I will never forget the words of KLTV-TV sports director in the fall of 1984.
I had just moved to work with KLTV a couple of months earlier from KTRE-TV in Lufkin/Nacogdoches...and here I was a couple of months later breaking a story on a coaching change in the East Texas area.
After the 10pm news one night and after we broke the story, Jerry came up to me and said, "Smoaky, great job---we got them tonight."
Back then, there wasn't much competition in the TV market in Tyler/Longview, there was KLTV and the new CBS affiliate, KLMG in Longview.
Our main competitor was the Tyler Morning Telegraph, they had a great staff of writers...
They beat us a few times and visa-versa.
So, after Jerry's comment, I said, "I got a little lucky."
He immediately responded, "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity."
I've never forgotten that phrase, and today's Tweet on Twitter early this morning, "It's a done deal, he's coming to Baylor," was all about preparation meeting an opportunity.
"It's a done deal, he's coming to Baylor" was about Phil Bennett taking the defensive coordinator position under Art Briles. I've known the Bennett family since the mid-1980's from their connection to Marshall, Texas where they were born and raised and other stops in the high school coaching tree, including Jerry Bennett at Jefferson and now at Linden-Kildare HS in deep northeast Texas.
I called Jerry earlier this week working a completely different story on Baylor recruiting, and before you know it our conversation turned to his brother Phil and one thing led to another, and...."It's a done deal, he's coming to Baylor."
Had I not made the phone call to Jerry Bennett earlier this week, I don't think we have the conversation about his brother Phil. But, we did, and I was able to Tweet this morning and give our radio station a little exposure.
The story isn't over, more changes could be on the way and we hope to be on top of all of them.
David Smoak
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