It's Super Bowl weekend!

Oops... I forgot. Am I even allowed to write "Super Bowl"? Might get hit by the NFL for copyright infringement by not calling it the "big game" instead.

Well anyway, no matter who who're rooting for tomorrow or even if you're not a sports fan at all, here's something we can all enjoy: Andy Griffith's classic comedy monologue "What It Was, Was Football", accompanied by George Woodbridge's illustrations from MAD Magazine!

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Andy Griffith's "What It Was, Was Football!"

In 1953, a young North Carolina actor named Andy Griffith did a stand-up routine about the game of football. The recording of it became a runaway bestseller across the country, and it quickly propelled Griffith toward major motion picture roles and of course The Andy Griffith Show. And since that time "What It Was, Was Football!" has become one of the best-known comedy monologues in history.

I first heard this bit around 1984, when the local edition of P.M. Magazine did a video clip of Griffith's routine accompanied by footage from a local game. They even had a guy act out the "Buddy have a drink!" part. I thought it was pretty hilarious and years later when I spotted an Andy Griffith CD at a store in Asheville I bought it, just for "What It Was, Was Football!". It's now on my MP3 player :-)

And guess what? You can enjoy it via YouTube, complete with lots of football images! So whether you first heard it many years ago or have never enjoyed it until now, here is Andy Griffith's "What It Was, Was Football!"

But that's not all! I didn't know until tonight that in 1958, "What It Was, Was Football!" was adapted into graphic form by MAD Magazine! Click here to see MAD artist George Woodbridge bring to life Griffith's tale of a country rube discovering the game of football :-)

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