The Auburn Tigers smacked the Memphis Tigers 31-10 to win the 2015 Birmingham Bowl, but one Memphis player wasn’t about to leave the stadium without a souvenir.
Reggis Ball, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound safety and the team’s No. 4 tackler, wanted to add one more stop to his season total.
However, this one doesn’t count on the stat sheet. Ball wrestled down an Auburn equipment manager, grabbed a football and sprinted into the locker room hoisting his prize.
Memphis #38 tables auburn ball, steals ball and runs of the field! #thugloser
Posted by Russell Smith on Wednesday, December 30, 2015
After the first viewing, you’re left wondering why on earth a player from the losing team would go through the trouble of swiping a football. Besides, a 31-10 drubbing isn’t exactly a tremendous memory.
However, this was probably the final game of Ball’s football career. While tackling an equipment manager from the opposing school isn’t a suggested course of action, Ball apparently thought it was the only way to keep a football.
Perhaps Memphis will demand Ball return the pigskin. This isn’t a great look for the school, and public relations always has an impact.
Even if that doesn’t happen, consider this a strange and lasting memory of how much the sport means to its players.
