Topeka Daily Capital
January 1963

WASHINGTON – This man and his wife came home at 3:30 a.m. from the New Year’s Eve revelry. They had wound up at the Statler Hilton and, as the saying goes, the Hilton was ‘tiltin when they left.

At home, the babysitter was awfully excited. “The White House has been calling,” she said. She gave the name of the man who was calling.

The call was returned. The man had been calling through the White House switchboard. Actually, he was at home.

“The courier plane is flying to Palm Beach at 8:00 a.m. today, “And a bunch of us have decided to ride it and go to the Orange Bowl game. We can just make it.

“You and your wife are invited,” he continued. “The main reason you’re invited,” he added with a sort of nervous chuckle, “is that we we figure you’re the man who can get tickets for us.”

The man listening flinched. It was something like eight hours before the kickoff, and the game was reported as a sellout.

“How many tickets?” he asked.

“Twelve, counting two for you.”

“I’ll try for 10,” said the man, “considering the takeoff is in something like four hours and we’re not exactly prepared to go.”

The man tried. He called Ken Ferris, Oklahoma’s business manager, at a Miami Beach Hotel. It was now about 4:00 a.m.

“What’s wrong?” Ferris asked anxiously.

“Nothing much, said the man, “except that I need 10 tickets.””

“I can get you 10 for our opener next season at Southern Cal,” said Ferris. “I can even get you 10 for the Texas game. What game do you mean? I know you wouldn’t call me at 4:00 a.m. and ask for 10 for today’s game.”

“Today’s game,” said the man, “is what I have in mind.”

It was fortunate at that time that Ferris is a deacon in his church, and a man not given to anger or swearing. He said he’d try, and that the party of 10 should call at the outside door of the Oklahoma dressing room no later than 11:30 AM. That meant he’d have the tickets.

The man called back to the White House caller. Then he went to sleep and barely made it to the TV set next day to see the game from there. Two weeks later, he saw Ferris. He smiled, but Ferris didn’t.

“That guy never picked up those tickets,” Ferris said. “Nobody ever showed up. We got stuck with $65 worth of tickets.”

It was another two weeks before the mystery cleared. It seems the president visited the Oklahoma dressing room at about 11:30, and that local policemen had that area blocked. Nobody – absolutely – except the president’s party could get near the dressing room door.

“It was sort of a mess,” said the man who was to pick up the tickets. “The local police wouldn’t let us near the place, and you can’t blame them.” they got in, but that’s another story. . . .

(Editor’s Note – January 1, 1963: Alabama defeated Oklahoma 17-0 in the Orange Bowl. In the game attended by President John F. Kennedy, the Crimson Tide were led by sophomore quarterback Joe Namath.)