Tulsa, The Kickoff Luncheon, and a Turtle

Originally Published: Aug 24, 2010 6:11 PM CDT

It couldn’t have been the highlight of the annual Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce Golden Hurricane Kickoff Luncheon (and it didnt take much longer than actually saying that title out loud), but it was fun. I had the chance to co-host a portion of the event last Thursday, serving a Johnny Carson-esque role while interviewing TU head coach Todd Graham and players GJ Kinne, Charles Clay and Charles Davis.

Notable: Graham suggested (somehwat jokingly) that the offense should average 50 points per game under new coordinator Chad Morris, and none of the players chanced an impersonation of Graham like a couple of them did last year.

I came away from the event feeling guarded optimism from Graham. I also came away impressed by the way Clay, Kinne and Davis all handled themselves. The format in front of several hundred Tulsa fans and teammates can be a little intimidating, but those three all had fun with it. Davis, a married father, is afraid of snakes, but not turtles. He told a story of how he found a turtle in a road during the summer, and took it home to his daughter Zoe. He put the turtle in the back yard. Later he went out and couldn’t find it. His explanation? "The turtle got away."

File that one. It may be the only time in recorded history that’s been said.

Kinne wouldn’t bite on the ‘Which game are you looking forward to the most?’ question. Not Notre Dame, OSU or Houston, although he did jokingly say Houston after Clay and Davis stuck to the Graham-approved answer, the East Carolina opener.

Clay may have had the most fun in the moment, and that came as a bit of a surprise to some close to the program. He’d rather let his immense talent on the field do the talking, but he stole the show.

Now if he can just "make like a turtle" when defenses close in.