Local tailgater up for honors

By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Jan. 12, 2004
With over 25 years of tailgating experience, you wouldn't think that Molly Lomax could be caught off-guard by anything involved in the tradition pre- and post-game football activity.
If you thought that, you would be wrong.
The Waynesboro resident was thrown a curveball by her daughter and son-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. Ryan Roy, when she was named one of 10 national finalists for Coca-Cola's search for deputy commissioner of tailgating by self-proclaimed commissioner of tailgating Joe Cahn.
The surprised veteran tailgater, who often arrives at the Grove at 2 a.m. on game days, was entered in the search for deputy commissioner during the Ole Miss-LSU football game in Oxford on Nov. 22.
Cahn, who claims to be a professional tailgater, was on the Ole Miss campus for the game as part of his eighth annual Tailgating America Tour.
Lomax was selected from over 500 other applicants to compete for the job of deputy commissioner. The winner of the nation-wide contest will be voted on by football fans and tailgaters from across the country.
To vote for the winner, fans can visit www.footballtownusa.com and select their favorite candidate. Votes must be cast by midnight on Wednesday.
Lomax said being a part of the tailgating contest has been an exciting experience, and it has helped her catch up with some old friends.
The winner will help Cahn kick off a week of tailgating in Houston, Texas, leading up to the Super Bowl. Along with the trip to Houston, the deputy commissioner will receive a $5,000 stipend and a tailgating equipment package.
Lomax said if she wins, it will have more to do with the atmosphere created by all the Rebel fans in the Grove.