In the early days of October, sports fans across America start to feel dejected, demoralized, and distraught. This combination can only mean one thing: its baseball postseason, and chances are your favored team is stuck riding the pine until next year.
Luckily, there’s still hope! Where baseball season let you down, football season’s there to pick you up. Between the professional league and college ball, there’s plenty of action to satisfy even the hungriest aficionado. This week, we’re bringing you football materials from our O.C. Fisher collection to celebrate the gridiron as part of our continuing Treats & Treasures series during American Archives Month.
Ovie Clark “O.C.” Fisher, a Baylor University graduate, served from 1943 to 1974 as the Representative for Texas’s 21st district. During the 1964-1965 football season, Fisher became a Congressional member of the Naval Academy Athletic Association (NAAA), the Air Force Academy Athletic Association (AFAAA), and the Army Athletic Association (AAA). This membership afforded the congressman first-chance opportunity for tickets to dozens of sporting events, including the prestigious Army-Navy football game. Football tickets among members were in particularly high demand, leading to an informal trading network between congressmen. Fisher was inundated with requests for extra tickets he may have purchased. Correspondence between Fisher and the athletic directors of the respective programs confirm that he did order tickets, which may have been for his personal use or for his constituents. The following items come from our O.C. Fisher materials. (Click photos to enlarge)
These are Fisher’s NAAA membership card, the cover the 1964 Navy football team brochure, and a ticket request form for the October 3rd Navy-Michigan football. Ticket prices varied by game.
Here we see a ticket request form for the October 3rd Army-Texas football game in Austin, Texas, a donor contribution slip to the National Football Hall of Fame, and the rules pamphlet for members of the Army Athletic Association.
Fisher received a letter similar to this one from the Naval Academy Athletic Association welcoming him to the organization. This letter from the Air Force Academy promotes cadet athletic achievement.
The 1964 season schedule, a membership card, and a booklet of football ticket applications were included with Congressman Fisher’s induction letter.