FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Author Chris Warner will sign copies of his updated “Tailgater’s Guide to SEC Football,” along with several of his other titles, at Page & Palette in Fairhope on Saturday, June 6, from 1 to 4 p.m.
“This is the book that will get SEC Football fans through the lockdowns! I call it the ‘Bible of SEC Football,'” said Warner, who calls himself the “Professor of Tailgating” and has written more than 20 books.
About the book
The completely updated book, now in its fifth volume, runs 320 pages and sells for $15.95 in paperback.
It includes a history of college football in the South and its links to the Civil War; a history of the Southeastern Conference and its predecessors, the Southern Conference and the SIAA; and chapters on each of the conference’s 14 member schools.
Each school chapter covers its history, traditions, great players and coaches, places to shop, golf, eat and drink, famous alumni, the origins of its mascot, colors and nickname, and local bail bondsmen and hospitals. The book also includes a history of tailgating and 14 Cajun tailgating recipes, among them “Crimson Tide Seafood Gumbo,” “Jordan-Hare Shrimp and Okra Stew,” “Starkville Shrimp and Corn Soup” and “Death Valley Crawfish Etouffee.”
“Tailgating and traveling the nation’s toughest conference supporting their team is the pinnacle of the fall cultural phenomenon for SEC football fans,” Warner said. “It’s a confluence of the reunion of friendships and family, good food, and of course, football.”
About the author
The first version of the book led to Warner’s appearance in a television documentary on tailgating.
“This is the first book I wrote, back in 2000. It remains my most successful, to date, as a practical guide to history, tradition, legacy and lore,” Warner said.
Warner’s other titles include “The Wagon to Disaster,” the story of HealthSouth, written with former CFO Aaron Beam, and “Bushwhacked at the Flora-Bama,” written with Joe Gilchrist, founder of the establishment on the Alabama-Florida line.
A former radio and television host, high school teacher and college professor, Warner lives on Perdido Key, Florida.
