Setting the Stage: The Early Days of Auburn Football
The definitive story of Auburn football’s earliest chapters.
Setting the Stage: The Early Days of Auburn Football
The book begins just before the Civil War. The Methodist Church of Alabama agreed to sponsor two new colleges in Alabama. One would become what we commonly refer to as Auburn. Most Alabamians saw the winds of war brewing but believed it would only result in a minor skirmish along the northern Virginia border.
The war quickly escalated into the State of Alabama forcing Auburn to close its doors. While other colleges in Alabama were burned to the ground, the school was spared and even served as a hospital for Confederate soldiers. Reopening after the war, Auburn struggled to stay afloat, but its leaders could see light at the end of the tunnel. In the midst of rapidly changing times, Auburn’s leaders overcame the objections of faculty members who demanded more funding, and religious leaders who thought the sport would be too dangerous, to field its first football team. This is the story of those who worked together to establish the sport we know and love today.
Memories of a Salty Pirate and His Beautiful Maiden
45 fun, sad, outrageous, and unforgettable true-life experiences shared over a 50-year marriage.
Memories of a Salty Pirate and His Beautiful Maiden
Neal’s adventures began in the winter of 1948 as a whopping 9 pound 9 ounce bundle of joy. Finding his roots in Birmingham and finding the love of his life in high school classmate and Auburn University friend, and wife, Melinda Vann, the book is about 45 fun, sad, outrageous, and unforgettable true-life experiences shared by them over their 50 year marriage.
Beginning in elementary school, his time in Shades Valley High School, his escape to Auburn, and going from frat boy to an officer in the U.S. Navy six days later, Neal outlines his life as a lawyer, finding humor in a profession that is hard to find. He finds the lighter side of his marriage to his maiden, Melinda and their four children, and takes you through Melinda’s role in Auburn University’s first volleyball team, the first woman’s organized sport to play in the State of Alabama.
About the Author
A life well lived — in his own words
I was born in a rural, six-bed hospital in Haleyville, Alabama on January 10, 1948. Most of the people who reside in the community referred to the hospital as a place you go to be born or die. Luckily, for me, it was the former. My dad was an engineer at Alabama Power when I was born and later in his career became the Senior Executive Vice President for Power Generation. My mother was a stay-at-home mom and shopper extraordinaire. When I was 5 years old my family moved to Birmingham, Alabama, and I have considered that my home ever since.
I have loved sports as long as I can remember. After school, we would race home, change from our school clothes, and return to the playground where there was always a game going on. I also played in organized leagues for baseball and basketball. Those were my favorite times. I attended Shades Valley High School, which at the time was the largest school in Alabama and recognized for its high academic standards.
In my senior year, I applied and was accepted into Honors English. The class was taught by Dena Mackey, who was nearing the end of her career, but was a highly respected teacher among those in the English Department. She loved her English and commanded us to love it too.
“Neal Whitt stand up! I am giving you an A, just like I did last semester, but if you would write about something serious rather than those funny pieces, you could write a book someday.”
— Dena Mackey, his high school English teacher
I have thought about that day my entire life, and although I have had some serious ideas in the back of my head, I have had little time to reduce them to writing — until now.
During my career, I devoted a lot of time to civic work. I served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Jefferson Transit Authority for five years. I also served as President of the City Council of Mountain Brook, Alabama — a city with a lot of Chiefs and no Indians — for four years. I also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mentone Area Arts Council.
My family is an athletic family, beginning with my wife who played on the first volleyball team at Auburn University. My son Trey is an avid runner who ran in the Boston Marathon. My son Vann, who unfortunately died at age thirty from a brain tumor, was a star in football, basketball and baseball. My daughter Mindy was an All-State player in basketball, and daughter Carrie was an All-State player in volleyball.
After our children had all graduated from high school, my wife and I became USA Olympic Volleyball Referees. We traveled all over the country to call matches on weekends.
During my career, I also developed an interest in building museum quality tall ships from plans written in Italian. Each one took about a year to complete. Later, I found a more creative outlet working with clay, making whimsical figures that told a story. For fifteen years, my wife and I traveled the southeast showing our work in numerous art shows and galleries.
Then Covid hit. All my galleries closed and never re-opened. I found myself in my studio in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, watching six grandchildren staring at their laptops and learning nothing. If there was any time to try my hand at writing a book, this was it.
The name of my first book was Memories of a Salty Pirate and his Beautiful Maiden. Memories are little things you put in a box and from time to time you take one out. Some are happy, some are sad — like sitting in the fraternity house during the draft lottery for the Viet Nam War and hearing my brothers moan as their number was called.
The book was fun to write, and I put it on Amazon where my friends could find it. Their response was favorable — some commented that it was like reading a story by Lewis Grizzard, a writer from Atlanta known for his witty, whimsical and sharply southern take on life. I took that as the highest compliment one could make.
Then, the earth began to shake beneath my feet. It was Ms. Mackey rolling over in her grave. I remembered her telling me to find a serious topic and write about it. Within weeks I began thinking about finding a story that I could tell that would not be whimsical. Auburn was one, sports was one, history was another. It immediately hit me that John Heisman coached at Auburn, but I didn’t know anything about it. I didn’t think most people would either. It was time to write.
It took about a year to fully research and write Setting the Stage, the Early Days of Auburn Football. I self-published the book and put it on Amazon.
About six months after publishing Setting the Stage, I received a call from a literary agent who wanted to represent me. He advised that it would require about $25,000 to get started. I passed. Around a year went by and approximately 15 literary agents called with the same pitch — each asking for a large sum of money. Then I received a call from a literary agent named Alex Scott, who said if he couldn’t find a publishing house to acquire the rights to my book, I would owe him nothing.
Within two weeks, I received a call from Kerry Donovan, Executive Editor for Berkley Books, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House Publishing. She advised that my book was under consideration for acquisition. Several months later, the acquisition was approved, and I signed the contract.
Setting the Stage: The Early Days of Auburn Football is set to be launched in the early part of 2027, and I could not be happier.
About a month after signing with Berkley Books, I received a call from Joseph Matukewicz, President of Sony Film Acquisitions and Sony’s subsidiary, Stage Six Productions, to inquire about selling the movie rights. A joint venture was formed between Stage Six Productions and Universal Studios to adapt the book into a full-length film. Later, FX Productions, a subsidiary of Disney, was added to the joint venture for streaming rights.
I was able to secure the services of Steve Kloves — who wrote and directed The Fabulous Baker Boys and is best known for writing the screenplay for all but one of the Harry Potter films — to write the script. Production should begin in the fall, and the film, along with the book, will launch in New York City early next year.
I have some other ideas bouncing around in my head. Check back soon for future developments.
Gallery
A visual journey through Neal’s world — from personal moments to his whimsical clay artwork and book covers.
Contact Neal
Have a question, a story to share, or interested in a book signing? Reach out directly — Neal would love to hear from you.