From Niceville to Louisville
Kevin Sedelmeier
Thursday June 26, 2003
That was the case with me, as we made our way home from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Saturday. It was late morning; kick off for the Louisville Fire’s game versus the Memphis Xplorers was eight hours away. I was in the passenger seat as we made our way from the beaches through the Northwest sliver of Florida into Alabama. Along state road 85 south of Crestview, we went through Niceville, Florida, a town on the Choctawhatchee Bay and home of the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival
It was a pleasant little town, perhaps not unlike many other southern locales. It seemed cozy and practical as we rode past a Waffle House, a Dollar General Store, the Friendly Inn hotel, and Little League fields. Houses were neat and closely aligned. The City of Niceville welcome sign on a hillside was inviting.
The only exchange with the locals we had was at a stop light, when I dug into my pocket for some loose change – 52 cents worth – that my wife dropped in the bucket of a man collecting for some Fourth of July celebration. He seemed kind and appreciative. Ok, he seemed nice. Had I asked if he had ever heard of Tommy Johnson, head coach of the Louisville Fire, I bet he would have said, “Sure, I have.” After all, Johnson was a high school football star at Niceville High School, who later went on to win a national championship at the University of Alabama. Don’t be fooled, although Niceville is in Florida, you’ll see as many Crimson Tide fans around as you will Seminole or Gator.
In nearby Andalusia, Alabama, they have a sign at the city limits line, boasting “Home of Robert Horry.” Maybe one day, Johnson, too, will have a similar sign hanging at Niceville High, celebrating the heritage of a local sports celebrity. Seeing Johnson returning to coach at Alabama one day is hardly a far-fetched scenario. He is a patient teacher, a young guy who knows what he’s talking about but doesn’t feel compelled to yell orders at his players. He knows you don’t demand respect; you earn it.
The Fire’s 3-9 record, 2-8 under Johnson, doesn’t truly indicate his potential, however. It might even suggest that some of the team is not particularly inclined to listen or to believe in what he has to say. Taking over from the brief, tumultuous reign of former NFL assistant coach Wally English, Johnson was a complete turnaround from English’s old-school football ways and brash talk that once got the elder coach removed from coaching duties in a Louisville youth football organization. Whether it’s at practice or after a win or loss, Johnson is a gracious interview, a solid, decent man, a man who must be completely frustrated by his team’s six-game losing streak. The obvious thought is that a young team like the Fire would be responsive to a young coach like Johnson. That result, however, has been sporadic with turnovers and penalties continuing to mount.
By the time I was back in Louisville around 11:00 Saturday night, the game was over, and the Fire had fallen 52-40 to Memphis. Although they never led, the Fire played much better than they had during the drubbing in the Desoto Civic Center earlier in the season. The return of Pookie Jones as the starting QB produced some offensive sparks, and WR Dennis Fryzel continued his quiet but productive play with two TD grabs.
Earlier in the year, Johnson said, “We’re trying to put together something special here, and I think we can.” While most diehard fans believe in Johnson, they, like Johnson, now realize that that goal seems to be a lot tougher to achieve than once thought.
And while, Tommy Johnson, the nice guy from Niceville, deserves plenty of time to turn this team around, there is something that needs to be done to end this loosing streak. And while I offer no answers, I can tell you that sitting on the beach and staring at the sea is a pleasant alternative to watching the Fire lose another football game.
Kevin Sedelmeier is a native Louisvillian. A graduate of the University of Louisville with a B.A. in Communication and M.A. in English, he works as a technical writer and has written fifteen screenplays and numerous short
stories. He lives with his wife Elizabeth, son Lukas, and their dog Springsteen.