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Mike Amos is the Grand Marshal of the 2023 Troy University Homecoming and Appreciation Day Parade.

I can think of no one who deserves the honor more. Congratulation, Mike!

Anyone who doesn’t know and appreciate Mike Amos is from off… way off.

And, everybody who knows him has a Mike Amos story to tell. Here’s mine about a sticky subject.

Years ago, I was half-watching a televised football program and Bobby Bowden, Florida State head football coach, was being interviewed. When he said that, before every football game, he ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, my ears perked up.

Brundidge, my hometown, honors its proud heritage in the peanut butter industry with the Annual Peanut Butter Festival the last Saturday in October. Wow! Coach Bobby Bowden, a peanut butter lover! Maybe our Peanut Butter Festival could hitch onto that “star.”

Sometime much later, Coach Bobby Bowden was at Troy University. His son, Tommy, was hosting a football camp there as best I remember.

“Wouldn’t it be a plug for the Peanut Butter Festival, if Coach Bowden, would sign one of our Peanut Butter Festival shirts and, perhaps, give a quote for The Messenger about the role peanut butter played in his pre-game ritual.

Mike was giving Coach Bobby Bowden a tour of the football stadium. I was there bumping along on the golf cart, anxious for my turn to talk with the notable FSU coach;

I didn’t want to take much of his time so I quickly got to the question about his pre-game peanut butter sandwich ritual

Coach Bowden’s eyes narrowed at the question. “I never said that,” he responded, almost snapping like a “gator.”

My efforts to jog his memory were for naught.

Again, he said that he never ate a peanut butter sandwich before games, in fact, he didn’t even like peanut butter. 

By that time, I was at a loss for words.

Mike Amos was not.

“Coach… if SHE said you said it… YOU said it!”

Coach Bowden paused, perhaps, at a loss for words. Then he laughed, nodded and signed the Peanut Butter Festival tee-shirt… without a word about peanut butter.

Later, I thanked Mike for getting me out of a “sticky” situation.

“You said he said it… so he said it!” Mike said with assurance.

Perhaps, the coach had been asked to hawk peanut butter for some reason and perhaps he forgot. Time had passed. But … like Mike Amos said…. He said it!”