Hittin' Paydirt

Todd Gurley has the Fairfield PowerSleds rolling on the right tracks to win yet another BDFL title

The Mean Machine plows through the politics

FAIR PARK - Growing up in the 70's and playing Metro Football in Gardendale, we were taught to "run to paydirt". Most of us didn't really know what it meant, but we figured it out eventually. I have always associated "paydirt" with Walter Payton. It could be because of his last name and because that was what he did his whole career, run to paydirt. Payton was a relentless rusher in the NFL from 1975 to 1987. Sweetness ended up carrying the pigskin 3,838 times for 16,726 yards for the second most yards in the history of the league and he embodied the phrase in 1985 when his Chicago Bears finished 15-1 and won Super Bowl XX. "Paydirt" is actually an old term that comes from the mining industry. "Paydirt" was what the explorers, prospectors and miners were looking for in the first place, that precious part of earth that rewards hard work with a payoff from the sale of its valuable minerals, or metal, such as gold, silver, copper, oil, coal, etc. that was unearthed. During the California's gold rush of 1849, to "strike paydirt" was to dig and dig and dig around until you hit dirt that would eventually pay off with the soil that contained some gold. "Paydirt Pete" is the current mascot of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He is an over-sized stuffed larger-than-life pick-carrying prospector looking character that reflects UTEP's nickname of the "Miners". In a larger sense to "hit paydirt" means to endure in a task until you finally reach something of value. In the BDFL, this means enduring 14 weeks of a tough regular season and then qualifying for the coveted Big Daddy Championship Series (BDCS) post-season playoffs for a three-week run at the 2017 BDFL championship title. Congratulations to the eight teams who finally "hit paydirt" in the BDFL this season.