Football season is almost here. After a long, hot Northwest Louisiana summer, there is something special about knowing fall is just around the corner. Friday night lights will soon shine across Webster Parish, and football will return.
When this time of year arrives, my wife jokingly says she is preparing to become a “football widow” for the next six months. Although, I am making progress in turning her into somewhat of a football fan.
For me, football season means much more than games. It means memories, family and tradition.
I have been a football fan all my life. I played through middle school before becoming more interested in music and band. Giving up playing, however, never meant giving up football.
Some of my earliest memories involve watching games with my dad.
When I was 6 years old, I flew to New Orleans with my parents to watch the Saints play the Baltimore Colts at Tulane Stadium during the Saints’ first season in 1967. I remember standing with Dad near the tunnel because he wanted to see Johnny Unitas come onto the field.
That memory has stayed with me for nearly 60 years.
I also remember watching the Dallas Cowboys’ famous Thanksgiving game in 1974, when Clint Longley replaced an injured Roger Staubach and led Dallas to a 24-23 victory over Washington.
I was a Cowboys fan then, and I remain one today. I celebrated their championships and still believe another one is somewhere in their future. Maybe this is the year.
That is part of the beauty of football. Every season begins with hope.
I proudly cheer for the Saints, and I will never forget their Super Bowl championship following the 2009 season. I was also happy to see former Saints quarterback Drew Brees inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame a few weeks ago.
And then there are my LSU Tigers.
As a lifelong LSU fan, I still enjoy remembering the national championships in 2003, 2007 and that magical 2019 season.
Now another season is here, with Lane Kiffin beginning his first year at LSU. The Tigers open the 2026 season Saturday against Clemson in Tiger Stadium, the real “Death Valley.” ESPN’s College GameDay will be there, and needless to say, I cannot wait.
But as much as I love the games and traditions, football has also taught me something about life.
I lost my dad in June 2020. When football season arrived that fall, something I had shared with him for as long as I could remember suddenly felt different.
Watching football without Dad is still tough. Those years of memories cannot be replaced.
But I have learned that different does not have to mean empty. Life can change and still be meaningful. There can still be joy, and part of that depends on what we choose to make of the moments we are given.
Today, I have the privilege of watching football with my father-in-law, who loves the game every bit as much as I do.
I still miss watching with Dad, but I am grateful for the opportunity to make new memories while holding tightly to the old ones.
That is what football has become for me.
It is not simply about the scoreboard. It is about the people sitting beside you. It is the conversations before kickoff, the excitement of a big play, the frustration of a missed opportunity and the laughter after a hard-fought victory.
Football season is about traditions passed from one generation to another. It is about much more than football.
It is community.
So, as another season begins, I am ready for Friday nights, college football Saturdays and Sundays spent watching the pros.
Most of all, I am ready for another season of memories.
Football has given me a lifetime of them, with family and friends, victories and losses, laughter and disappointment. I am thankful for every one.
Here’s to football. Here’s to the memories we carry with us, and the new ones still waiting to be made.
I cannot wait.
Randy Brown is Regional Publisher and Executive VP of Specht Newspapers, Inc.