George Irby always knew Elbert Drungo Jr. could make an impact without saying a word.
Growing up in the same neighborhood in Columbus, Irby watched as Drungo Jr. matured into a 6-foot-4, 230-pound young man who earned the nickname “Hog” because he was so big and strong.
“He was kind of a legend in the neighborhood,” Irby said.
Drungo Jr. used his teenage physical stature to his advantage to earn a job on a coal truck, which added to his reputation. That job was better than any training in a weight room Drungo Jr. could have gotten because it prepared him for the “work” he would put in Friday nights for the R.E. Hunt High School football team in Columbus.
Irby, a wide receiver on those Hunt High teams, was glad Drungo Jr. was a running back on his team so he didn’t have to try to bring him down.
“On the field he was, I guess you could say, a beast,” Irby said. “He loved football. Off the field he was quiet as a church mouse. He was a quiet giant.”
That “quiet giant” graduated from running back to become an All-America offensive lineman at Tennessee State in 1968 and a nine-year veteran of the NFL with the Houston Oilers (eight years) and the Buffalo Bills (one year). Following his career in professional football, Drungo Jr. spent four years as an offensive line coach at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and was a longtime employee of the Davidson County (Tenn.) Sheriff’s Department. Drungo Jr. died Saturday at the age of 71. His longtime wife, Deborah, said he died in Hermitage, Tennessee, due to multiple forms of cancer.
“He was a very good person and a gentleman at all times,” said Deborah, who met Elbert when they were students at Tennessee State majoring in health and physical education. “He loved being around people.
“He was a very special gentle giant. He will be missed by his nieces and by his entire family.”
Irby and friends Tommy Prude and “Nookie” Aaron traveled to Tennessee on Wednesday to pay their respects to Drungo Jr. and his family. On the way to the funeral home and on the way back, the three men had plenty of time to reminisce about their friend who watched out for his four brothers and who was a terror on the football field. While they recalled Drungo Jr.’s kindness and how he looked after his friends, they came back to his exploits on the gridiron in Columbus.
“He was the biggest thing in the state and ran over everybody,” Irby said. “We passed the ball around and didn’t run him every play, but he was our bread and butter. If we needed yards, he was the go-to guy.”
Longtime football coach John Dickerson, who coached at Hunt High, coached against Drungo Jr. when he was a coach at Amory High. He recalls his teams beating Columbus three of the five years they played, but he also remembers Drungo Jr. making things difficult.
“He was a good football player,” Dickerson said. “He was a big boy.”
But Deborah said Drungo Jr. didn’t allow his athletic gifts to make him a boastful man. She recalls a man who didn’t go out at night and didn’t smoke or drink and, most importantly, who loved football. She said he always aspired to become a professional football player. She said his dedication to his dream and his willingness to listen to his coaches enabled him to realize his goal.
“We saw a lot of each other being in the same classes, so we got to know each other and our friendship turned into going out with each other,” Deborah said. “We have been together ever since I was (at Tennessee State) as a freshman.”
Elbert and Deborah married in 1972 and had one child, Mary-Evelyn, who Deborah said became the love of her husband’s life. She said he told his co-workers at the Davidson County Sheriff’s Department he was going to drive his daughter around for a living after he retried from that job in 1999-2000. She said that relationship blossomed as Elbert Jr. drove Mary-Evelyn to dances, sporting events, and other activities.
“He took pleasure in being with her and taking her around,” Deborah said. “That was one of the achievement he was most proud of.
“The love and respect they showed each other was so special. He never had to spank her. He was just proud of her whatever she did, and whatever she was going to do, she made sure her daddy approved. He just lived to make her happy, and she respected him and showed it back. They had a great relationship.”
Deborah said she will miss “everything” about her husband of 42 years. She said she will remember the time he danced with his daughter to the song “My Girl” at her wedding. She said that was their special song because “My Girl” is what Elbert called Mary-Evelyn. She also said she will miss Elbert’s smile, helping him each day, and the talks they had.
“He will never be replaced,” Deborah said.
That’s part of the reason Irby, Prude, and Aaron felt the “obligation,” as Irby put it, to go to Tennessee to pay their respects to the family of their longtime friend. He admitted they didn’t keep in touch every day, but that it was impossible to forget the kind of person Drungo Jr. was and what impact he left on their lives.
“He was just a good person,” Irby said. “We all have fond memories of him. This is something we felt we had to do, and we feel good about having done it. He will be missed.”
The three men also had a chance to talk to Deborah on Wednesday. Irby said he talked with Deborah about acquiring some of Elbert’s sports memorabilia from his days at Hunt High so they could be placed in the Hunt Museum where they will honor his memory. He said Deborah appreciated that thought and the fact they came to Tennessee to pay their respects.
Even though her husband never was an All-Pro player in the NFL, Deborah said he left a legacy that will be remembered in Mississippi and in Tennessee.
“He was never one with I guess what you would say was a big name,” Deborah said. “He didn’t worry about that. He just played.
“I knew he wouldn’t change (because he was a professional football player). As long as he didn’t change, I knew he would be a wonderful man. He kept it simple.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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