A Season of Homecomings. Ron Lang.

 

 

A Season of Homecomings.  Ron Lang.

Living, Learning & Loving Every School in the SEC.  

 

When considering the ultimate road trip some may like to visit the many great monuments around the United States.  Others might hit the open highway and see how far they can go from one coast to another.    Others may simply head for the nearest beach to relax for a while away from home.    Ron Lang decided to visit every college stadium of schools that participate in the Southeastern conference.   He did this during the 2019 football season in attending a home game for all fourteen member schools.   As the title of the book, A Season of Homecomings, suggests this was a weekly adventure from one stadium to the next to observe and commemorate the 2019 college football season---southern style, of course. 

Lang, a Louisville Kentucky native and University of Kentucky graduate, uses his coaching experience and writing prowess to deliver an informative account of each campus with its pervasive culture and rich history.    The author takes the reader through his day-to-day journeys while visiting each campus.   Interested visitors to these institutions get a feel for the popular places to visit, observe and experience.   Whether its campus street, college avenue or main street at each campus, the people, the architecture and the overall vibe are palpable in Lang’s reporting.   

Certainly, each school has its own unique brand of history, tradition and quirks.   Find out about the origin of "UGA", the live Georgia Bulldog mascot in Athens, Georgia or how the start of the checker board came about in General Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.    What does the 12^th man mean in College Station, Texas?   What’s more is where to find and visit the caboose in Columbia, South Carolina.    What goes into the party set-up and scene at the Grove in Oxford, Mississippi?  Where does one go to get an old-fashioned lemonade on the plains in Auburn, Alabama?

While providing street names in traversing each school, it might be hard to follow if one has never been to the campus.   Perhaps inserting a map for each ground’s would have helped provide more perspective.   Lang’s writing style is appropriate and has a solid command of the language.   However, some of the chapters could have used more humor or some funny exchanges shared along the way.     While the author spent plenty of time visiting with old and new acquaintances he does not provide enough of those stories or dialogue in the book.  

The book covers the games as well in the latter part of each chapter.    It is obvious that Lang is a knowledgeable observer of the game, a one-time college coach, and delivers his thoughts on many issues of the day such as appropriate replays at all stadiums, fans booing players with perceived fake injuries, as well as his thoughts on a newer, but equally important, penalty in college football these days called targeting.    Lang uses this platform to express his pride in southern football, traditions and all things related.    Intentionally or not, the book, at times, serves as an SEC infomercial.   Product of how the author feels or just playing to the likely target audience?   The honest answer is likely both.  

This is a fantastic idea for a book.   The writer put in his driving miles (Lang lives in south Texas), walking steps and extensive research and logging to bring 15 weeks of visits together in one collective season of trips, tailgates and gridiron action.   It so happens that Lang witnessed the eventual 2019 national champion (LSU) on three different occasions through the regular season and college football playoffs.   While the book started a bit slow and was notably dry in the earlier chapters, the latter part of this journey picks up in intrigue.   It was one heck of a road trip brought to life in this classic 360-page football and Americana atlas.    

 

·         You might like to read this book if you are an SEC college football fan.

·         You might like to read this book if you are a college football fan in general.

·         You might like to read this book if you enjoy reading about college campuses.

·         You might like to read this book if you want to find out more about history of the south.

·         You might like to read about this trip if you are interested in taking road trips to unique places.