah our Senator the Universe broadcast crew was there earlier doing the City of Lights during the Christmas season and we're going to have a lot of people in for this event who haven't been to Cleveland in a while and if they haven't been there in a while they're probably going to be shocked certainly if it's been many many years with the Grammy Museum there all the things that are gone on downtown uh it really is a shining diamond in the in the Delta well thank you for that Paul it is and we're very proud of that and it's a great Community with great people here but you're right there's whatever you're looking for or whether it be athletic events whether it be cultural entertainment you know we have the bolognia Performing Arts Center here we have the Grammy Museum there's always some type of music festival or music event going on it seems like in our town um you know in just our downtown area itself and in the community here uh it's a great town and gown relationship where the university is kind of the center The Hub of the wheel and Cleveland revolves around it uh so yes it's been a great uh privilege to live here and work here for me and I think Cleveland is a special place yeah you don't you do you hear the other person on the line there with the it sounds like a sperm whale I don't know if you hear you can't hear that I'm not sure where they're coming from but if it's an open mic somewhere it always makes me a little jittery somewhere I don't hear that okay to just to wrap it up your final thoughts on this one and we want to make sure people go to the website and and uh get your tickets because there's still time to do this for August the 1st correct uh ghost statesman.com which is our athletic website and there's a complete page there devoted to this event uh it takes you straight to the auction items and you can uh bid or see those and see what is available there's some really good memorabilia there like some Eli Manning sign footballs and Super Bowl trivia Super Bowl memorabilia that type thing and uh but it's a complete web page devoted to it and that's the best place to purchase tickets quickly and uh see exactly what events are tied in real quick in 10 or 15 seconds here what do you think about the upcoming Delta State Statesman for the football season right around the corner yeah we're optimistic we think we've got a good group again our football program's done really well for the last two years winning the GFF South Conference it'll be a little life uh without Patrick shog will make that adjustment but uh football team reports this weekend and we're optimistic and there a neighbor of Bo Ferris in Shaw Mississippi uh you can't say enough about the baseball team Delta State and and the Legacy over the many many years coach it's always great to have you on sir very very much I appreciate it and thanks for spending some time with us my pleasure thank you for having me more coming up my friends hang on it is a