SIU Saluki Football

When we lived in Carbondale, we attended many of the Southern Illinois University football games.  I would often go with Weldon and maybe a few friends.  We would rarely sit in the bleachers and watch.  More often we had our own game going in the grassy area behind the end zone.  Another favorite activity was to go under the bleachers when the cheer leaders threw miniature footballs to the fans.  A few would always fall through and we would pounce on them.  At the homecoming game someone actually offered us money for a ball.  I think we sold them one because we had a few between us all.  Other notable things about SIU football was the Saluki dogs.  They were the mascots, and I remember petting them at least once.  Also they fired a canon after every home-team touchdown,

I remember two dogs on leashes

field goal and extra point.  They were really fireworks, but they made a big boom.  There was only one game when there were lots of booms, because they were only mediocre.