Book signing, Oct. 14, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Restaurant Tyler

[KyleVeazey]

Hi, all. Wanted to share that I'll be selling and signing my book "Champions for Change: How the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Their Bold Coach Defied Segregation" on Sunday, Oct. 14 at Restaurant Tyler, 100 E. Main in downtown Starkville. I'll be there for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. while Ty serves brunch to folks the day after the Mississippi State-Tennessee football game.

Please come by and say hello. And if you're out of town then and want to make a pre-order, or if you're just curious about this book, my website is championsforchangebook.com. I'm updating things periodically on Facebook, too.

I hear Restaurant Tyler has good food. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[GloryDawg]

I have always thought this story would make a great movie. Any thought of writing the script?

 

[KyleVeazey]

Hey, if someone wants to buy the movie rights, I will absolutely let them!

Seriously, though, I do know that Phillip Seymour Hoffman's company bought the rights to Dean Colvard's memoir a few years back. Here's an article from 2010: http://collider.com/phillip-seymour...with-guy-pearce-and-mary-louise-parker/15329/

I don't know if they're actively doing anything with it, but it is interesting to note.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Whoa.

 

[KyleVeazey]

I don't know much about the movie industry, so I don't know how that tidbit above translates to the road to becoming an actual movie. I suspect there are many more steps.

In my research, I interviewed close to 30 people. Only one of those 30 mentioned that the company had contacted them about an interview, and I don't even know if it took place. Now, I don't know how critical interviewing people is to building a script; I do know it's critical to writing a piece of non-fiction history.

I hope it does become a movie. The 1963 team is a great story. The whole era, which I hope you'll find my book tries to encompass, is a fascinating story, too.

 

[Coach34]

I've given you some **** over the years- but I do intend to get a copy. It's a good story and should be a good read. Good job on even doing it- somebody should have beaten you to the punch years ago- but their loss.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

There are more steps, and it can take a long time. A family friend wrote a novel in '68 that was optioned and finally released as a film in 1990.

 

[KyleVeazey]

Thanks, I appreciate that. And yes, someone should have beaten me to the punch many, many years ago.

 

[Crucifictorious]

Philip Seymour Hoffman has the rights to Colvard's memoir, Mixed Emotions, but whether that becomes a movie is anybody's guess.

 

[dawgstudent]

So will Red Stroud shart in the movie?

 

[rabiddawg]

Red Stroud was our HS basketball coach and an all around *** to all the other students. Dude had some serious anger issues. His tirades in the hallways of our school were legendary. Still the best Elvis impersonator I have ever heard though.

 

[DawgInThe256]

Wonder if this is the project. Found it by searching IMDB for "Mixed Emotions".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596580/

Is it too soon to email IMDB to ask them to change it to "Untitled Mississippi STATE Basketball Project"?

 

[Crucifictorious]

Not sure. I know there was a screenwriter in town about a year ago looking at the Colvard materials in the Archives. He said that he was going to use the book and the records to work on a script and that Hoffman wanted to play Colvard. I'm guessing Hoffman heard about the story through the sports illustrated article and somehow got the rights from Colvard. The screenwriter didn't sound confident if that means anything.