Being a fan of a sports team is part of our identity. We live and die by our team’s success and failure, although it is totally out of our control.
These teams become who we are and we pass our fandom to our families that follow.
Over at Texas A&M-Kingsville, there is a couple of fans who spread their love for the Javelinas to everyone they meet.
Meet Harriet and Eugene Williams. The biggest Kingsville Javelina fans around.
“I graduated Tuloso Midway in 1969 and this will be my 50th year of Javelina football,” Harriet said.
Both alumni of the university. Eugene drives teams on their road trips. Harriet is simply known as “Mama Hog.”
“We’re still there,” Harriet said. “We support them win, lose or draw.”
Despite the results on the scoreboard, their support remains strong.
“They need you,” Harriet said. “They’re losing. Anyone can support a win. They need you when they win. They need you when they’re losing. Anyone can support a winner. They need you when they’re losing.”
They’ve been there for the good, including Hall of Fame inductions.
“We were there when Darrell Green was inducted and when John Randall (was),” Harriet says
And they’ve been there for the bad, like losing the big game.
“We were in Alabama in 1994 when we lost by six,” Harriet said.
Their constant support of the team has allowed them to grow close with athletes and coaches.
“We know the players,” she said. “We’ve gotten to know some of their families. If it were a bigger school we wouldn’t have that luxury.”
With each passing year, Harriet and Eugene continue their efforts towards supporting the athletic program. All within standard compliance with the NCAA, of course.
“We try to help the team as much as we can within NCAA rules ….,” Harriet said with a laugh.
They love all Javelina sports, but there is one sport that reigns supreme.
“Football, yeah, that would be the number one,” Eugene says.
But even as they have lived through the past success of the program, they still want more.
“I wanna see some national championships, starting with football,” Harriet said. “I wanna see that. Football championships would be great to come up.”
For now, they enjoy their games. And as “Mama Hog” describes it “the mystique of Javelina athletics.”
She also has a plan when the end of her days come around.
“When the dear Lord calls me home, my children and husband know they will have a pep rally at McCulley Hall,” she said. “The band will be there. They’ll play the fight song and I’ll be cremated and my ashes (will be spread) at Javelina Stadium.
“Because they know that’s where I’m the happiest, I have the fondest memories. It’s where I’ve shared a lot of my life with my husband, my children and grandchildren. It’s just a grand place.”
Congratulations to both Harriet and Eugene Williams. Both are real fixtures in the Javelina community.
