To say the dedicated callers to the Paul Finebaum Show are a special group of people may be putting it lightly. It has been the window to the craziness that is fandom in the SEC, however it also has become a very tight-knit community.
One of those most notorious in the community of callers is “Phyllis from Mulga.”
Just how notorious s Phyllis? She took time following ‘Bama’s first touchdown to make sure to let everyone know the dynasty that is the Crimson Tide was far from over. It may have been premature given how the rest of the game played out, but it was pure Finebaum Show to say the least.
However, it was incredible to hear given what is happening to Phyllis’ family. According to a report, her husband of 38 years was recently diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.
Given that it is truly incredible she could still care so much about a football game to make time to call in to the show.
Even more incredible is the response from the rest of the Bama contingent that follows the Finebaum Show. That same report indicates there is a GoFundMe campaign started in her honor to help raise funds for the husband’s battle against cancer.
In just one month since its start, the campaign has raised over $48,000 as of this writing and is just $2,000 short of the second goal of $50,000, having already surpassed the first goal. All of that money has been raised by just shy of 700 people as well.
The names of those who have donated are truly amazing to see on the page, but there have also been a small group of sports celebrities that have gotten involved to help raise awareness. Those people got a special shout out on the GoFundMe page:
Special thanks to Kenny Mayne, Carol Robinson, Paul Finebaum and Danny Kannell. You have helped raise the awareness of our campaign and there aren’t enough words to properly thank you, so we’ll just take a page from Phyllis and say “Roll Tide!”
While college football may be a way of life in the Southeast, this gesture serves as a great reminder that nothing is as important as actual life and fighting against the deadly disease known as cancer.
Phyllis even made time to make a heart-felt Thank You to all of those who have donated, calling in recently to the Paul Finebaum Show. You can hear all of her call here.
About Andrew Coppens
Andy is a contributor to The Comeback as well as Publisher of Big Ten site talking10. He also is a member of the FWAA and has been covering college sports since 2011. Andy is an avid soccer fan and runs the Celtic FC site The Celtic Bhoys. If he's not writing about sports, you can find him enjoying them in front of the TV with a good beer!