Football prints being sold to help pay medical expenses

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Local residents may be able to display their athletic pride while also helping to off-set the medical expenses of a Madisonville-North Hopkins graduate.

That is just what Teresa Ball, MNHHS class of ’69 secretary, aims to do by selling prints produced in the 1960s depicting Maroon football gear and memorabilia.

Ball began the fundraising effort after Debbie Owen Ligon, one of her former classmates, recently had a surgical procedure that resulted in an enormous medical bill.

Ligon was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer in the orbit of her left eye in February 2006. The cancer finally caused her to undergo a 91⁄2 hour surgery that removed her left eye on June 5. The surgery, performed by M.D. Anderson’s in Houston, was out of her insurance’s network.

Following her most recent surgery, Ligon told Ball she expects to owe more than $100,000.

“I just can’t imagine having to come up with that kind of money,” Ball said. “We’re just trying to come up with whatever we can to raise money.”

As secretary for her class, Ball took it upon herself to e-mail her other classmates and ask for any donations and received a reply from former quarterback Robert “Buffer” Bayne Pride Jr.
Pride, along with his sister, inherited the collection of prints from his late father, Bayne Pride following his death last year.

“We’ve had these prints hanging around since he deceased,” Pride said. “Since he passed away, my sister and I have been waiting for the right occasion to do something with them. We just decided this would be a great opportunity to do that.”

Pride’s father graduated from Woodbury Art School (Calif.) after returning from WWII, and later as a member of the Maroons’ boosters club, produced the original print in the 1960s while Pride started as the school’s quarterback.

In 1968, Pride led the Maroons to a 9-2 record. For 15 years, Pride held the record for most touchdowns thrown in a game (four), until it was broken in 1983. Pride also believes he still holds the record for longest punt from the line of scrimmage at 76 yards.

With many years of tradition at North, Ball thinks there will be many interested in the prints.

“I know there are a lot of Maroon fans out there,” Ball said. “I went to the booster club meeting the other night. One guy approached me afterward and said he had been looking for that print for 15 years. He wanted to buy four of them.”

Many of the potential customers may not even know Ligon, but as a former member of the Maroon band and chorus, Pride remembers her well.

“She just had a very effervescent personality,” Pride said. “She was always charming and never met anybody but a friend-type person.”

To help Ligon with her bills, Pride donated the 857 remaining prints he had from the original 1,000 produced.

“We thought, with these prints, you know I would like to see all 800 (sell), all 857, if we could,” Ball said. “I don’t know that we can, but as many as we can.”

Each print is priced at $25 and Ball will be selling the prints from 10a.m. to 3p.m. today at the Parkway Plaza and in the evening at the Last Maroon Fan Standing fundraiser at Rizpah Temple. Those who wish to buy the prints can also purchase them at every North home football game or contact Ball at 821-0839.

Donations can also be made payable to MNHHS Class of 1969 at Hancock Bank, Attn: Darren Brown, P.O. Box 736 Madisonville, KY 42431.