What’s on my mind: Big Money

It’s hard to tell exactly where he comes from, Big Money. It’s not like he announces himself upon arrival or anything. One moment he’s here — at a Perry football game pacing behind the Panther bench, furious at a call — the next minute he’s gone. I’ve asked a few locals, the ones that I feel know I’m not just being a nosy reporter but actually care about what I am asking, “Where’s he from? How old is he? Is he from Perry? How does he get to and from the games? Does he walk, run, ride a bike, does he drive?”

“When we went on the road, he would ask me for the departure times and he would arrive well before time,” says Lady Panther head basketball coach Reginald West. “He was never late for a road trip.”

These are all honest questions that I have yet to get answers to, and I’m fine with that. One more question: What’s his name? I mean his real name, not the nickname on the back of his Perry varsity jacket. The jacket reads “Big Money” and that was what everyone told me to call him before I ever set eyes on his outerwear.

When I first saw him at the Perry/Houston County football season opening scrimmage in August of 2016, I tried to get the answers I was looking for myself, initially out of curiosity, then later for this column, the old fashioned way; I asked him myself. I might as well have been talking to the sky or better yet someone else. Big Money was watching his Panthers play ball and I wasn’t going to get through to him during a game. That was the kind of mistake a newcomer to the city of Perry and, in particular, Perry High School makes. I was officially “that guy.”

Big Money just looked at me and nodded, not a yes, not a no, just a nod. I took that as his way of saying, “Please let me watch the game in peace.” I have yet to ask him a question again. I respect his passion for Panther sports too much. That, and I’d hate to continue being “that guy;” I can’t stand “that guy.”

When a Perry team loses, it’s like Big Money loses. He looks to take Perry football and basketball that serious. I even saw him get fired up during the Lady Panthers double extra time penalty kick victory a couple of weeks ago. Did I mention that it was an early season girls’ soccer game in the rain? Big Money is the epitome of a supporter. Rain (literally) or shine, he’s going to be at Perry games, cheering on the home team (if this is his home? Here I go with the questions again).

Big Money’s devotion to the hometown teams doesn’t go unnoticed, not even close. There are plenty of fans, coaches, teachers and, in particular, players that show their love before and after games.

“When I think about Perry High School athletics, I think about Big Money,” says West. “He’s been a staple amongst the programs here for a long time. He was one of my many unofficial assistant coaches that sat on the end of the bench this season.”

The high-fives and fist bumps never seem to stop.

“I have a warm heart when it comes to supporters like Big Money,” says first-year athletic director and head football coach Kevin Smith. “Perry athletics are a big part of his life and it’s guys like him that make Perry a special place.”

If you see him at a Perry game (the soccer teams will be home twice during the first week of April), make sure to say hello. Just do me a favor and wait till a stop in play. You don’t want to be “that guy.” Trust me.

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