Harmon Wages: The Butcher's Boy

Harmon Wages: The Butcher's Boy

From the moment he was born, Harmon Wages has been beating the odds, the scale of which would cause most to throw up their hands and quit. As a Gator at University of Florida, an Atlanta Falcon and an Emmy-nominated TV sportscaster, Wages cleared hurdle after hurdle in his personal quest for excellence. Harmon attributes so much of his life to experiences growing up in the small Jacksonville community of Pinegrove where his dad owned the local grocery store. As a high school quarterback in Jacksonville, one local columnist called him "the best running QB in Florida." Most of his time at University of Florida was in the shadows of Heisman Trophy Winner Steve Spurrier. When Spurrier graduated, a pre-season injury sidelined Wages for the most part and left him undrafted by the NFL. Always faith-based and undaunted, Wages showed up cold at the Atlanta Falcons' tryouts in 1968, won himself a spot, and proceeded to reap accolades and break records for six years until a knee injury sidelined him for good. While his debut as a TV sportscaster was just shy of abysmal, he eventually rose to become sports director and the top-rated sportscaster in Atlanta. At the height of his TV career, Wages was sent to federal prison for drug possession and still, at 76, feels some ramifications of what many say was a set-up. He semi-retired at age 54, lost his mother, entered a period of depression and turned to alcohol. "Rescued" by his 7th grade sweetheart, he hasn't touched a drop in years. This is the story of Harmon Wages, on the bench and off the bench, who saw problems as opportunities and repeatedly overcame obstacles. In his own words, his story is both inspiring and timeless.