Michael Pineda
Wayne McKinney is most visible in his role as sheriff of Stephens County. But as a Pigskin Prognosticator, he shined in his rookie season.
McKinney took the lead in the middle of the season and ran with the ball throughout the remainder of the season, turning away all challengers to claim the title. And like a true sportsman, he gave credit where it is due.
“I had no background in prognosticating,” McKinney said. “I had to do a lot of research and got a lot of advice from my son. And I just got lucky.”
The road to the championship did not come without its ups and downs for McKinney as he had to overcome the adversity of a midseason stumble and regain momentum in the stretch run.
“I said, well maybe this won’t work out as well as I thought,” McKinney said. “I would look on the Internet and see who people were picking and why. Sometimes you have to take your favorite teams out of the equation and it’s hard to do. I caught a lot of grief about it.”
In looking back at McKinney’s picks, the turnaround came back in October when he had to put his heart on the backburner and choose a team that caused mental anguish and emotional bankruptcy.
“Oklahoma and Texas was the hardest,” McKinney said. “My son is Texas all the way and we had several arguments about it.
“It was harder than I thought it would be. You have your favorites and you have people in the county that you want to support. A couple of close friends wouldn’t talk to me after the OU game.”
Despite not having experience as a prognosticator, McKinney did not enter the season as a novice. The sheriff has followed area football and has a wealth of experience on the gridiron dating back to his high school days as a football player for University High School in Waco.
McKinney was an imposing force, at 6-6, 280 and played tight end and defensive tackle.
“During my time it was Ray Nitschke and Dick Butkus,” McKinney said. “I miss those days when people played because they love football, not the money.”
That love of the game translated into a championship for McKinney, despite some hefty competition.
“Not at any time did I feel comfortable. I was concerned early about Joe Hicks,” McKinney said. “And I was real concerned about Sherrie McCormick.
“In anything that a person does, you strive to win. As it progressed with the ups and downs, I didn’t know if it would hold true. It was fun and I would like to do it again.”
— Michael Pineda is the sports editor for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 143, or via e-mail at m.pineda@duncanbanner.com.
