Minutes before David Bazzel's grand entrance in a metallic gold sport coat, the Simmons Bank lobby at Broadway and Capitol Avenue in Little Rock was packed.
There were bank executives, starting at the top of Simmons with Chairman and CEO George Makris; football fans; Canaan Sandy and his mother Ginger; and families such as Val and Jack Hansen.
All are supporters of the Little Rock Touchdown Club, which has grown from a handful of guys 15 years ago into a must-attend luncheon every Monday for football fans.
And it is not just a city affair. Good folks come from as far away as Texarkana and Magnolia.