During my time as president of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, I was privileged to meet many interesting public officials and entertainment celebrities.

While sitting in my office today, I’m looking at a collage of photographs on the wall where I am conversing with some of those notable personalities.

For example: Former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander while touring the Murfreesboro City Schools’ ESP program; Rutherford County native and Nobel Prize winner Dr. James Buchanan during a homecoming reception hosted by the Chamber of Commerce at the former Garden Plaza Hotel; also McMinnville native and nationally syndicated columnist Carl Rowan during his visit to MTSU. Mr. Rowan and I shared stories about McMinnville, where I was also born. He attended the former Bernard High School in McMinnville before going on to fame as a writer and also a top official in the President John F. Kennedy administration. I have a photo of Al Gore, then the vice president, arriving at Uncle Dave Macon Days, being greeted by County Executive Nancy Allen, UDM Director Gloria Christy and me.

Another photograph shows Gov. Ned Ray McWherter and me during the reopening of the Pillsbury plant in Murfreesboro. Others include Wolfman Jack at Toot’s Restaurant, Rep. Bart Gordon, and then one of my favorites: Mayor Joe B. Jackson, Carl P. Mayfield and me dressed like Hank Williams Jr., during a premier showing of the original 1991 video for Monday Night Football.

Let me reminisce about Monday Night Football while my mind goes back to the spring of 1991. I received a telephone call from a representative with the Tennessee Film Commission, an agency that we worked with on many occasions to get Country Music videos and national television programs filmed on location in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County.

On this particular day, the Film Commission spokesman said that ABC Television had hired the Richard Katz Company in Boston to film a video that would be used to introduce Monday Night Football. Hank Williams Jr. would be the star, and since he had an upcoming performance at the Starwood Amphitheatre in LaVergne, there was a good possibility that the entire project could be done locally. I was told that it would be hard work getting everything coordinated; from law enforcement, site locations that involved getting permission from property and business owners … to at least 101 other requests.

I volunteered the Chamber. And was assured if the Chamber would take the lead, Murfreesboro would be the stage for Bochepus on national television. However, there was one little stipulation. The producers wanted a setting that could be described as “anywhere USA;” in other words a non-descript town that could fit into almost any state in the Union. The storyline would be that life in small town America was ho-hum … until Monday night … when Hank, Jr. would yell at the top of his lungs, “Are you ready for some football?” Then the town would come alive.

Imagine the scene. A few passers-by were walking around the Square. A bingo game was being held at the Moose Lodge on Northwest Broad Street. Then, Hank walked into the Lodge and bellowed out those famous words. Life began with football fans dancing at the Tip Top Barber Shop, The City Café and locations throughout the city such as Duds & Suds, Murfreesboro Bowling Lanes and Sisco’s Beauty Shop. I even made a cameo appearance doing the Monday Night Football boogie.

In the movie world, there is usually a premier showing of the latest flick on the Silver Screen. Well, I thought that having the Monday Night Football video filmed in Murfreesboro was a big deal. So, the Chamber rented a 16-foot screen that was place on the front steps of the Rutherford County Courthouse. We had a party to celebrate the world premier of Monday Night Football featuring Hank Williams Jr. – complete with a Hank Jr. look-a-like contest, a Monday Night boogie dance off, and giveaways of Hank’s music and autographed pictures.

The Police Department estimated that we had 10,000 fans on the Courthouse Square for the event.

Then came the big moment; the premier viewing of the video. ABC Television’s Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf made the recorded introduction on our big screen. Frank took the lead, “A big hello to all our rowdy friends in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. We thank all of you for being a part of Monday Night Football.” All 10,000 of us were glued to the screen hoping to catch a glimpse of some friends who were used as extras.

It was a big night for the Chamber of Commerce and I think for Murfreesboro. ABC Television benefited from it also. They later won a Sports Emmy for the video, and Hank Williams Jr. became synonymous with Monday Night Football.

I enjoyed seeing Hank on television this week during the broadcast of Monday Night Football from LP Field in Nashville. It brought back fond memories from 17 years ago.