C. O. Brocato (1929–2015) was an American scout, coach and football player best known for his work with the Houston Oilers (later the Tennessee Titans), for which he was a scout from 1974 to 1976, and again from 1981 until his death. A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Brocato attended St. John's High School and played college football for Baylor. Drafted in 1953 by the Chicago Cardinals, he left during training camp to pursue a coaching career. He spent eleven years as head coach at his high school alma mater. He was defensive coordinator for Northern Arizona from 1969 to 1970, and for Texas–Arlington from 1971 to 1973. He then joined the Oilers as a scout and became regarded as one of the greatest in history in that role. Brocato helped his team draft several players who went on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also invented the three-cone drill, one of the main events at the NFL Scouting Combine. He was a semifinalist for induction to the Hall of Fame for the classes of 2023 and 2024.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._O._Brocato

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1843:

A Christmas Carol (illustration pictured), a novella by Charles Dickens about the miser Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation after being visited by ghosts, was published. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol

1983:

The Jules Rimet Trophy, awarded to the winner of the FIFA World Cup, was stolen from the offices of the Brazilian Football Confederation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup_Trophy

1997:

SilkAir Flight 185 crashed into the Musi River in Indonesia, killing 104 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SilkAir_Flight_185

2013:

The European Space Agency's spacecraft Gaia was launched with the goal of constructing the largest and most precise star catalogue ever made. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_%28spacecraft%29

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

orotund: 1. Of a voice: characterized by clarity, fullness, smoothness, and strength of sound; hence, of a person: having a clear, full, and strong voice, appropriate for public speaking, reading aloud, etc. 2. (by extension) 3. Of writing, etc.: clear, effective, powerful. 4. (derogatory) Of speech or writing: bombastic, pompous. 5. (countable) A voice characterized by clarity, fullness, smoothness, and strength of sound. 6. (uncountable) The quality of clarity, effectiveness, and power in speech or writing. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/orotund

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Show me a country where the bombs had to fall Show me the ruins of buildings so tall And I'll show you a young land With many reasons why There but for fortune, go you or I.   --Phil Ochs https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Phil_Ochs