The Boy from Bowman: Mecole Hardman makes small Georgia town proud | Loran Smith

Mecole Hardman will be long remembered when Super Bowl histories are recalled. His three-yard touchdown catch was not that spectacular as spectacular plays go, but what it meant will make him a hero forever.

Then there is the humility of how he figured into the process—down and out in New York but getting a second opportunity with his old team was like a jilted lover being reunited and a broken heart mended.

Loran Smith

Add to that the small-town aurora. The population of his hometown of Bowman is 875. His winner’s share of $164,000 for a day of work last Sunday is probably greater that the net worth of the entire town.

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You find small town boys achieving fame and fortune through the avenue of sports. Stories such as Jerry West and Cabin Creek, West Virginia; Ty Cobb and Narrows, Georgia, Jim Brown and St. Simons Island, Georgia, Herschel Walker, Wrightsville, Georgia, Red Grange, Wheaton, Illinois, Darrell Royal, Hollis, Oklahoma are Walter Mitty stories that never cease to amaze and enthrall us.

Now you can add Mecole’s name to that list.

I remember when he was being recruited by Georgia. One coach called him “the best football player in America.” Perhaps that was an overstatement but everybody in Bowman today is ready to declare him as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

The community is ready to bring about a parade in his honor although with his speed he could run from one side of the town to the other in less time than he could run a hundred-yard dash.

Mecole has always had a smiling, outgoing demeanor which endeared him to his teammates and coaches. He is still bringing great smiles to the Kansas City locker room. When he…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/boy-bowman-mecole-hardman-makes-090514302.html

Author : Athens Banner-Herald

Publish date : 2024-02-15 09:05:14

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